ForrestPerkins Designs Glamorous Luxury Guest Room at HI Connect Design

Dream Team Custom Creates Every Detail

Photography by Tom Gatlin

Washington, DC (April 2012) ForrestPerkins was pleased to participate in the inaugural HI Connect Design event held recently at the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, Tennessee. The globally-renowned hospitality firm designed a soigné bespoke Luxury Guest Room that garnered rave reviews.

“We are very grateful to the manufacturers who provided the products that allowed us to realize our purely custom vision for a glamorous international five star guest room,” says Deborah Lloyd Forrest, FASID, principal and co-founder of ForrestPerkins. “The vignette we created demonstrates that successful teamwork leads to amazing results.”

In particular, Ms. Forrest credits the:

• Fully fitted case goods by Montague with an integrated Safemark safe and Bartech minibar
• Dazzling wallcoverings by Maya Romanoff
• Elegant fabrics and leathers by Kravet Contract
• Sparkling lighting by Alger-Triton
• Distinctive and comfortable  upholstered furniture by Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams
• Sumptuous bedding by Anichini
• A sublimely inviting mattress set by Simmons Hospitality
• An exquisite hand-tufted rug  studded with Swarovski crystal by Zenith
• Sophisticated “ball gown”  draperies by VQC with couture detailing
• Integrated room controls by Evolve
• A cleverly concealed  mirror-television by Electric Mirror
• An espresso herringbone hardwood floor by Historic Timber and Plank
• Supa Doors French doors with Haefle  door hardware
• Fashionable artwork and mirrors by  Kevin Barry Fine Art

“We also want to congratulate our design team including Melissa Dosier Lewis, ASID, Tonya Grine Pandurangan and Diane Kliebenstein of ForrestPerkins and Jennifer Stark of Benjamin West,” Forrest says. “And we want to thank Torn Ranch, American Hotel Register and Front of House for amenities as well as VTech for telephones.”

ForrestPerkins-designed InterContinental, A Forms + Surfaces’ Case Study

Photography by Michael Wilson

 For the full article click on the link below.

FORMS+SURFACES

Spa Magazine Names La Costa Resort and Spa, designed by ForrestPerkins, No. 1 Wellness Spa in the Nation

Photography Courtesy of La Costa Resort and Spa

To read the full article click on the link below.

spa magazine

Pamela Parsons Joins ForrestPerkins As Vice President of Operations

To read the full articles, click on the links below.

Hospitality Design Magazine

boutiqueDesign Magazine

National Floor Trends

Floor Daily

FORRESTPERKINS-designed Restrooms Named Among Top 10 Restrooms in the Country

Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel Restrooms are Contenders for the 2011 America’s Best Restroom Award

Photography by Kenneth M. Wyner

Washington, DC (August 2, 2011) ForrestPerkins-has been honored with many awards in the past, but learning yesterday that its public restrooms for the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel in Crystal City, Virginia have been named among the Top 10 finalists in the 2011 America’s Best Restroom Contest was a delight for the luxury design firm. It’s a challenge to integrate originality into a public restroom, so ForrestPerkins is pleased with the recognition. Mentions on USAToday.com, http://usat.ly/pirUOU, NPR radio and several television news shows over the last 24 hours have caught us by surprise. But apparently visitors like the sense of adventure they have traveling down the somewhat darkened corridor that leads from the lobby and restaurant to the restrooms and the surprise that awaits them.  

Inspired by the fact that the hotel is located in Potomac Yard, once one of the busiest rail yards on the East Coast and now at the nexus of Metro, Reagan National Airport, the Potomac River and Highway Rt. 1, the exciting design consistently reflects the evidence of motion throughout the hotel, even in the restrooms. The hall leading to the lavatories features tree-patterned wall coverings and a play of shadow and light with leaf patterns on the floor. Open the door et voila - a blaze of golden and orange sunset tones and a flock of birds in flight greets you on one wall. Sparkling water flows blue from the faucet if it’s cold, red if it’s hot and purple if it’s warm. Mirrors are lit with the silhouettes of more birds in flight and quill-shaped pendants crown the vanity.

