The project, which took under two years to complete, is a renovation of an existing build dating back to the 1960s, but Shugarman Architecture + Design (responsible for a number of west coast hotels) took its inspiration from the classic European hotel and put a contemporary spin on it by drawing from the surrounding environment.

Its public areas and 59 rooms and suites (including a penthouse), evoke a feeling of warmth and calm, with a neutral palette inspired by the river bank’s landscape: golden straw tones and beiges mimic the prairie wheat and grasses, while a range of pale greys and blues represent the quality of light and sky of the changing mid-west seasons.

Materials also reflect the surrounding landscape, and they include limestone floors, butternut and walnut wood furniture, touches of pale brown mohair and onyx streaked with gold and grey. All furniture was designed by Shugarman’s firm and fabricated by local artisans and manufacturers. Paintings and photography by local artists such as Michael Batty, Nancy Diamond, Jonathan Forrest, Michael Levin and Adrian Stimson can be found throughout the interior.

The James Hotel is located at 620 Spadina Crescent in Saskatoon, Canada.