Hospitality Design - November/December 2010 - 38

perspectives

sketchbook

barnyard chic
When sister and brother Catherine and Joe Bartolomei bought the Farmhouse Inn in 2001 in Russian River Valley wine country, they always knew they wanted to expand. Now with the addition of a new barn, built on the site of the property’s original one, there are eight “lavish and humble” guestrooms that “blur the lines between indoors and out,” transporting guests back to a simpler time. Healdsburg, California-based Myra Hoefer infused a clean, modern design featuring white paneling and sliding wood doors, four poster beds, two-way ﬁreplaces, and mirrors handmade with recycled ceiling tiles from old buildings. The same feel continues in the Carriage House with the new four-room Spa at Farmhouse by Francis & Alexander. The farm-totreatment spa has log tables (“a great reproduction of French 1800s ‘faux bois,’” says Hoefer) and an oversized lantern chandelier (a junkyard ﬁnd) in the lobby, and treatment rooms have more white paneling and recycled tile mirrors. “It was rather fun to create an environment that mixes the old history with modern chic convenience,” Hoefer says.

anything goes
Given the go-ahead by the owners to do whatever he wanted, designer Andrew Alford knew just what he wanted to do for the Inn at Oyster Point’s renovation: create a space t for younger clientele that was “a traditional, colorful inn with a punk spirit.” To update the look of this San Francisco airport hotel, Alford looked to industry notables Dorothy Draper, Carlton Varney, and Mario Buatta for inspiration. “When I presented the design boards to the owners, I had to say to them, ‘You aren’t going to think any of this goes together, but if you trust me, I promise it will,’” says Alford of the range of oral fabrics, stripes, leopard and zebra prints, and mid-century geometrics he showed them. They went with it and now, the hotel, once lled with worn furniture and outdated accessories, is home to pieces that represent different time periods and offer a broad range of hues: oral chintz upholstery (a nod to old classic and grand hotels and a favorite of Alford’s); minimalistic red metal bedside tables (inspired by the a modern aesthetic); and geometric wallcovering that surrounds the lobby replace (drawn from mid-century modern ideas). “Now all of the materials feel like they are intentional,” says Alford, founder of his local rm Dirty Lines Design. And with a small budget, he created most of the artwork himself like the whimsical sayings that read, “We will be okay” and “This too shall pass” in the lobby done in connectable letters.

The Next Steps for

IT’S SHOWTIME
Inspired by television programs like Californication, Dexter, and Nurse Jackie, various designers and architects turned three New York penthouses at the Cassa Hotel and Residences into the Showtime House. One of the most interesting spaces was the Borgias Media Room by Marc Thorpe of Third Eye Solutions and David Schwarz of Hush Studios. Inspired by the infamous family, the minimalist space has a visceral impact thanks to its use of cutting-edge technology and hallowing references. “We consider media—screens, projections, light—another form of architecture and a means of de ning space, movement, and experience,” says Schwarz. “We wanted people to be changed by the experience, to leave the room with more than a memory, but a physical change. We did this using image, light, and sound, in bold, forceful ways.” On one wall, the glowing red room features animated Christian cross projections framed by physical neon ones that move, twist, break, and distort according to a guest’s sense of perspective. In the other corner, there’s a red Cappellini chair topped by a white neon halo. Move closer to either, and more interaction takes place. Working with Antfood, the designers developed a soundscape that reacts to peoples’ movement within the space. A video camera views the room from above and software analyzes the amount and location of movement within the room, and in turn, plays particular sounds— chants, organs, bells, echoes—that are meant to be playful and at the same time, overwhelming. “We treated the room like a small confessional: a meditative space, which was meant for short, but powerful experiences,” he says.

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Hospitality Design - November/December 2010
