Inside Hotel Genevieve, a Colorful Paris-Inspired Destination in Louisville, KY

The design at Hotel Genevieve in Louisville's hip East Market district brings together youthful irreverence with the glamour of Old World Parisian style.

By: Bridget Mallon

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Photo By: Nick Simonite

Parisian-Inspired Design in the Heart of Louisville

Hotel Genevieve is a charming boutique hotel in the hip East Market district of Louisville, Kentucky. The beautiful space is one of the latest offerings from Bunkhouse, a hospitality company known for one-of-a-kind hotels that immerse guests in thoughtful design and unique experiences. For Hotel Genevieve's design, Bunkhouse collaborated with Philadelphia-based Rohe Creative, a female-led interior design company.

Bunkhouse and Rohe Creative were inspired by the hotel's namesake, Saint Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris, to create a space that not only pays homage to Louisville's French origins but also to the women who worked together to make Hotel Genevieve a reality. Featuring 122 rooms spread across six floors, the hotel also features four distinct culinary concepts from Top Chef alum and James Beard nominated chef Ashleigh Shanti.

And while the exterior of the new-build structure is more in line with its urban location, once inside, guests are greeted by an oasis filled with earthy hues, floral details and soft, feminine touches.

Pretty-in-Pink Lobby

Upon entering the hotel lobby, guests are immediately immersed in the rich, colorful world Kate Rohrer, founder and creative director at Rohe Creative, wanted to create at Hotel Genevieve. "We definitely did not hold back on color at Hotel Genevieve. We really wanted to create a colorful guest experience that felt Old World Parisian, yet youthful and a bit irreverent," Rohrer says.

The pink lobby area features a burl wood and antique brass desk flanked by bold maroon curtains and plenty of metallic details. The antique horse mural behind the desk is accented with a curved outline, which adds a delightfully modern touch. To further celebrate Bunkhouse's eclectic style and Louisville’s culture, a tiny disco ball was added to the mural as well to celebrate the fact that the city is one of the largest producers of disco balls in the world.

Glamorous Gallery Wall

Drawing inspiration from traditional French parlors, where art was frequently hung directly on top of drapery panels, Rohrer created several distinct spaces in the lobby for guests to mingle, relax, work and enjoy the artwork. The floor-to-ceiling curtains, which are custom-made in a stunning maroon velvet, hang throughout the space to add a luxurious feel, while the variety of art keeps the space feeling eclectic and curated.

Make It Monochrome

One design choice you'll see throughout the entirety of Hotel Genevieve is the use of a single color on just about every surface in a space. "One of my favorite tricks when painting with color is to use the same color on the walls, ceiling and trimwork," Rohrer explains. The mustard shade seen in the living room of the Suite Genevieve gives a '70s-inspired feel to the space. The blue velvet sofa adds the perfect amount of contrast to the mostly yellow room, while the burl wood console echoes that warm main hue.

It Was All Yellow

The yellow theme continues as you step from the Suite Genevieve living room into the bedroom. The floor to ceiling curtains are crafted from a goldenrod-toned velvet, which further envelopes the space in warm tones. Crisp white bedding and a curved headboard add to the relaxing aesthetic you expect from hotel bedrooms.

Custom Cultured Marble

The stunning blue and white sinks steal the show in Hotel Genevieve's bathrooms. The design is a custom cultured marble (meaning it's a man-made marble, not natural) in a fresh blue and white color palette.

"We wanted something that felt vintage, yet completely unique to the hotel and thought of reaching out to local vendors to see if there were any shops still making cultured marble, which was highly popular in the 1970's," Rohrer says. "Northcoast Marble was so gracious and helped us nail down the exact colorways. We just love how they came out."

Glamorous Marble Bar

While the marble vanities you'll find in Hotel Genevieve's bathrooms are made from custom cultured marble, the building features some natural marble as well — namely, the black-and-gold marble seen here in the bar area of Suite Genevieve.

All-Blue Bedroom

For the main shade in this room, the design team went with a saturated blue that adds an immediate sense of calm to the space. Accented with crisp white bedding, white floor-to-ceiling curtains and a navy velvet bench, the room's design feels cohesive and inviting.

Arched Entryway

A beautiful arched doorway leads to the Grand King bedroom at Hotel Genevieve. The space features blue walls and a blue ceiling, while a floral armchair adds a dose of colorful pattern to the room.

Grand Golden Details

A striking gold nightstand sits alongside the bed in Hotel Genevieve's Grand King bedroom. A curved headboard and white floor-to-ceiling curtains complete the look.

Square Tile Revival

Subway tile may be most commonly found in rectangular shapes, but Rohrer predicts that square shapes are having a comeback. So it's no surprise square subway tiles were used throughout Hotel Genevieve.

"Square shapes — large and small — allow for a throwback look with endless possibilities," Rohrer says. "In the guest room showers, we customized the tiles to match our paint colors and then played with the finish, mixing glazed and matte for a subtle yet unique wainscot look."

Dreaming in Pink

This colorful room at Hotel Genevieve features two welcoming double beds, coral pink walls, a pink ceiling and an eye-catching arched entry. The custom ivory lacquer console reflects the room's saturated hue thanks to its high-gloss finish and the room's liberal use of lighting.

Cafe-Inspired Seating

A curved velvet banquette gives guests plenty of space to spread out in this sitting area inside Hotel Genevieve's Paris-inspired cafe, Rosettes. The stunning green chandelier is just one of many eye-catching lights you'll find throughout the hotel.

"Lighting is such an important part of our Rohe design process," Rohrer says. "We always strive to find unique, one-of-a-kind fixtures for projects."

Colorful Contrast

Both square subway tiles and rectangular subway tiles are used in the bar area at Rosettes. The striking colors and rainbow-inspired details provide the perfect contrast to the space's white plaster walls.

Bar With a View

The arched windows inside Bar Genevieve, one of the four culinary options at the hotel, perfectly frame the sweeping views of Louisville. Emerald green details and a tile floor add a stylish touch to the space.

Hidden Lounge

Lucky Penny, the hidden cocktail lounge inside Hotel Genevieve, features a romantic design scheme with dark walls, mood lighting and bold red furniture.