The Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi’s two-year re-do has given the hotel, a timeless, luxury home-like feel.
The traditional stucco beige walls have been painted a warm cream. The beds, stripped of their former black and red bedspreads, are now crisp classic white. The bathrooms are brighter than ever before. But worry not. The 25-year-old pine vigas on the ceilings have been left intact, and there is one oversize pillow made from an iconic Pendleton blanket on each down-covered bed. We are in Santa Fe, after all, and it wouldn’t be the Inn of the Anasazi without certain traditional elements.
Reassuringly, the three-story stacked stone indoor waterfall remains. But gone is the heavy, clichéd furniture that said “Southwest” none too subtly, along with the tired layering of bold turquoises, crimsons, and yellows. Instead, the palette in the 58 rooms of the beloved Rosewood property is luxuriously neutral. Warm whites. Barely taupes. Textures that contrast and work softly and effortlessly together. It’s tasteful and fresh, without the hard edges that often accompany modern design.

“The overall feel is contemporary residential, and it doesn’t feel dated,” says Jim Rimelspach, principal designer with Wilson Associates, who oversaw the two-year renovation. “It feels timeless.”
It also feels peaceful. Each minimalist-inspired room has only one piece of art: hanging over the kiva fireplace, a simple one-of-a-kind ceramic plate, designed by local artist Lorraine Lewis (Laguna/Taos/Hopi) and inspired by historic Native American ceramics. In the corridors, there’s more art by other contemporary artists who call New Mexico home, such as prominent Mexican painter Ricardo Mazal, who creates his bold abstractions in New York City and Santa Fe.

Rimelspach’s favorite aspect of the redo is downstairs, in the newly created bar area, where 4-inch slabs of Texas walnut trees were turned into a table that seats eight, conveniently located near shelves filled with more than 70 kinds of tequila. “We meet friends here,” he says. “It’s become an extension of our house.”
Exactly why we like staying there.
For more information or to make reservations at the Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi, visit the hotel’s website.
From the February/March 2017 issue.