charcoal-colored wall behind the bed. “They are the kind you would see at grandmother’s home, but in a modern way,” Balestrazzi says. The true modern additions come in the form of art that inventively complement the historical context of the space. In the lobby, a deconstructed cloud-like chandelier made of hundreds of mirrored Mylar discs suspended on wires contrasts the vaulted ceiling. “You feel like you are underwater when the light bounces off of it,” says Balestrazzi. “It’s a simple but powerful gesture.” A whiteon-white ceramic wall installation of pieces done with hand-cast porcelain (whose texture is inspired by the rustication of the building) stretches behind the reception desk and a panel of orange glass. And for a bit of theatrics, a pepper’s ghost Victorian chandelier is framed in an oversized mirror in the elevator vestibule. (“Pepper’s ghost” is a turn of the century illusionary trick, which makes the object look like it’s there when it really isn’t.) But the pièce de résistance: the two-story restaurant’s “Cabinets of Curiosities” lining the bar and stairway. The eight Victorian-inspired cabinet units are filled with 120 items that pay homage to the Ames’ family’s agricultural past; they have been curated into little vignettes and artworks where everyday objects take on a new life—such as a rusted spout with glass crystals pouring out. “We knew the only way to get people upstairs is if we made the staircase engaging. Then we set out to figure out what engaging would be,” explains Gregory Stanford, Rockwell Group principal, adding that they went on scouring trips to flea markets to find the pieces for the cabinets. “Each one tells a story.” hd www.rockwellgroup.com; www.morganshotelgroup.com hospitalitydesign www.hospitalitydesign.comhttp://www.rockwellgroup.com http://www.morganshotelgroup.com http://www.hospitalitydesign.com