After Chip and Joanna Gaines unveiled a renovated castle in their hometown, Waco, Texas, last November, we assumed the power couple had reached their career highlight. Then, they purchased Hotel 1928.
The building, which formerly belonged to the Karem Shriners, rose above the city's downtown in, you guessed it, 1928 – and since then, it has served as a social melting point.
'For nearly a century, the building on the corner of Washington Avenue and N. 7th Street has been a place where people gather to rest and relax, find inspiration, and celebrate,' the team shares. It was the heritage that served as the ultimate inspiration point for the design duo.
Designed in the style of an early twentieth-century Moorish Revival lodge, the 50,000-square-foot structure was a natural attraction to Joanna, who first established her signature style on HGTV's Fixer Upper. In the last decade, she has become synonymous with her earthy twist on the modern farmhouse style – a unique aesthetic that is evident in all her work, including this hotel.
However, in the case of this project, it comes with a natural Art Deco influence.
From the pendant lighting and gold finishes, it's clear that Chip and Joanna designed with the '20s in mind, but they were also able to bring some authentic features, including a beautiful terrazzo floor, back to life.
Some of Joanna's favorite elements she shares are the 'high gloss Venetian plaster, green leather banquettes, double staircase in the library, and custom mosaic tiles.'
'For us, this project represents everything we are most passionate about — hospitality, restoration, and home,' Chip and Joanna add. 'We’ve always been firm believers in the value of home, as a place but also as a feeling. Our dream for this hotel is that it would serve as an extension of home to every guest who comes to stay.'
While the Magnolia designers are celebrated for their home renovation skills, Hotel 1928 was an entirely new experience, both in its scale and the type of spaces Chip and Joanna found themselves renovating.
The structure spans three stories, almost 60,000 square feet, and comprises three restaurants and bars and a ballroom for good measure.
'When you think about a 50,000 square foot remodel, this is the big leagues,' Chip says in the Fixer Upper: The Hotel trailer. 'This is what you dream about, and I think Jo and I are out of our element to some extent, but we're up for the challenge.'
As hinted in the trailer, Fixer Upper: The Hotel, the full story behind this renovation, will premiere on Magnolia Network on November 8. We've already marked our calendars.
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