Earlier today, we featured the Coachman Hotel in South Lake Tahoe, California?what we think is the first (and only) good-looking hotel in the area. Its remodel by Brooklyn-based Studio Tack was a budget project, relatively speaking, that succeeded in combining two existing run-down motels and a residential owner’s unit into a 42-room hotel complete with communal lounging space and an outdoor party deck. 
We especially like the economical plywood bathrooms, so we asked designers Leigh Salem and Ruben Caldwell to walk us through their design.
Photography by Matthew Bolt, courtesy of the Coachman Hotel.

Above: Though Studio Tack was able to retain the basic layout of the sleeping spaces, they completely reconfigured the bathrooms (keeping only the plumbing rough-ins). Said Caldwell, “The challenge is, ‘How do you get away from having another drywall box"'” Their solution was plywood, for its durability and low cost. “We’re trying to use textures that are interesting but don’t cost a fortune,” he said.

Above: “If you only have a little plywood in the space, it can look cheap,” said Salem. “But when you use it as a wall material, on ceilings, in closets, and more, it feels more intentional and unified.”
Studio Tack retained each bathroom’s existing vanity sconces. The drawer and door pulls are small leather tabs. Above the mini-bar niche at left is a ceramic keyless lampholder, priced a...