Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1530892
N o one has shaped Houston's culture quite like legendary art collectors and philanthropists John and Dominique de Menil. These tastemakers and human rights activists helped transform a burgeoning port city into the cultural nexus it is today. Now, a new hotel from Austin's hospitality group Bunkhouse Hotels draws from the same legacy of unexpected pairings and cutting-edge culture the de Menil family generously bequeathed to the city. Although not directly affiliated with The Menil Collection, Hotel Saint Augustine can't help but be influenced by both its collection and the heterogenous neighborhood that surrounds it. Located at 4110 Loretto (blocks from the Rothko Chapel and adjacent to the Menil Drawing Institute), the 71-room hotel reflects the de Menils' embrace of modernism and surrealism with a design that's both dreamy and logical. A visit to the de Menils' modernist Philip Johnson- designed home in River Oaks was the jumping-off point for the tenor of the hotel, which opened in mid- December. Just as the house's flat roof and unadorned brick façade contrast with its richly furnished interior by couturier Charles James (a stylistic juxtaposition if there ever was one), the sumptuous color and frisky details within were an instant inspiration for Saint Augustine, according to Tenaya Hills, Bunkhouse Hotels' senior vice president of design and development. "The de Menils were a fascinating couple," she says. "I can't overstate how important they were to the cultural landscape, bringing artists from all over the world and curating this beautiful Houston's New Hotel Saint Augustine delivers a dose of artistic glamour as it settles in near The Menil Collection. In Reverence to the By Kendall Morgan. Photography Julie Soefer. de Menils John and Dominique de Menil, 1968 FROM THE BOOK DOMESTIC ART, ASSOULINE 18