The Von Minden Hotel

Individual Project | Fall 2020 | Adv. Design I

The Von Minden, located in Schulenberg Texas, is a container of rich history. The four-story, black iron and brick hotel has seen many owners and renovations throughout nearly a century. Now under different ownership, the client seeks a new identity for the hotel that will serve potential guests and the community of Schulenberg.

Hidden within Schulenberg, are the Painted Churches of Texas. Often referred to as the hidden “gems” or “treasures,” these churches feature modest exteriors but elaborately painted interiors of faux marbling and stenciling, by early German and Czech immigrants.

For this proposal, a modern take on the Trompe L’oiel effects and surface patterns inspired by the Painted Churches are used to produce perspectival shifts and blur programmatic and spatial boundaries. Subtle shifts in value and crosshatching are used to imitate shadows, maximize two-dimensional wall planes, and extend architecture and structural elements.