Headed to Santa Fe? May we recommend El Rey Court, located in a circa-1936 adobe motor lodge, formerly the El Rey Inn, situated on five acres of land, where the old Route 66 once passed through. The rehabbed lodgings are the vision of a husband and wife creative team based in Joshua Tree: man of many hats Jay Carroll (creative director, branding specialist, and artist; you may recognize him from the Tokyo guide he put together for us several years ago) and his wife Alison, a veteran of the food world. (You might also recognize the pair from Wonder Valley olive oil and provisions, also their vision.)
“It was all there, and so much of the work was about peeling back the years of layers and really letting the adobe bones do the talking,” Jay says. Take a look.
Photography courtesy of El Rey Court.
![the exterior of the motor lodge, which dates to \1936. 17](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/el-rey-court-exterior-santa-fe-733x1022.jpg)
![inside, a desert palette of terra cotta, white walls, and wood beam ceilings. 18](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/jay_carroll_elrey-32-733x485.jpg)
The Carrolls spent a year collecting the furnishings and fittings. “We found some great objects and one of furniture around the Southwest—from Santa Fe, Joshua Tree, and everywhere in our travels in between,” Jay says. They also partnered with artists and artisans for a few pieces: turned wood furniture by woodworker Dan John Anderson, a large table in the lobby by Michael May, and ceramic lights by potter Logan Wannamaker.
![bold color: a rust striped rug by nordic knots pairs with a paustian modul 19](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/el-rey-court-sofa-santa-fe-733x977.jpg)
![a one of a kind guest room, layered rugs and a dramatic black headboard include 20](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/el-rey-court-guest-room-1-santa-fe-733x977.jpg)
![another guest room, with a tassel hung on the headboard. 21](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/el-rey-court-guest-room-2-santa-fe-733x1100.jpg)
![jay partnered with the centinela chimayo weavers, a traditional weaving studio 22](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/el-rey-court-guest-room-3-santa-fe-733x1069.jpg)
![angular wood tables pair with hanging textiles and leather in a sitting area. 23](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/el-rey-court-chair-santa-fe-733x1074.jpg)
![the couple preserved the building\2\17;s sculptural adobe walls. 24](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/el-rey-court-sitting-area-santa-fe-733x489.jpg)
![within el rey (\2\20;the king\2\2\1;) is la reina (\2\20;t 25](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/el-rey-court-la-reina-1-santa-fe-733x1069.jpg)
![where some rooms are bold in color and layered texture, elsewhere the couple op 26](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/el-rey-court-la-reina-2-santa-fe-733x857.jpg)
The La Reina space was formerly a breakfast room. “That aspect had the most architectural work of the project,” Jay says.
![a corner fireplace lined with candles and marked with the hotel\2\17;s e 27](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/el-rey-court-la-reina-3-santa-fe-733x1100.jpg)
![an unexpected moment, high on a wall. 28](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/el-rey-court-animal-skull-santa-fe-733x489.jpg)
![the hotel\2\17;s well designed notepaper. 29](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/el-rey-court-stationary-santa-fe-733x495.jpg)
![the swim club features a poolside bar, two hot tubs (one indoors and one outdoo 30](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/el-rey-court-pool-santa-fe-733x1045.jpg)
To book a stay, go to El Rey Court.
For more hotels in classic American motor lodges, see:
- The Trendsetter: 9 Of-the-Moment Ideas to Steal from Hotel Joaquin in Laguna, California
- Dark Horse: 7 Ideas to Steal from the Brentwood Hotel in Saratoga Springs
- The Woodhouse Lodge: Designer Megan Pflug’s Catskills Motor Lodge Makeover
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