Photography by Wing Ho for ESG Architecture & Design
Since opening in 2016, the Hewing Hotel has elevated the Twin Cities hospitality scene, landing on Conde Nast Traveler’s Best Hotels in the Midwest list seven times (and often the only Minnesota hotel to do so). But it has also emerged as something more than a hotel; the property has established itself as a cornerstone of North Loop community life, serving as a watering hole and gathering place for residents in the trendy Minneapolis neighborhood.
When Minneapolis’ ESG Architecture & Design—which worked on the Hewing when it first opened a decade ago—was approached to refresh the interiors to mark the hotel’s 10th anniversary, the icon’s standing as a community hub was at the forefront of nearly every design decision, explains Megan Eckoff, vice president and interior design director for the firm and a key collaborator for the refresh. She also was on the original design team that helped launch the hotel in 2016. “Hewing is an icon of Minneapolis and of the North Loop and is definitely one of our legacy projects, and for the owners as well,” she says. “I think what’s true for Hewing is that it’s so popular—especially for those first-floor common areas.”
Eckoff says that when the hotel was first designed, its restaurant Tullibee was the focal point of the main floor, and the lobby and lounge areas bled into that. “Furniture there was more banquette and dining seating. But as [the hotel] became successful, the hotel found that visitors wanted more social lounge space to enjoy a casual drink rather than a formal meal, so [in the refresh] we really capitalized on that.”
With new furniture, layouts, and a variety of seating options, plus innovative shelving solutions to create more separation between the true dining areas and lounge areas, the first floor retains its status as the place to be in the North Loop and further encourages hotel guests and locals to stay a while longer.
More formal gathering spaces received a facelift, too, including the hotel’s ballroom and private boardroom and dining areas. The 124 guest rooms maintain the hotel’s signature cozy-cool Nordic vibe, while introducing new headboards, vanities, and refined decor upgrades.
The Hewing still feels like the Hewing, but with subtle, inviting updates that keep the property fun, singular, and a place residents and visitors alike will want to return to again and again.
Read this next: Design-Forward Twin Cities Restaurants Bring Dining to New Heights
|
|
|
