How to Tell Stories Through Hospitality Architecture and Design

Storytelling is a crucial part of our humanity, and in hospitality architecture and design, the story will define the experience.

What is Architectural Storytelling?

As a conceptually-driven studio, we lean on the idea of a strong concept to help tell the story of a space or an experience. By allowing storytelling to influence our design choices, we are able to approach each project with greater intentionality and understanding. We know that the narrative of a space will make up the experience of its inhabitants, ultimately helping to facilitate a deep sense of connection.

Some clients come to us with a very defined concept for their space, and we work together to collaborate and understand each other to create a strong design. However, oftentimes we are working with clients who need help defining their concept for the basis of their architectural storytelling. We work together to develop a concept that aligns with their brand and ideas; sometimes based on a previous experience, the history of a building, a love for hospitality, or even a simple visual that sparked their vision. We develop a concept, implement a story, and allow that to dictate our design decisions throughout the course of a project.

Design Elements that Shape the Narrative for Architectural Storytelling

Everyone’s idea of architectural storytelling will be different. How we use the elements available can shape the narrative of the stories we tell through design.

Local Vernacular
By integrating elements from the local vernacular into our designs, we’re giving users a sense of familiarity. We can tell a story through traditional materials or motifs that showcase the area’s cultural heritage and deliver a connection to the community through its history.

Historic Architecture
We make it a point to research and analyze every site’s history, past uses, and cultural significance when creating the concept for a design. Not only does it help establish the basis of the architectural storyline, but it also helps to preserve historical significance and pay homage to the memory of the original space.

As Nashville architects and designers, we frequently work with historic buildings on adaptive reuse projects given the amount of older architecture here in the city. Oftentimes, we pull parts of our concept from these historic properties given their innate narrative that has long existed. It doesn’t always define the concept or guide the storytelling, but it does create a sense of character and rich cultural context in a quickly changing city.

User Experience
How people interact with and experience a space contributes to its potential for storytelling. Allowing social interactions, exploration through space, and encouraging contemplative practices through design, we create spaces that foster a sense of community and connection – spaces that evoke emotions and engage the user’s sense of personal connection to the story of the environment they are experiencing.

At Remick Architecture, we’ve made it our mission to advance the future of hospitality design through authentic connections. These connections curate experiences through design and ultimately are the foundation for the stories that they will tell.