As it nears its 10-year anniversary, Hewing Hotel in Minneapolis, part of the Aparium Collection, a portfolio of independent hotels operated by Aparium Hotel Group, isn’t reinventing itself. Instead, the North Loop property is refining what has long made it a fixture in the neighborhood, using design as the vehicle to evolve how guests and locals experience the hotel.
The recently completed property-wide refresh touches nearly every corner of the building—from guestrooms to public spaces to Tullibee, the hotel’s restaurant—yet the intent was never transformation for its own sake.
“As we approach the hotel’s 10th anniversary, this refresh was never about changing what makes Hewing special,” said Catherine Hall, GM, Hewing Hotel. “It was about caring for it to ensure it continues to serve the North Loop neighborhood and this city for many years to come.”
That mindset shaped a design approach rooted in preservation, refinement and a more nuanced understanding of how the hotel is actually used a decade in.
Working alongside ESG Architecture & Design, the team revisited the property’s original design language—industrial bones layered with Scandinavian and Northwoods influences—and chose to build on it rather than replace it.
“In the original design, we wanted it to feel deeply rooted to place,” said Megan Eckhoff, interior designer, ESG Architecture & Design. “With the refresh, we evolved the same story, adding refinement along the way. We now had insight into how people were using each space.”
Nowhere is that evolution more visible than in the lobby and lounge, spaces that have organically become the hotel’s social and functional core.
The refreshed lobby introduces a new metal-and-glass chandelier that draws the eye upward, accentuating the building’s volume while adding a layer of polish against the existing brick and timber. Around it, seating has been reimagined into a series of flexible vignettes—some communal, some more private—encouraging guests to linger rather than pass through.
“The lobby has always been the heart of the Hewing—it’s where the energy of the hotel and the neighborhood come together,” said Eckhoff. “The goal was to make it feel even more like a destination, somewhere people want to spend time.”
That thinking extends into the adjacent lounge, where the redesign leans into the idea of the hotel as a “third space”—not quite home, not quite office, but something in between.
“Even before the refresh, people were using the lounge to work, meet and spend extended time,” she said. “The redesign was about supporting that flexibility more intentionally.”
Additional coworking areas, varied seating options and practical updates like improved lighting and access to power reflect broader shifts in guest behavior.
For Hall, the appeal is as much about community as it is about convenience. “With work becoming more flexible, people are seeking spaces where they can work remotely but still feel part of a community,” she said. “And who doesn’t love being able to go from a Zoom call with an artisanal coffee to happy hour with friends?”
In the guestrooms, the changes are more tactile than structural. The industrial framework—brick walls, timber beams and original windows—remains intact, but the experience has been softened through warmer tones and layered materials.
“The architectural integrity of the rooms was retained,” Hall said. “The updated colors and textures lend a more refined, yet approachable aesthetic.”
For Eckhoff, the focus was on the details guests interact with most. Headboards have been reimagined with channeled leather, paired with waxed canvas accents that introduce both texture and a sense of casualness. Lighting has been softened, and vanities updated to create a brighter, more comfortable environment.
“The shift toward warmer colors and richer textures was about enhancing that sense of comfort,” she said. “Ultimately, the goal was to create rooms that still feel true to the Hewing, but more in tune with how guests want to experience comfort today.”
Material selection played a central role in maintaining cohesion across the property. Tufted leather, canvas, wood and wool appear throughout, expressed differently depending on the space but tied together by a shared palette and sensibility.
“We were drawn to materials that felt honest, tactile and slightly rugged, while still being refined in their detailing,” Eckhoff said.
At Tullibee, the design refresh aligns closely with a new culinary direction under Executive Chef Nathan Kim, whose “Lakes and Woods” concept emphasizes open-flame cooking, seasonality and local sourcing.
The dining room has been reconfigured to improve sightlines to the open kitchen hearth, making the act of cooking a more visible and integral part of the experience.
“Improved sightlines to the open hearth were integral in the new design,” Hall said. “Chef Nathan believes in cooking over the fire the old school way—simple, bold and honest.”
The design team approached the space with restraint, allowing the food to take center stage while reinforcing its themes through materiality and layout.
“The idea was never to compete with the food, but to frame it,” Eckhoff said. “By making the central cooking moment more present, the space reinforces the elemental, fire-driven nature of the cuisine.”
Beyond the dining room, updates to the bar and lounge create a more fluid relationship between spaces, allowing guests to engage casually or more formally depending on the moment. The result is a restaurant environment that shifts naturally throughout the day, rather than operating as a single, fixed experience.
Refreshing a property that includes guestrooms, multiple public spaces and event areas required a careful balance between consistency and specificity.
“One of the biggest challenges was the scale and variety of spaces,” Eckhoff said. “They all have very different programmatic needs and energy levels, but they still needed to feel like they belonged to the same overall narrative.”
The solution was a targeted approach—focusing on high-impact, high-touch areas while allowing the building’s original character to remain the foundation. “It became less about reinventing and more about where a refresh would have the most impact,” she said.
That restraint is what ultimately ties the project together. Rather than imposing a new identity, the refresh sharpens the one that already existed.
“With this renovation, Hewing reaffirms its place as the soul of the North Loop—a space where history meets modernity,” Hall said.