Hidden in the reddened desert hills of St. George, Utah, there’s a resort that’s perfected the finer points of modern Southwestern American design and decor.
The Inn at Entrada is an elite resort not too far from the Utah/Nevada border made up of a series of private homes or villas built around a spa, fitness center, pool and private 18 hole golf course. While some of the homes are privately owned by resort residents who live on the property or snowbird from colder climates in season, there is a collection of fully furnished, multi-room villas with full garages, washer/dryers, equipped kitchens, private patios, etc. It’s a serious step up from some Vegas hotel room.
I stayed at the resort recently for a special automotive media event featuring the GMC Canyon pickup. The properties nestle down in a valley lined by desert bluffs on all sides — offering an environment of golden quiet in a wasteland looking for an oases.
The homes and resort facilities share an interior design language that demonstrates a persistent theme of Southwest interior decoration. The designers kept the colors to sienna, sandstone, umber and beige. Occasional darker browns offset as highlights.
Materials include amber colored marble, pine and occasional leather. Lamps and tables are wrought iron and hardwood. The only areas of the design language that wanders a little far afield are the kitchen fixtures and bathroom facilities. I imagine its difficult to chase down sinks and whirlpool tubs outside the traditional white or stainless steel.
The look relies heavily on the traditional Native American art from tribes unique to the region, including images derived directly from cave paintings found throughout the lost barren hills.
This brand of decor might not fly in some New York studio or Chicago townhouse, but it fits in so snugly from Utah through Los Angeles – especially if pulled out so thoroughly.
