Perched over the harbor of Hobart, Australia’s island state capital, local architects Circa Morris Nunn’s intent for the MACq 01 (short for Macquarie Wharf) was to resemble the shipping warehouses it sits among, with its weathered white cypress-clad exterior and distinct guestroom timber box decks. Inside, Amanda Pike, director at Sydney-based Pike Withers, turned the three-level new-build warehouse into a hotel deeply rooted in the area’s rich history.

To capture the heart of the island’s people, Pike and her team immersed themselves in all things Tasmania, traveling to the places that shaped the island’s past “to soak up as much of the local character of the state as possible,” she explains, adding that she also consulted with indigenous and other specialists to be sensitive to the island’s history.

Each of the 114 rooms, for instance, embodies the story of a different Tasmanian character through its design—from indigenous warriors, colonial explorers, and famous convict bushrangers to inventors, cricket heroes, and artists, including some of the area’s more obscure but beloved personalities, such as Taffy the Bee Man, a honeymaker in the Huon Valley in the 1930s, and profane publican Elizabeth ‘Ma’ Dwyer. To complete the story, Pike and her team lined an entry wall niche with artifacts that relate to the person’s life, and centered the look around one of five main personality types, including the hearty and resilient—defined by quality timbers and leather furniture—and the colorful and quirky, where vibrant artworks and creative décor are the focal point.

This complex narrative is woven into the public spaces as well, where the industrial pioneer-inspired Old Wharf Restaurant with iodized steel, recycled wharf materials, and views over the cray boats from the dockside deck and Story Bar flow from the lobby lounge, while a rope installation slightly screens one space from the other. The lounge is anchored by a circular fireplace crafted by a stonemason, while indigenous artifacts, such as shell necklaces and handwoven grass baskets made by local Aboriginal descendants of the First Tasmanians, emphasize its place as “the storytelling nucleus” of the hotel, Pike says. To further drive home the local feel, a lighting installation evoking a kelp forest crowns the firepit centerpiece, and newspapers adorning the walls of the bar reflect Tasmania history.