Online voting now through September 19^th will determine the winner of the 2011 America’s Best Restroom Contest, sponsored by Cintas. To view the finalist gallery and to vote, click here:  http://www.bestrestroom.com/us/vote.asp 

 

Global Architecture and Interior Design Firm Grows

ForrestPerkins Announces Major Design Appointments and Promotions

Washington, DC (July 2011) Luxury hospitality design firm ForrestPerkins is promoting leaders from within and dramatically expanding its staff. Since January, ForrestPerkins has increased its staff by 43 percent. Deborah Lloyd Forrest, FASID, and Stephen Perkins, AIA, ISHC, co-founders of ForrestPerkins, are proud to announce recent appointments at their award-winning architecture and interior design firm. 

“The last year has been one of growth for ForrestPerkins and it’s the hard work and dedication of our talented staff that has gotten us to this position, despite difficult economic times,” Perkins said. “We are thrilled to be elevating several of our leaders to positions as vice president, senior associate and associate and adding industry veterans of the highest caliber to our exceptional design teams.”   

ForrestPerkins promoted several individuals who have consistently exhibited strong leadership.  “We are proud to name Jerry Flemons, AIA, and Mendy Huddleston Winkler, ASID, as Vice Presidents of ForrestPerkins. They have each made invaluable contributions to our firm,” Forrest said. When Flemons, former Vice President of HKS, joined ForrestPerkins as a Senior Associate last year, he brought 18 years of experience. ”Our work overlapped with Jerry’s when we collaborated on the 1,002-room JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa, where HKS was the Architect of Record and ForrestPerkins was the interior design firm,” Forrest added. For more than three years, Flemons led the team of architects responsible for the design, documentation and coordination for the 26,000-square-foot Spa and the 40,000-square-foot Golf Clubhouse at the JW Marriott San Antonio, which is the JW Marriott’s largest resort in the world.  Since joining ForrestPerkins, Flemons has been working as Senior Project Architect for the expansion of The Joule, a Starwood Luxury Collection Hotel in Dallas for which ForrestPerkins is the Architect of Record.  As Vice President, his role includes oversight of architecture in the firm’s Dallas office as well as firm-wide management in concert with the firm’s senior leadership. 

Winkler, a valued member of ForrestPerkins for more than 12 years, was the Project Manager and Senior Interior Designer for the JW Marriott San Antonio, a project that spanned five years. Winkler is currently the Project Manager of the five-star St. Regis Amman and The Residences at St. Regis Amman in Amman, Jordan, a property due to be completed in 2014. “It is critical to have someone with Mendy’s extensive experience and exacting standards overseeing this project,” said Perkins, the Principal in Charge of the St. Regis Amman. Winkler is a seasoned professional whose leadership role includes the oversight of design in ForrestPerkins’ Dallas office in concert with Forrest and leading firm-wide initiatives regarding documentation and processes such as ForrestPerkins’ proprietary specification system.

Elevating Associates 

ForrestPerkins also promoted several long-time associates, including Ann Theriot, ASID, an eight-year veteran of the firm, to Senior Associate. Theriot has exhibited leadership on many of the firm’s best projects, including the Woodlands Inn, a Forbes Five Star and an AAA Five Diamond hotel that Travel & Leisure readers recently named among the best luxury hotels in the world. In addition to leading several key luxury hotel and multifamily residential projects, Theriot serves as the Professional Development board member of the Washington Metro chapter of ASID, a position she has held for two years. Kelly Beavers, who has been with the company for four years and who heads ForrestPerkins’ human resources department, was also elevated to Senior Associate. 

Other staff members were promoted to Associate, including Yajaira Arenas, ASID, who has been with the firm for more than a decade. Arenas was honored by boutique DESIGN magazine as one of its 2011 Boutique 18 honorees during HD Expo in Las Vegas in May. NCIDQ-certified interior designer Toby Bishop, a five-year ForrestPerkins veteran and lead designer on the renovation of the InterContinental Hotel in Dallas, and Morriah Mryszuk, ASID, who has been with the Washington, DC office for four years and who designed the Renaissance Arlington Capital View, have both been promoted to Associate as well. Danielle Cross, a member of the ForrestPerkins’ Dallas team for five years, designed the Penthouse Suite at the Palmer House in Chicago, which was named one of Elite Traveler magazine’s Top 100 Suites. Cross and Christina Tasho were also elevated to Associate. Tasho, a graduate of the Cornell School of Hotel Administration who has been with ForrestPerkins for five years in its Washington office, has been instrumental in working with Perkins to develop firm-wide project administration policies. She currently serves as the Project Manager for the renovation of the iconic New York Marriott Marquis on Times Square.

