Houston Heights is one of the city’s most identifiable neighborhoods. Originally designed and planned as a utopian community, its Victorian homes, porches, and local spots evolved into secret drinking houses during Prohibition, transforming into the counter-culture energy of the 1960s, and now into a neighborhood where its recognizable patina meets modernity.
So, when Bunkhouse Hotels’ in-house design team was tasked with crafting the Hotel Daphne—named for both the owners’ dog and the Greek myth in which the goddess Daphne turns into a laurel tree (which are indigenous to Houston) to escape Apollo—they steered away from the restrained aesthetic of sister property Hotel Saint Augustine for something more layered and expressive that reflects a different energy within Houston.
The newly built five-story building from Arlington, Massachusetts-based Blanchard A+D thus evokes a mansion that had its heyday and then passed through generations, adding to its overall spirit.
“A traditional velvet couch might be paired with tie-dyed pillows, or you might mix china with stoneware,” says Tenaya Hills, head of design at Bunkhouse Hotels. The exterior welcomes guests with a painted brick façade, steel windows, and stepped parapets that nod to the neighborhood’s past.
The lobby library boasts high-gloss built-in shelving, custom tables with onyx chess sets, and a piece by artist Kelli Vance called “Separation Anxiety”
Inside, the lobby blends craftsmanship and comfort with a large circular sofa that anchors the room and a vintage Murano chandelier with rondini glass floating above that casts a soft, golden glow. The lobby’s fireball red trim is carried through the corridors to the library, which offers space to sit, relax, read, play chess, or even book a private dinner or cocktail hour. Here, high-gloss built-in shelving wraps the room in a curated mix of books, ceramics, and other objects. Custom tables feature onyx chess sets, while a handwoven rug brings color and detail into the space.
That same red trim appears in Hypsi, the hotel’s restaurant helmed by James Beard Award-nominated chef Terrence Gallivan. Named after a Spartan frontier that served as a sanctuary for the gods in ancient Greece, the interiors draw on Prohibition-era speakeasies with deep tones and rich materials, including a blueberry lava stone finish on the bar and vintage velvet-upholstered Gerli chairs.
In the lobby, a Murano chandelier suspends above a semicircular vintage sofa
The adjoining courtyard features playful patio furniture that sits beside mosaic tables with handpainted nymphs that nod to the hotel’s namesake’s mythological origins. “Our hope with Hotel Daphne is to create a community home for both guests and [locals],” Hills adds. “Hypsi is the living room, dining room, and backyard rolled into one.”
Meanwhile, the 49 guestrooms serve as a calmer yet vibrant counterpoint to the public spaces. Custom beds are framed in dark wood topped with headboards upholstered in psychedelic landscape textiles. The bathrooms continue the story of elegance with onyx vanities and rich tile that contrast the softness of the residential-style furnishings.
Hills hopes that the balance struck here and throughout leaves guests feeling that Hotel Daphne is familiar yet distinctive. “There are small moments,” she says, “that feel a bit unexpected, so [the hotel] doesn’t all reveal itself at once.”
Located in the lobby, the retail shop sells local goods and Bunkhouse-designed products
A blueberry lava stone finish at Hypsi’s bar nods to Prohibition-era speakeasies
The spacious penthouse suite includes a dining room that continues the layered approach of the public spaces
Awash in earthy hues, guestrooms comprise custom beds and nightstands framed in dark wood, mohair seating, and Arts and Crafts-style credenzas
This article originally appeared in HD’s April 2026 issue.