Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Hip Hotel in the middle of nowhere. Marfa, Texas

By Dian Hasan | September 29, 2009

It seems that these days, cool lodgings can sprout anywhere. Even in the arid open plains of Texas. Or make that the desert part of Texas, in a little town called Marfa. It may be off the radar for virtually all travelers, bar those who know their Pop Art from their Pop Tarts! The Thunderbird Hotel.

One art critic commended the hotel as being:

“Laid-back cowboy cool and desert views at this sleek design hotel in Marfa, Western Texas.”

Donald Judd, 15 Untitled Works in Concrete, 1980 - 1984, Marfa, Texas

You’ll find the spunky Thunderbird in Marfa – a small West Texas town seated nearly a mile high in the Chihuahuan Desert. Marfa is surrounded by stark mountainous desert beauty and breathtaking sunsets nearly every day. Art is as much a part of the landscape here as well – Marfa has an international reputation in the art world as a place where Donald Judd came to live and work.

Spare yet comfortable rooms are filled with custom-designed furniture, colorful woven Peruvian blankets and original works of art. The grounds, with a heated swimming pool and arbor-covered communal sitting areas, offer shade from the sun or a fireplace to warm up the cool desert nights.

Ever since iconic minimalist sculptor/furniture artist Donald Judd decamped to Marfa, Texas, the place has exuded an under-the-radar art world cool. So it’s not a surprise to find some of the hippest lodging anywhere here, a classic midcentury (1959) roadside hotel overhauled by architects Liz Lambert and R.L. Fletcher of Lake/Flato Architects in 2005, outfitted with custom-made furniture by local designer Jamey Garza, industrial lights from Jielde, Peruvian Frasada blankets, and Indian cotton sheets.

Inspiration: Remodelista

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