The former Omni Royal Crescent hotel has reopened its doors in New Orleans’s Central Business District as the Magnolia New Orleans. Denver-based architecture and design firm Semple Brown was enlisted to give the boutique property, which was originally built in 1863, an update reflective of the Big Easy’s inspiring and eclectic spirit.
“We had very little to work with in terms of written history, but took our inspiration from one old photograph,” explains architect and Semple Brown principal Sarah Semple Brown. “Fortunately, we got a little help from an entire city.”
The studio reimagined each of the hotel’s 101 accommodations, as well as the lobby, fitness center, meeting room, and rooftop deck.
On the ground floor, original large-scale windows, previously clad with stucco, were exposed to create a more direct connection to the sidewalk. Locally sourced artwork throughout the public spaces and guest rooms nod to the city’s rich culture and character, while the new color palette was conceived to embrace light at all hours of the day.
“The palette of the hotel is unapologetic about its use of color—a bright, more energetic personality,” says Semple Brown. “The overall effect is a building that reclaims its history proudly—but isn’t a museum.”
