HOTEL WREN
Originally built as a roadside motel in the 1940s, Hotel Wren sits at the edge of Twentynine Palms in California’s high desert. The project was conceived as an exercise in close observation: of the existing architecture, the changing desert light, the native landscape, and the particular culture of making that has long defined this part of California.
Rather than erase the modest character of the original buildings, Manola Studio worked to preserve and clarify it. Existing structures were restored and substantially reworked, while new communal spaces and native gardens were introduced to create a more generous relationship between the rooms and the landscape.
Manola Studio conceived the project in its entirety, from architecture and interiors to landscape, furniture, and the details within the rooms. Wren was approached with the intimacy of a residence rather than the conventions of a hotel, extending that thinking into the rituals, objects, and gestures that shape a guest’s experience of the place. Handmade ceramic tile, clay pavers, solid oak millwork, custom furnishings, murals, and collected pieces were chosen for their material presence and the trace of the hand behind them. The result is less an interpretation of the desert than a place shaped by sustained attention to it.
Year of Completion: 2025
Location: Twentynine Palms, Mojave Desert, California
