Laura Bush opens doors to ‘motel-ish’ digs

Former White House resident Laura Bush says the digs she now stays in frequently are “slightly motel-ish,” but she and former President George W. Bush “love that” element of their Lone Star state retreat.

The pair opened up their Crawford, Texas, home — which they completed in 2001 — to Architectural Digest for its August issue.

{mosads}The Bushes live in Dallas, where the George W. Bush Presidential Center is located, but according to the mag, “they regularly make the trip south to Crawford, where the former president is just as likely to be found handling a fishing rod or paintbrush as he is a chainsaw.”

The 1,600-acre abode, designed by an architect, appears to be unique: “When the doors are flung wide, the home becomes a veritable pavilion, capturing passing breezes and filled with birdsong. The configuration also reduces the need for internal corridors—often the Bushes navigate the place by strolling out one door and in through another.”

Mrs. Bush “lightheartedly” told the magazine, “It’s slightly motel-ish, but we love that.”

Photos show the well-appointed rooms, with many areas decorated with a mix of antique pieces and modern touches. One image shows an easel in a breezeway where the ex-commander-in-chief, who has taken up a serious painting hobby in recent years, does his brushstrokes.