This Kelly Wearstler-Design Hotel is Austin's Coolest New Stay
Just a stone’s throw away from Lady Bird Lake, amid Austin’s lively Second Street District, a craftsman-style hotel designed by Kelly Wearstler is officially open for business. As the newest project for Proper Hotels & Residences, The Austin Proper is much more than just a place for guests to crash after a long day. The 99-residence, 244-suite hot spot is marked by a sophisticated-yet-homespun take on luxury hospitality’s finest: culinary delights—including two Mediterranean restaurants and one rooftop eatery—from McGuire Moorman Hospitality, 14,000 square feet of well-appointed event spaces, an expansive fitness center, full-service spa, and roof deck pool. The 33-story, 500,000-square-foot building was designed by Handel Architects, and is the first LEED Gold-certified hotel and residence in the area, with most of the condos already sold.
This project is not uncommon for Wearstler, whose impressive oeuvre includes many high-profile commercial clients, including The Viceroy, Bergdorf Goodman, and The Four Seasons hotel. She has also collaborated on other Proper hotels in the past, including those in San Francisco and Hollywood. While Wearstler’s comfortability with the craft affords her a great level of expertise, every space she conjures is different from the next. Having begun her career in residential design (from Spring Street in New York to the beaches of Malibu), it's only natural for Wearstler to dream up spaces with residential charm in mind. For this project in particular, Wearstler took inspiration from the city of Austin itself; a place she’s long enjoyed and appreciated for its cultural significance and laid-back liveliness. As she puts it, Austin is “an amalgam of unexpected, unique imaginations that come alive in one space.”
Throughout the hotel, Wearstler combines the history of Austin with her own signature stamp, creating spaces imbued with a casual sense of luxury. In the guest rooms, local hand-crafted tiles and fiber art were meticulously selected to accompany the design of each suite. Wearstler commissioned Rick Van Dyke to produce hand-raked cabinet inlay tiles, while Magda Sayeg created wall art from string and can be found on the guest room walls. The hotel's calming palette of earthy browns and tans is juxtaposed with a vivacious blend of mis-matched patterns, sculptural furniture, and plenty of plant life. It's a place that begs you to kick back and relax.
To celebrate its opening, we got word from Wearstler on how she brought her California cool to the Lone Star state.
ELLE DECOR: Is Austin a city you were familiar with prior to being brought onto this project?
KELLY WEARSTLER: I had been to Austin a few times prior, but when I started the project I became fully immersed in the culture of Austin through deep exploration, trying beloved restaurants and visiting stores like the iconic independent bookstore, South Congress Books. I also attended Round Top, which is an antique fair where I discovered so many incredibly talented local artists. I found Austin’s legacy of vintage neon signs so inspiring and unique to the city's history.
ED: How did you blend the style of Austin with your own very distinct aesthetic?
KW: The culture of Austin is a merging of past and present, infused with a vibrant, creative spirit that is constantly evolving. Austin Proper is an ode to its city, an amalgam of unexpected, unique imaginations that come alive in one space. I used local textures, colors and materials to bring a deep sense of culture to the project. Furniture have been upholstered with new, colorfully patterned and textured fabrics, reworked and refinished, giving them a fresh, modern life. Local artwork from emerging talents also crosses the bridge from the past to the present.
ED: What is the neighborhood around the hotel like?
KW: Austin is friendly with a cool vibe, independent shops, great restaurants, and the residents are into health. It reminds me of Myrtle Beach, where I grew up. The hotel sits next to Lady Bird Lake, where one can run and ride bikes.
ED: I love the hotel's residential charm. How did strike a balance between comfortability and sophistication?
KW: We approached designing the space with the same thoughtful process as a residential project, infusing each of the areas with one-of-a-kind vintage furniture, handmade pottery, fibre art and photography by local artists as well as vintage art. Vintage documents served as inspiration for wallcoverings while luxe fabrics and patterned vintage rugs elevate the spaces. The materiality is residential in feel with custom millwork from locally sourced and crafted cypress shou sugi ban wood and hand-fashioned vintage patterned tiles.
ED: While the hotel is very light, bright, and laid-back, there’s such a wonderful use of texture, pattern, and materiality. How did you go about incorporating these elements?
KW: Austin informed the palette with warm golden yellows that pay tribute to the Texan sun combined with shades of rust, deep blue, sage, and cognac. From the color palette, we thoughtfully selected locally-inspired materials from leather and hides to furnishings made of wood to deep metal. We layered this timeless, historic, stylish sensibility with warmth and intimacy in a new, modern building.
ED: Take me through the design of some of the hotel’s highlights. What are some noteworthy details?
KW: The reception is intentionally spare and calming to the eye. The lobby is intended to feel like you are in a stylish grandmother’s tea room. The monolithic wooden staircase is covered in more than 60 conjoined vintage carpets topped with an assortment of monolith assorted pots. There is an incredible five-foot diameter light fixture whose neon accents recall Austin’s iconic neon signs.
The restaurant tells its own story but comes together with the hotel through warmth of materials, palette, lighting and details. Peacock is reflective of the Mediterranean menu, infused with elements that reflect Mediterranean culture while achieving an authentic design to enrich the modern building layout. The mosaic tile wall is composed of vintage tiles sourced individually from a Portuguese family collection, with a glass window that looks through the main bar. Two colorful urns made by Gabriela Martinez are adorned in the restaurant for an added touch of culture.
ED: What kind of experience do you hope guests have while staying at the hotel? How do you think this hotel stands out in Austin?
KW: Travelers are all about the experience of where they are—they are living in the moment, outside of their normal, daily routine. Senses are heightened and expectations are open. There’s a thrill to stepping outside of what is already known. A hotel should feel like a home, infused with a unique character that is true to its location. You want to create an experience and visual memory from the arrival to the very last moment of the guest’s stay. With Austin Proper, I wanted to create a very residential setting that evokes the artful living spaces of the past.
Choice of materiality is so key, the touch and feel of being in the space will particularly resonate with guests. The design evokes the authentic spirit of the city, giving travelers a true sense of being a local, immersing them in the culture. It’s the quintessential Austin experience.
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