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H otel Daphne, the long- awaited design-driven boutique hotel from Austin hospitality group Bunkhouse Hotels, has triumphantly opened its glass-and-steel doors on West 20th Street in the Heights. Houston was long deprived of Bunkhouse properties until Hotel Saint Augustine's celebrated Montrose opening last year, and now the Heights has its own intimate spot designed for neighbors and leisure travelers. The Heights' utopian community-driven ethos and Prohibition speakeasy history deeply inspired Bunkhouse, whose approach to hospitality is local and layered with a dose of mischief. The 49-room property is housed in a new By Anne Lee Phillips. Additional reporting Catherine D. Anspon. Photography Julie Soefer. heritage and Daphne's dichotomy of desire and danger to create the interiors. The public areas are painted in rich, saturated jewel tones. In the lobby, the front desk is wrapped in handmade tile, while a vintage Murano chandelier with rondini glass holds court above a semicircular modular vintage sofa sourced in Round Top a n d u p h o l s t e re d i n Pierre Frey and Nobilis fabrics. The retail shop — which sells local goods and Bunkhouse- d e s i g n e d p r o d u c t s , such as their coveted cotton kimono robes in Daphne's signature red- and-blue striped pattern — presides in the right- hand side of the lobby. The library serves as a quiet retreat for a game of chess or a convivial gathering space for cocktails or a private dinner party, with high-gloss blue built-in bookshelves with contrasting marigold and gold insets styled with books, ceramics, art, and found objects. A handwoven rug in a floral design from Shame Studios provides pattern while grounding the room. Adding swagger and soul to Hotel Daphne's interiors is a significant collection of Texas art; this is not unexpected, as hotel developers Bob Ackerley and his son Ben are not only patrons but their family, including Bob's wife, Nora, is intrinsically involved Design-Driven Hotel Daphne A suite with seating area. A room with artwork by Austin-based Alexandra Valenti, who was commissioned to create paintings for all guest rooms. five-story white-painted brick building with stepped parapets and steel windows with gray shutters, designed by Blanchard A+D to blend seamlessly with the neighboring charming residential houses and taller industrial warehouses. The building was sited around century-old heritage oak trees on the property, which can now be admired from numerous rooms across the hotel alongside l u s h l a n d s c a p i n g b y McDugald Steele. The in-house design team at Bunkhouse embraced the Heights' Arts and Crafts The Triumphant Opening of 24