Discover Cuyama Buckhorn, a route boward from the 1950s with the middle of the century, cowboy heritage and thoughtful branding in the high desert of California.
Se on the high desert plains of Central California, surrounded by mountains and the wide open skies of the Cuyama Valley, Cuyama BuckhornA routine and restaurant from the 1950s brought back to life with design-forward intention. I just grow up on the road in Bakersfield, I have a deep appreciation for projects that respect and new life in the heritage of this region. Once a stopover during the Oil Boom era, the Buckhorn has been transformed into a boutique destination where lines from the middle of the century meet cowboy heritage, and where hospitality in the small city anchores a new kind of desert loss.
Honor the past, design for today
The project is due to the incredible talented Kiana Tossi from Holiday Studio With a simple principle: recovery what was already there. From reusing original block walls to reinterpreting the cut Buck logo on the old bar, the creative team leaned in the history of the Motel as a design assignment in itself.
Identity: The new brand system combines geometry from the middle of the century with Western flowering. Typography nods to the 1950s but feels current, while the color palette comes directly from the desert landscape.
Illustration: Artist Aaron Joel Underwood (Tot Dust) created a series of adapted illustrations that expand the voice of the Buckhorn to menus, maps and collateral.
Security: Business cards, letter heads and even embroidered robes bear the identity with tactile precision, as a result of which each contact point strengthens the story.
As co-owner Jeff Vance described in the Motel of Magnolia Network (re)),
“You want to design something, build something or embrace something from the past that will endure the test of time … We have listened to what the old building told us.”
A boutique experience rooted in place
The interiors of the Buckhorn have the same balance between history and freshness. Rooms are provided Assessment robes embroidered by local makers. The bar and restaurant products of small farms in the valley. Even the retail experience is designed with intention: the Buckhorn market has local goods together with embroidered clothing and branded suction, combining the souvenir culture with regional pride.
Photography of Stephanie Russian records the intimate interiors and the culinary program, while Brian Chorski’s Film -based images evokes the landscape, cycle paths, horse ranches and dusty highways in cinematic stills.
Design outside the building
What makes the Buckhorn inspiring is not only the architecture or images, it is the Ecosystem of Design:
- Comfort in the room made associated with branding.
- A character card illustrated to guide guests with obstinacy.
- A digital presence that extends physical experience online and combines photography with designed assets.
- Events and programming are made as much for the locals as for travelers and positioning design as a connector for community.
Why we love it
For designers, Cuyama Buckhorn is an investigation into how branding, identity and architecture come together to breathe new life into a space without eradicating the past. It is about restraint, knowing when they have to keep the black block walls, when they have to be painted white and when a 70-year-old Buck emblem has to have the creative direction guide.
The result is a place that feels authentic for his desert roots and yet ambitious enough to attract a new Golf travelers. In other words, designing that not only decorates, but tells a story about each medium, from signposting and stationery to the way you walk through the door.
Explore more cuyamabuckhorn.com Or on Instagram @cuyamabuckhorn.
*This message contains Affiliatielinks. If you buy through these links, Abduzeedo may earn a small committee without extra costs for you. Thank you for supporting design content.
#High #Desert #Revival #meets #design #century