From the outside, Hotel Saint Augustine in Houston seems to be playing it safe, but once guests look beyond its unassuming exterior, unexpected surprises await: pops of color, rare vintage finds, and an immersive indoor-outdoor experience.
Inspired by Houston’s Menil Collection, Hotel Saint Augustine’s five buildings are crafted from stacked gray brick, echoing Renzo Piano’s design of the nearby museum
“Our aim was to create a space that feels both intimate and expansive—a blend of residential warmth and cultural richness,” says Tenaya Hills, head of design, Bunkhouse Hotels, JdV by Hyatt. “We wanted to capture the spirit of Montrose: creative, open, and deeply rooted in the arts.”
The project is the first in Houston for Bunkhouse, the Austin, Texas-based hospitality brand, and developer the Marchbanks Company, unveiling a discreet new build with architecture by Texas firm Lake|Flato that is designed to blend seamlessly with the landscape while simultaneously fostering a sense of calm. “Drawing inspiration from early modernist design, the architecture is very quiet in spirit, allowing nature to take center stage,” says Lake|Flato project director Nyssa Sherazee.
Located in Montrose’s Museum District, the 71-key hotel was four years in the making and features five two-story buildings connected by accessible open-air bridges, verdant courtyards, inviting porches, supportive gray brick masonry façades, and ash wood panels. Austin-based Ten Eyck Landscape Architects helped enhance the natural beauty of the 95,000-square-foot site as the “connection to nature was essential,” Hills points out.
Perseid restaurant’s yellow walls contrast with Art Deco-informed iron pendants that look like eyes
Paying homage to Houston’s cultural landscape, the design teams took inspiration from the nearby Menil Drawing Institute and Menil Collection. “We wanted the space to feel sophisticated yet comfortable—something that envelops you in the beauty of architecture, color, and furniture,” says Hills.
Once inside, guests are greeted by enigmatic yet theatrical interiors by Brooklyn, New York- and Jackson Hole, Wyoming-based Post Company, with many of the furniture pieces sourced from the Round Top Antiques Fair in Texas to give the hotel a “good amount of spontaneity,” says studio partner Jou-Yie Chou.
Take the lobby, where guests are met with a bright red high lacquer back-lit jewel box, which takes cues from the Menil museum’s gift shop. It’s paired with a burled walnut reception desk with Calacatta Viola marble accents and rich red velvet drapery, evoking a chic ambiance. “We had a vision for the hotel’s design, but on the hunt for vintage, you never know what you’re going to get,” he adds.
The lobby lounge blends vintage and contemporary seating, while sheer linen drapery filters soft light
The guestrooms nod to the de Menil’s home, including a high-lacquer mini bar and dark oak flooring that juxtapose blue, red, sage, and mustard hues and velvet textures. The bathrooms exude old Hollywood glamour with marquee wall sconces, Calacatta Viola stone countertops, and marble floors in Rosso Impero or emerald green. “We wanted to engulf the rooms in color so they would have this surreal, almost dream-like quality,” says Chou.
Inside Perseid restaurant, meanwhile, a unique find hangs from the ceiling: Art Deco-inspired pendants made of bent iron with armatures that look like eyes. “The exterior is beautifully done—it’s intentionally quiet—so we wanted to contrast that by providing these moments of surprise and delight throughout the property,” Chou adds.
This article originally appeared in HD’s April 2025 issue.
