A Couple Renovated a 1958 Motor Lodge in Colorado to Create a Modern Retreat

On their first date, Kaitlyn Canfield and Philip Sterling found common ground with a mutual dream to open a quirky hotel. But the couple didn't simply let this idea go as their relationship progressed. They decided to uproot their lives in Dallas — leaving behind jobs in retail and graphic design — to make it happen, and settled on renovating a 1958 motor lodge in Salida, Colorado. "It wasn't dirty or anything, it was just unloved," Canfield said about the location. "It hadn't been updated since the '80s. It still had all the big-tube TVs and the old carpet." In order to outfit the building's 16 rooms with a look belonging to this century, the pair opted for a design aesthetic that Canfield described as a blend of minimalism and the Southwest. The two filled the common and private areas with rugged and soft textures, and mixed their personal art with thrift store finds. When it was finished, the Amigo Motor Lodge looked like a bit of Marfa, Texas and Southern California amidst the ski slopes and hiking trails of the Rockies. And while the couple opened this property last summer, they're already looking toward their next shared goal: to get married in May.