Kansas City, Missouri
Built in 1915, the former historic Gothic Revival Kansas City Club has been artfully transformed into The Hotel Kansas City. Kelee Katillac, an interior and architectural designer and preservation consultant, designed a VIP concept-room in an experimental “Posh Gothic” style based on the building's original architecture and new use as a hotel. The transformation is documented in Historic Style, a colorful collection of projects displaying Kelee’s dedication to preserving history while honoring modern shifts and progressions.
Kelee designed the space with assistance from her associate designer, Sherry Mirador. “We believe what we see. So, by recoloring old patterns, mixing eras and furniture styles and placing them with human images of diversity and inclusion, we tell a new, more open and accepting story,” she says.
Upon entry, visitors are immediately drawn to the vibrant yellow hues of the room’s wallpaper. These wallcoverings are a recolored late 18th-century Gothic Revival wallpaper pattern from Adelphi Paper Hangings. The pattern's yellows, blues and reds are a play on the colors of stained glass and graphic novels.
Geometrical furniture pieces like the curved, light pink couch and sharp, blue armchair add dimension to the space and correlate with the spiked pendant lights hanging from the ceiling. In front of the fireplace, an intimate seating area complete with two bright yellow chairs and a small pink table provides an additional gathering space within the room.
“The book Historic Style, and the resulting Posh Gothic installation inspired by Hotel Kansas City and the original design firm of KTGY Simeon Deary, does just that and, on a daily basis, welcomes all people to Kansas City in a glamorous, exciting way," says Kelee. On either side of the room, photos of Harry Styles and Prince playing guitar hang across from each other on the walls. This intersection of modern and vintage continues the room’s throughline of honoring the past while appreciating the present.
This room is just one part of Kelee’s work to breathe life into historic spaces. “The human spirit cannot thrive within a time capsule. The future of preservation depends on honoring and including all who co-created our built environment. I intend to swing open the front door of America’s house to everyone,” says Kelee.
