Design Lessons from the American Trade Hotel
Step inside the American Trade Hotel!
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Coastal LivingTucked in Panama City’s historic Casco Viejo district, the American Trade Hotel gets top marks for its design, the result of a collaboration between Atelier Ace (the creative force behind the Ace Hotels), Panama City-based Conservatorio (a real estate developer committed to the preservation of Casco Viejo), and L.A.-based Commune Design. Here, we’re highlighting the ten design lessons you’ll want to bring home from this overwhelmingly Instagram-able hotel, plus the products you’ll need to pull it off!

Pictured here, the killer interior courtyard, complete with graphic tile, stylish umbrellas, and benches outfitted in chic white-and-black cabana stripes and red-hot upholstery.
Classic, meet contemporary.
Wake up dark woods and traditional shapes by pairing them with sleek forms in zippy hues. Just outside the hotel dining room, six modern, X-base chairs in a splashy aqua loosen up a rich wooden trestle table and a pair of studded leather end chairs, making the polished pieces feel a little more playful and inviting.

Mixing materials + textures = design gold.
Using a mix of textures, materials, and patterns is what makes a space sing. In the hotel dining room, curved wooden table bases are topped with tiny metal, and mod wooden chairs are treated to supple leather seats and straw-wrapped backs for a collected, curated look that’s devastatingly hip and assuredly homey. The banquette keeps it fresh, too, pairing pretty tropical print cushions with a velvety neutral cushion.

A good night’s sleep calls for simplicity.
While the hotel’s common areas pull out all the pattern-happy stops, the guest rooms play it cool with crisp white bedding, ivory curtains, and creamy shiplap. Warm wood floors and paneled wainscot, plus moody blue throw pillows, invite a serenity that lulls you to sleep as gently as a straight-off-the-ocean breeze. Glossy black trim and a mod metal sconce in a sharp leafy green add a handsome, industrial punch.