How J.T. Unique Uses Reclaimed Wood, Custom Stains + More to Transform a Hotel

This story originally appeared on www.jthompsonbuilders.com. We're sharing this blog on J.T. Unique as a follow up to last month's blog and the profile on Brad, who has done extensive work on our newest hotel project. Check out some of the past hotel work we've done in this blog. 

Note: We welcomed guest writer Sommer Sharon to write a 2-part blog series on the (at that time) new Stoney Creek hotel in Independence, MO. You can read the second part of the series on the J. Thompson Builders website.

When the owner of J. Thompson Builders invited me to stay at the new Stoney Creek Hotel in Independence, MO, I was thrilled. The Stoney Creek line of hotels encapsulates luxury with features perfectly suited for families. 
If you're wondering J. Thompson Builders would invite me to stay at a Stoney Creek property, keep reading...

Fun Facts: Jeremy Thompson -- owner of J. Thompson Builders -- has helped in the construction of Stoney Creek hotels since 1997. Jeremy started J. Thompson Builders in 2002. Due to his past work with Stoney Creek, he and his team continued to work with the hotel line. In 2009 J. Thompson Builders started J.T. Unique, their custom fabrication shop, in part so they could take over fabricating all the interior and finish work for the hotels. Although J.T. Unique has expanded their offering to other commercial and residential projects.

This contemporary “blingy” chair with a horse skull embellished on the back embodies the urban lodge style.

It's all in the details! And details is one of the things Stoney Creek Hotels does best.

This Stoney  Creek hotel is the 14th hotel opened in the line. Over the years the hotel line has changed with the design landscape, transitioning from their signature northwoods theme to a contemporary urban lodge theme. Urban lodge is basically a fusion of contemporary elements with rustic elements. J. Thompson Builders and J.T. Unique have also evolved, and offer trim work suited for the new style. The work J.T. Unique completed on this hotel is vast, but let's highlight a few key pieces.

The wood wall as well as the wooden tub surround were pieces created and installed by the J.T. Unique team.

This rustic cabinet was specifically designed for this room. It contains a mini kitchen setup.

Another fun fact: J. Thompson Builders uses a custom finished specifically for Stoney Creek Hotel products. They wouldn't share the formula, but they did share that it's a custom color line and a combination of glazes, stains and paints, which includes milk paint. Several of the products coming from their shop for this project were hand distressed. Can you even imagine the time it takes to hand distress all the products needed for an entire hotel?!

The details used throughout the suite rooms are especially enticing for "extended stay" guests, but who doesn't enjoy staying in a home away from home?! Because J.T. Unique is part of the J. Thompson Builders family, it’s clear they’ve applied applied their home building skills to the hotel industry.

Reclaimed lumber was used throughout this Presidential suite.

This room is what Stoney Creek calls their “Presidential Suite.” While the reclaimed lumber look is used throughout the hotel, they use it extensively in this suite, creating lots of rustic layers. The horizontal barn board paneling along the wall has a unique design. The bar back and front use the same barn board paneling in a different orientation and design. 

Sommer Sharon is the owner of Sleigh Consulting, a digital marketing company specializing in SEO and content strategy. Her writing has been seen in USA Today, Iowa Living, Trails.com and various other national and regional, print and online, publications. She is a seasoned traveler who is well versed in solo travel and solo family travel (i.e. traveling alone with kids). You can find out more about her at www.sleighconsulting.com.