Client: Private Residence

Overview

In 2009, we were commissioned to design this 1,700 sf residential spa nestled in the Finger Lakes of New York. The client requested a ‘place of escape, including all the amenities of a luxury resort spa.’
We detailed the spa similar to an all-inclusive treatment suite.
The spa’s palette reflects the tranquility of the lake. The furnishings are detailed with silver leaf, marble, antique mirror, plush velvets, suede, silks, linens, embroidery, inlaid shell, white silver, and alabaster to complete the luxurious spa experience.

Goals

Our intent was to create an entirely custom experience for the client. They are avid art collectors so we felt it was important to expand their existing collection by selecting pieces that would enhance the spaces and be site specific.
Most notable of the key pieces that we integrated into the spa include the over-scaled thistle image, printed on board and finished as a wax encaustic in the treatment room. One cannot miss the drapery, custom dyed and layered with metallic silver stencil to create divisions of space at the lounge and yoga studio. This drapery framed out views to the gardens, as well as the artwork surrounding this area.
The client however, still wanted something unexpected. We developed a custom stencil to apply a mother of pearl pattern on the plaster walls of the steam and shower rooms. For us, this was the perfect opportunity to not only accommodate this request but also to layer in with the rest of the homes luxurious finishes.

Process

We turn to Jan Hale for difficult custom finish work. With the drapery, we told her our design and gave her paint colors, and she sent us various samples of our chosen fabric dip dyed. Once a sample was approved, she accented the drapery with metallic silver leaf stencil on the drapery.
Even more impressive, she was able to do a custom Turkish plaster process, called tadelakt. Initially, we worked with her to create a stencil, but the scale needed to be adjusted to the room’s dimensions as it was being built, in order to get the pattern repeat to perfectly align. Then, in the shower and steam rooms, she sealed the plaster before using an iridescent paint containing ground mother of pearl flakes, starting at the floor and curving onto the ceiling before fading away toward the room’s center. This was then sealed into the wall finish.
We contacted Soho Myriad art group and requested Avant Guard, nature inspired artwork. The clients lead a more urban lifestyle as this is their country home, so we were able to select pieces that bridge those gaps. Mason Murer we approached because of the figures