Updated furniture goes a long way in creating an entirely new look and feel for a property.
The moment members and guests walk into a club or resort, they get a sense of the overall personality of the property. Furniture plays a strong role in creating that ambiance, while allowing people to get comfortable.
“Furniture makes a visual impact on your guests,” says Chris Bracken, Director of Sales and Marketing at the Sonesta Resort Hilton Head Island in Hilton Head, S.C. “But you also need to consider the comfort of your furniture. It could be gorgeous furniture, but if it is not practical or comfortable, it won’t work.”
Furniture is also a key player in any property renovation. While breaking down walls and adding new construction certainly mixes things up, new furniture, when done right, can completely revitalize a space and stir up buzz.
Bringing the Outside In
When the Sonesta Resort Hilton Head Island was planning a large-scale renovation, it didn’t have to look far for design inspiration.
SUMMING IT UP
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“When you’re on Hilton Head and you see the sun rise over the ocean, you can ‘feel’ the colors,” says Chris Bracken, Director of Sales and Marketing. “Our designer wanted to take advantage of our setting and tie those colors and the ocean into our design, to make the resort part of our surrounding environment.”
Prior to the renovation, the resort had a passé nautical theme that was outdated and tired. Today, the resort’s new style blends the casual style and textures of South Carolina’s lowcountry with contemporary architectural details. The resort now boasts a vibrant color palette of coral, sand, sea grass and shell tones, along with rich textures reminiscent of the beach setting.
When guests enter the resort lobby, they are greeted by a vast wood-framed mirror and a stunning piece of art, made of driftwood and sea glass, that hangs from the ceiling. These features instantly create a connection between guests and the picturesque natural beauty of the ocean surroundings.
During the renovation, the lobby was completely redone to create a more welcoming experience for guests. The resort strategically used furniture to create groups of conversation areas that infuse the space with a lively, social buzz. Some of the conversation areas have high-back, rust- and cream-colored arm chairs set up around circular coffee tables, while other areas are set up with rich brown and cream-colored leather couches with vibrant accent pillows.
Tall driftwood floor lamps and dark brown, wicker-style ottomans throughout the lobby further bring the oceanside theme inside.
The lobby also became a hub of social activity during the renovation, when the resort created an open lobby bar to replace its Mockingbird Lounge. “The bar is right there when guests walk in, and it has a very modern and contemporary feel to it,” says Bracken.
A large, curved mahogany table acts as the bar and looks like a large piece of driftwood, which complements the ocean theme.
The newly renovated restaurants at Sonesta were also updated with new furniture for the resort’s indoor and outdoor casual dining venues. Inside, the restaurant is set up with clean-lined high-boys and bright, rust-colored stools. It also has wicker-style couches with sand-colored cushions and bright coastal flower-patterned accent pillows that boast tones of red, pink, orange and yellow. Wicker accent tables further complement the organic texture and coastal design theme.
Redoing the guest rooms was also a top priority for the resort. Outdated nautical-style furnishings and large credenzas were all replaced with contemporary furniture. The custom-made furniture includes an oversized desk/activity table, pullout sofa and lightweight ottomans for additional seating.
“We use darker furniture that tends to wear well and stand up to the elements, particularly the sand that guests bring in from the beach,” says Bracken. “You want to make sure your furniture lasts; durability is a very important part of picking out your furniture.”
The larger presidential suite has a full living room setup with a textured fabric sectional sofa, leather chairs and ottomans, bright accent pillows and a round mahogany dining table.
To choose the furniture, the designer met with corporate executives and brought in samples.
Keep it FreshTaking care of your furniture will help ensure that you get the most out of it. Follow these tips for making sure your furniture lasts:
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Home Away from Home
When renovating The Villas of Grand Cypress resort in Orlando, Fla., the property wanted to create a high-end yet still relaxed atmosphere for its guests. “I always say that we are your home away from home,” says Mark Cox, General Manager. “So we wanted our rooms to have a residential feel with all the perks and amenities of a well-run resort.”
The key to bringing this vision to life was focusing on reviving and redoing the outdated guest rooms. The resort has a combination of large standard hotel rooms, suites and one- to four-bedroom villas, which have kitchens, dining rooms and living rooms.
To breathe life into these rooms, Grand Cypress updated the spaces with streamlined décor and furniture that utilized natural materials, and a neutral color palate that complements the serenity and natural beauty of the property. The guest rooms now feature fine Italian furniture and custom-designed carpets that all revolve around a subtle golf theme.
The customized beige carpets have swirls and stripes that were inspired by the topography of the resort’s famous golf course. The rooms have golf paintings, and a golf statue is displayed in an alcove in the living room walls. “Although we have a golf theme in the rooms, it does not inundate the guests,” says Cox. “This style also appeals to people who don’t play golf, because they appreciate the beauty of the golf course.”
In choosing new furniture, the resort wanted to make sure that the pieces it used would be pleasing to the different demographics of its guests, which include couples, families with children, ladies groups and men’s golf groups.
The guest rooms have work stations and high-back, roll-out leather office chairs. Modern glass end tables and coffee tables in the rooms have two or three legs, giving the rooms an updated contemporary look.
In the villas, the resort added a large leather sectional sofa and complementary arm chairs that create a social, homey setting for families and groups of friends to gather. The villas also have large glass dining room tables, perfect for both poker games and family dining.
“Right when guests walk through the doors, they see that it doesn’t look like hotel furniture,” says Cox. “Our designer combined commercial quality with residential style, and made it work.”
In addition to the guest rooms, the resort also made some furniture updates throughout the property. On the patios, fire pits with conversation areas were added that include inviting arm chairs with bright-colored and comfortable cushions.
To choose the furniture, the resort asked its designer to think outside the box. “We told her she could start high and we would pull it down a bit,” says Cox. “We interviewed a lot of designers, but we ended up choosing a designer who knew our resort and loved our resort. That makes a real difference.”
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