OH2O and GVG 20.0 TLC Projects!
Early in this “After 20 Years” process, we were discussing (read: arguing about) updating the bathing room wall tile patterns. At first, some looked too modern to align with our design intent, but on second glance we agreed that they also appeared suitably classical. While standing in a bathtub, sketchbook in hand, artist-in-residence Chip Holton blurted out, “Charles Baudelaire said, ‘Modernity is the transient, the fleeting, the contingent; it is one half of art, the other being the eternal and immovable.’” (How does he remember this stuff?? I can’t remember what I had for breakfast!) That quotation summarized our discussion perfectly, speaking to the foundation of our intentions with the O.Henry: Blend classic, ageless materials and proportions with a touch of this era, and incorporate modern elements as technology requires. Read more in our winter 2017 newsletter.
We’ve hit the ground (or rather, the ceilings) running with this effort. A number of years back, Chip painted ethereal sky views on the Magi suites’ ceilings. He’s now recruited two artist friends to help paint all of the sleeping room ceilings that way: These folks are fantastic! (I love that many people don’t notice the clouds when they first spend time in the room, but they inevitably smile when they sit down or lie down, look up and discover them.) We are still in the design process, but I promise that our guests will be delighted to find that their experience at O.Henry Hotel is even more enjoyable. Don Rives’s guidance 20 years ago created environments that are eminently comfortable, and we promise to build upon that legacy, not goof it up, as we make improvements to O.Henry Hotel (and also Green Valley Grill).
OH2O: Have you had a design and building project take longer and cost more than you’d planned? Us, too: This one! Nonetheless, we are still delighted and hope that you will be as well! It makes our hearts sing when we stay in the guestrooms where we’ve completed Phase 1 of this effort (we have finished levels 1 through 4). We’ll get to the 5th and 6th floors later this year, then tackle the 7th and 8th floors early next year. Phase 1 includes some really neat stuff:
Bathing rooms: Floor-to-ceiling architectural ceramic tile with gently inset, stylishly grooved mirror | It’s magic! The shower will be about 30 percent larger without expanding the room or cramping it | Our new favorite shower head and hand-held wand | A carefully placed ledge in the shower that will help with the leg-shaving game | A soaking tub set into an architectural alcove | Amazing and dimmable lighting | A Bluetooth sound system with stereo speakers in the bathing room | New thrones | Phase 2, which will be completed in 2019, will include: Artist-painted ethereal sky scenes on the sleeping room ceilings | QW Craft Guild (QWCG) built wood and brass robe and convenience hooks at the entry and dressing room mirror frames | QWCG Magic Wand our name for an amazing ultra-violet wood finishing system) treatment on the desk, headboard and chest of drawers that will cause these handcrafted pieces to retain their charm and patina after they are lovingly restored | New custom-designed embossed wall coverings | New drapes | Improvements for our in-room coffee and tea | Some surprise new accessories and amenities (Isn’t a warm bath even better with a rubber duck?)
As for GVG 20.0: New custom dinnerware inspired by Chip Holton’s 22-foot semi-circular culinary-based still-life over the kitchen entrance | Amazing crewel drapes and custommade lamps in each of the 10 arched windows | New velvet drapes | New carpet (don’t panic, the “stone mosaic” pattern that QW’s Don Rives designed will be used) GVG Bar: QWCG-made antiqued mirrors | QWCG-made lamps on the granite bar | A few surprises!
