It's the season for road trips. Which might mean a motel stop or two along the way. Here's a collection of a few motel images from around the web. A couple of these images are from classic motel buildings and others are updates based on the classic...
Motels are often a bit dated but, for us, they hold a unique vintage charm. Sure, there are the scratchy polyester bed spreads, wood wall paneling and kitschy "motel art" to contend with. But there are also plenty of redeeming qualities we've found when staying at motels. We enjoy the mod aesthetic carried over from most motels' mid-century heyday, sitting on metal motel-style chairs outside the room's door, the low-slung architecture, and the courtyard shape of many classic motel buildings.
• 1 Image: Flickr member ˜charlottedallot˜ licensed under Creative Commons
• 2 Motel 6's "Phoenix" prototype, featured last year on Apartment Therapy Los Angeles
• 3 metal motel chairs from Candy Bouncer
• 4 a motel room at Australia's Sandcastles 1770
• 5 Motel Villa Anna by BenoitPaille
Do you have any classic motel recommendations for Apartment Therapy readers heading out on road trips this season?
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Comments (8)
I see that blue and green lamp in the first photo on eBay ALL THE TIME.
Ugh, I had that brown carpet in my last apartment! So glad to be done with that. The lamp is kind of cool, though.
Motel Bel Air in Mojave. Quintessential motel decor: the 50's neon sign and cacti outside and marled brown carpet, orange polyester curtains (keep the candles away!) inside... The bathroom floors are hand-painted!
I love motels!!!
Is there an actual launch in place for the Phoenix?
Are people really inspired by dead motels? I don't mean self-consciously retro places, but rather places like the Hawaiian Tropic on La Brea.
If suppose if one was was a renter, one could take inspiration from these photos and decide to make the most of bad flooring and other things that be can't changed and create a "look."
If anyone out there watches Supernatural, they have all this really cool old motel decor. I'm always saying "Ooh I want that!! And my husband looks at me like I'm nuts...." A little bit of kitsch can be good!
Stay away from smoking rooms that have been "treated" to accommodate the nonsmoker in a pinch. We had the very great misfortune one busy summer holiday wknd. to agree to this solution...the room should have included respirators not only for the stale covered up smoke, but for the "treatment" smell, as well. It was a very sleepless night.