What was once old can be new again. The Lytle Park Hotel in downtown Cincinnati takes this idea to new heights, blending its original 1909 structure with themes from the neighboring Taft Museum of Art, once the private home and art collection of Charles Phelps Taft and Anna Sinton Taft. And nowhere is this more evident than the recently renovated Taft Suite, which ushers in classic interior design choices while also paying homage to the Taft family by sharing artwork and pieces they would have displayed in their home-turned-museum.
The design of the suite is timelessly elegant, but also residential, comfortable, and approachable, balancing the art on display with the lived-in quality of a hotel room. It’s a luxurious yet homey vibe, not unlike what the Tafts might have felt—even while living among their coveted Rembrandts and rare Chinese porcelains. “We liked the idea of creating a space that felt like a home with a collection of art on display,” says Emily Woods Weiskopf, lead designer and associate principal at ForrestPerkins, which designed the Taft Suite and other spaces in the hotel.
Through this curated gallery experience, the suite offers hotel guests a peek into the Lytle Park of the early 20th century. “We approach each design as an opportunity to tell a unique story and choreograph a personalized guest experience through attention to design, detail, and service, inspired by a sense of place and individuality,” says Woods Weiskopf. For this project, the story was about the Taft family legacy, the museum, and the Lytle Park neighborhood.
Likewise, much of the artwork featured in the suite calls back to turn-of-the-century period pieces, subtle nods to the Taft family legacy of art stewardship. “Local art consultants Artonomy were tremendous partners in the selection of the pieces displayed in the suite,” says Woods Weiskopf. The room’s painted garden scenes and river valley motifs reference the Ohio River Valley as it would have been when the Tafts lived next door. Guests can also enjoy portraits of President William Howard Taft’s pet cows—Pauline Wayne Taft and Mooly Wooly Taft—which once grazed on the White House lawn, located in the dining room. This lived-in quality feels surprisingly at home next to more luxurious presidential suite elements, like the bespoke European-inspired sectional sofa and the Palladian style windows.
Photograph by Devyn Glista
Flower Power
The Lytle Park neighborhood is known for its eruption of colorful flowers every spring. Accordingly, the suite’s art pieces and wallcoverings feature botanical motifs. To offset these dramatic nature scenes, the primary color scheme leans into softer hues like dusty blue, wine, and mauve, with a bit of shimmer for a pop of interest.
Let the Light in
One of the biggest moves made in the redesign of the suite was relocating a structural column to open the view from the entry to the feature window. This allowed light to flood the living room, dining room, and foyer.
Picture Perfect
When you enter the suite, you’re presented with an impressive vignette. The first wall’s fluted pilasters and picture molding are painted a dusty blue—Morning Fog by Sherwin Williams. But on top of this hangs the room’s first showstopper, a lovely spring scene framed in a thin brass floater frame, perfectly reminiscent of the classic art on display in the Taft Museum.
Lap of Luxury
Below the spring oil painting sits a custom reeded walnut credenza with brass accents and stone inlay top, a porcelain table lamp featuring local fauna, and a floor-length mirror perfectly bouncing light all around the room.
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