PHILADELPHIA—Shannon Maldonado, founder and creative director of Yowie hotel, designs each of the rooms around a special something, something.
Sometimes it’s a cool lemon yellow, rusty terra-cotta, or minty green accent wall. Other times, a plush cobalt or chocolate couch is the focal point of one of the boutique hotel’s 13 suites. Maldonado designs around a single element, like a funky rug with giant perforated holes that look like cute, oversize polka dots, surrounding it with coffee tables, beds, and lamps fashioned from natural blond and mahogany-hued wood. Overnight guests are stylishly welcomed to the cozy, South Street escape.
But these sleek rooms are for more than just enjoying weekend getaways in Philadelphia: They double as shopping showrooms. Maldonado wants guests to live with the framed abstract art, velvety furniture, perforated rugs, and ceramics. And if they like—no, love—what they see, perhaps they will be inspired to take something home with them. Nearly everything in Yowie’s hotel rooms is for sale and available for purchase at the gift shop. In-room catalogs read like glossy magazines, list specific pieces for purchase, and provide design notes with key details.
Her idea is working. The hotel has been open for just five months and sells a few pieces a week. “We’ve already had guests purchase books, ceramic pieces, a mattress, and a work of art from our lobby,” said the 40-year-old entrepreneur. “We hope to start bringing interested guests to view the larger furniture pieces in the new year.” Some pieces from the Yowie collection you’ll spot if you book a night: wall art by Mimi Gallagher ($1,100), custom ceramic artwork by Jeff Rubio (from $550), and an armless dining chair by Trnk ($2,395). But guests may also find a chic piece from West Elm. In Maldonado’s eye-pleasing world, design does not discriminate, but it does require a keen eye for mixing and matching.
Born and raised in South Philly, Maldonado’s unique sense of style isn’t driven by what’s happening in New York, Los Angeles, or in the showrooms of other Philadelphia designers. In fact, she bristles at comparisons. Conscious not to overdesign, Maldonado is no fan of tchotchkes. They create clutter, and clutter is the enemy of good design. Books and plants are welcome add-ons, though, artfully placed in many of the hotel’s floor-to-ceiling bay windows, creating warmth.
Maldonado’s innate sense of style speaks to the home decor aspirations of others. How else can you explain her deft use of yellow? One of her favorite colors, many find it difficult to work with, but it’s her gift shop and hotel’s signature hue. “I’ve just always liked the color,” Maldonado said matter-of-factly.
In 2005, Maldonado graduated from New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology with a bachelor’s degree in fashion and design. She worked as an assistant designer at Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren before landing gigs as a senior designer at American Eagle and Urban Outfitters.
She spent more than a decade in the fashion industry mastering color and creating private label products for seasonal collections. A frequent traveler, she wondered what it would be like to curate her own gift shop and retail space. In 2016, she opened Yowie in Queen Village, named after an Australian bigfoot. The name—and the store—caught on, becoming a space to shine light on independent local designers like Cloud 9 Clay and Frunzi Ceramics.
“I’m very comfortable reaching out to people,” Maldonado said. “It’s that simple. I work with hundreds of people a year on these projects.”
Yowie was featured by design websites and national magazines like Bon Appétit. In 2017, Olivia Kim, the senior vice president of creative merchandising at Nordstrom, discovered Maldonado on Instagram, leading to several Yowie pop-ups in Nordstroms, bringing the designers she worked with even more attention. Maldonado designed the interior of the Deacon, a boutique hotel on Christian Street (the former First African Baptist Church), developed by husband-and-wife team Everett and Valerie Abitbol and Bill Vessal. The Abitbols and Vessal are also partners in Yowie.
Maldonado grew out of her Queen Village digs, expanding the concept of dynamic minimalism into a hotel. The new Yowie on South Street between Second and Third Streets was once two rowhouses that were combined into one building. Visitors self check-in, and many of the rooms feature kitchenettes and living room spaces, so guests can feel like they are in their very own upscale city apartment—at least for a night or two. Guests also receive handwritten notes and a list of things to do in Philly, much like a bed and breakfast. Free access to toiletries offers the perks of an upscale hotel. In September, Maldonado and Everett Abitbol were named Boutique Design magazine’s Up-and-Coming Hotelier.
Prices start at $179 for a one-bedroom king to $300 for a two-bedroom suite.
With a coffee shop on the ground floor, Maldonado teamed up with ReAnimator Coffee Roasters to open every day from morning through early evening.
An artist in her soul, Maldonado is proud that Yowie is a place for artists to work on their crafts, display their work, and rest their heads.
“I was ready to do something on my own,” Maldonado said. “I was ready to try something new, create a new challenge for myself. I didn’t know that it would evolve into this.”
Yowie hotel and shop, 226 South St., Philadelphia, (215) 346-6337, helloyowie.com.
