The Kimber Modern Hotel in Austin

A Palm Springs-style getaway in the middle of Austin.

There are people who don't really care where they stay when they go on vacation and just book the cheapest hotel available. Then there are those who travel and feel that the hotel in which they stay is just as important a part of their vacation as the sites they visit. The latter would likely enjoy a stay at Kimber Modern, a new hotel located in Austin, Texas.

Reminiscent of the boutique modernist hotels of Palm Springs, Kimber Modern appeals to the pickiest of modern travelers. From the architecture right down to the fixtures, this hotel hasn't scrimped on the details.

Let's venture inside:
The owners of the Kimber Modern Hotel, Kimber Cavendish and Vicki Faust, planned to build a hotel on an overgrown, sloped lot in South Congress just east of Austin's downtown commercial district. Burton Baldridge Architects took on the challenge to change the 12,000-square-foot lot of weeds into a modernist getaway. The final plan was a triangular design with a large courtyard. The building fits in well with the neighborhood, acting as a bridge between bustling city life and the quiet residential suburb beyond it.

The hotel has five rooms, a suite, a common area, laundry facilities and a courtyard. The owners also have a 26-foot Airstream trailer set up as a conference room. In each room, you'll find a modern wood bed, a built-in desk and other minimal furnishings. Luxuries include 500-thread-count sheets, free wi-fi and Malin and Goetz bath products. Designer amenities include Philippe Starck and Duravit bathroom sinks, Modern Fan ceiling fans, Eames molded plastic desk chairs and Offi Perch Lounge reading chairs.

The common area features a sitting area with Arne Jacobson egg chairs clustered around an Eames elliptical table. Here, and in the rooms, the walls and floors are painted white, which makes the primary colors of the decor really pop.

The hotel's artwork was very important to the owners, and was all hand-selected. Pieces were chosen from three local artists, Martha Gannon, Margo Sawyer and Valerie Fowler and hang throughout the building. It's touches like these that make Kimber Modern a destination unto itself.

For more boutique places to stay, take a look at the Ace Hotel or this (fancy) trailer hotel.