Noelle

There's far more to Nashville these days than neon and rhinestones. Noelle links the past to present by honoring the colorful characters and eccentricities that make this place so unique. Much like the city surrounding it, this brand is full of spirit and mischief, never content to live in a cage.

Branding and Logo Design, Custom Type Design, Pattern Design, Signage, Wayfinding, Art Direction, Website Design, and Social Media Content

Photography by Brett Warren, Caroline Allison, and Emily Dorio

A Second Chance

Originally opened in 1930, Noelle came of age at a time when downtown Nashville was experiencing a boom of new hotels, department stores and local characters aplenty.

Now in its second act, this famed hotel has risen once again to take on its role in Nashville’s rich narrative. Today, Noelle serves as a gathering place for some of the city’s most interesting voices and makers as it continues to contribute to the spirit that makes this place so unique.

Noelle is a carefully considered experience that immerses guests in local culture, and brings them face-to-face with the warmth, creativity, and delightful unpredictability that make Nashville, Nashville.

Throughout the wayfinding, interiors, and collateral, guests experience a brass line or ribbon, leading them from one place to the next, wrapping a corner, or bleeding off a page. This line serves as a vehicle to tell the larger narrative of change that occurs in a city like Nashville, and how a building can be used to connect past-to-present and present-to-future.

Birds of a Feather

The Great Blue Heron stands 4 feet tall, with a long neck, long beak, and a big personality. Found in and around Nashville’s waterways, like the Cumberland River just blocks from Noelle, these curious, friendly birds become a symbol of the beauty and animal spirit that permeates the local characters of this city.

A siege of herons inhabits the hotel, each with its own personality and pose. These birds embody life, authenticity, and a little raw emotion. Moreover, they represent that basic human desire to live life outside the cage of a stereotype.

Leveraging the staff’s warmth and personality while contrasting the elegance of an era, the tone of voice found throughout the collateral, plays a significant role in sharing Noelle’s subtle air of mischief, appearing in unexpected places and bringing life to objects and expressions that might normally go unnoticed in a place this beautiful.

Number Crunch

We created a bespoke numeral set to be used for specific uses in wayfinding. These numbers are inspired by the birds themselves–with high contrast, elegant curves and heron-like plumes.

Trust in Trade

Noelle's lobby bar and lounge, Trade Room, takes inspiration from its brief history as a bank. Original terrazzo floors, plaster moldings, and Art Deco relics rekindle the nostalgic glamour of the space with a modern luxury.

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