For California native Lauren Werner, her move to Texas for college at Southern Methodist University in Dallas was the catalyst for a life-changing career decision. At 28, she moved to one of the most remote regions of the lower 48 and built a hotel. This alone is impressive, as are the numerous accolades Willow House has garnered since its opening in September 2019. But dig deeper and what Werner accomplished is more admirable still.
When she purchased the 250 acres in the West Texas high desert, just six miles from Big Bend National Park, she didn’t know if there would even be water. “It’s scarce out here,” she says. “That’s the reason there is a lack of development in this region.” That didn’t stop her; she dug a 644-foot-deep well to find it. As such, the 10 casitas and main house have showers, tiled in gray-green limestone with travertine sinks.
The main patio of the front house looks out over the desert terrain
Werner envisioned Willow House as an idyllic hideaway in the remote desert town of Terlingua, where guests would be able to disconnect and take in the sprawling landscape. The sugar cube-shaped casitas—ranging from 300 to 700 square feet—are inspired, in part, by the Georgia O’Keeffe house in Abiquiú, New Mexico. Awash in a natural concrete color, chosen because it blends in with the landscape, Werner conceived the interiors in reference to rocks she collected from the property. “I did not pick a single piece of furniture or fabric without referring to the color palette and texture of these rocks,” she says.
The result is rooms swathed in varying gray, tan, and black hues. Smooth floors are laden with Moroccan, Turkish, and Iranian rugs, and most of the furniture is either antique or bespoke, largely sourced from Pasadena’s Rose Bowl Flea Market. Some art on the casita walls has been donated through the artist in residency program Werner runs, while others feature paintings from her grandfather. Yet, each is resplendent in the desert’s natural beauty, encouraging visitors to relax and recharge.
The casitas are marked by their concrete exterior and sugar cube shape
Gray, tan, and black hues make up the casita color palette
Sunlight filters through Casita No. 1; a side patio features materials and colors that blend into the landscape
This article originally appeared in HD’s March/April 2020 issue.
