Remodelista

Is it possible to commit design betrayal? If so, I am guilty—ready to abandon midcentury Scandinavian design and redo my house in grunge modern. It happened at the Ace in Portland, Oregon (the original Ace is in Seattle; new branches are slated for New York and Miami). The proprietors have rehabbed an old SRO hotel (Drugstore Cowboy was filmed here) in haute Northwest bohemian style, creating a noirish ambience. Fixtures and furniture are either repurposed, commissioned from local sources (Pendleton blankets), or of modest provenance—hardware store clip-on reading lights, for instance. Room rates start at $90 (with a shared bathroom). In the morning, Neil Young or The Smiths emanate from the turntable, and the adjacent Stumptown Coffee Roaster cafe serves high-octane lattes.

Below: In the lobby, a giant low-slung table is fashioned from a warehouse door, the slouchy sofas are covered in surplus army canvas, and tangled flora emanate from glass vessels.

Below: The mezzanine Biz Center features a library of zines and skateboarding mags.

Below: The hallways feature Schoolhouse Electric Alabax pendants.

Below: Images of rooms and baths.

Below: The adjacent Clyde Common restaurant.

Below: A glass chandelier by Esque Studio at the Stumptown Coffee Roaster cafe adjacent to the lobby.