Seasoned Professionals   

ForrestPerkins has also strengthened its creative staff with key hires including Jeff Yang, AIA, LEED AP, who brings more than 19 years of local, national and international experience in the architectural design of hospitality projects to the firm. Senior Associate Yang, proficient in architectural and interior architectural design, master planning and problem solving, has designed many luxurious country clubs around the world.  Before joining ForrestPerkins, Yang was a Project Architect at Three Architecture, Inc., Vice President of Design at CCI Chris Consultants, Inc., Associate Principal at Wilder Architects, Inc. and lead architectural designer at PBK Architects, Inc. Yang, based in Dallas, is fluent in Mandarin as well as English. 

Claudia Colantonio Woods, LEED AP, who also joined the firm recently, has been responsible for the creative direction and project management of numerous high-end hospitality and multi-residential projects over the course of her 10-year career. Before joining ForrestPerkins as Senior Designer in its Dallas office, Woods was an Associate at Rockwell Group in New York for more than three years.  Just before that, Woods worked as Project Manager for Yoo USA, the residential design and development firm under the creative direction of Philippe Starck. Earlier, Woods was the Project Designer for Clodagh Design on the 500-unit, W Fort Lauderdale Hotel and Residences from 2003 to 2005. Woods is fluent in German, French and English. Both Yang and Woods are currently working on the St. Regis Amman and The Residences at St. Regis Amman.

ForrestPerkins Designs the Renaissance Arlington Capital View to Reflect the Evidence of Motion

Energy and Verve Sweep throughout the Interior Architecture, Furnishings and Finishes

Washington, DC (May 2011) ForrestPerkins’ architects and designers look to the past and future with their innovative design for the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel in Crystal City, Virginia. Inspired by the fact that the new hotel is located in Potomac Yard, once one of the busiest rail yards on the East Coast, and that it is now at the nexus of Metro, Reagan National Airport, the Potomac River, Highway Rt. 1 and the Virginia Railway Express, ForrestPerkins’ design approach represents the evidence of motion inside as the interior architecture, furnishings, finishes and art celebrate movement in dynamic, subtle and sophisticated ways. The design flows from one stylish space to another encouraging visitors to explore, propelled by the exciting textures, colors and art found throughout the Renaissance.

“We want materials to have a conversation – the spaces are connected and rooms are rarely concealed within walls.  A sense of movement is encouraged by form, materials, lighting, texture, color and art,” says Stephen Perkins, AIA, ISHC, principal of ForrestPerkins. This award-winning international architecture and interior design firm designed the public spaces including the lobby, restaurant, grand staircase, pre-function areas, ballroom and meeting rooms, as well as the Presidential, Hospitality and Luxury Suites, the Club Lounge and Fitness Center. The core design team included Architect John Carhart, AIA, Lead Interior Designers Brooke Traeger, ASID, and Morriah Mryszuk, ASID, Director of Lighting Design Emlyn Altman, LC, IESNA, Drapery Design Specialist Diane Lloyd Kliebenstein,  Associate and Principal Stephen Perkins, AIA, ISHC. They all collaborated closely to create the spectacular interiors of the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel.

Carhart responded to the architectural geometry of the space when Cooper Carry, Architect of Record, turned over the base building plans. By working from a radius, Carhart designed sweeping arches on the ceiling and floor that make the lobby and restaurant flow together seamlessly. Coffers in the ceiling step down and then rise, undulating ripple designs flow across the terrazzo floor and a feeling of motion resonates throughout the hotel.

Remarkable attention was devoted to finishes, including walls covered in Kinon, which is acrylic with embedded striations that glisten; columns covered in Glass Fiber Reinforced Gypsum (GFRG) with deep grooves mimicking the texture of bark on a redwood; and a media wall with hand-dragged Venetian plaster that looks surprisingly like raw silk. “We wanted finishes and art that would reflect nature in motion, humans in motion and mechanical motion,” says Mrysuk, who has the eye of a curator, a Masters degree in Art History, plus a Bachelors degree in Interior Design. She and Traeger collaborated with art consultant Corey Mercy of Soho Myriad to select the magnificent sculptures, paintings and photography throughout the Renaissance. Even the furnishings – chairs that swirl and curve; and finishes – walls that shimmer and shine, are artistic. The unforgettable, bas-relief walls wrapping the exterior of the ballroom evoke an artisanal, sculptural quality. Made of cast gypsum with plaster hand-applied to the molds, Mrysuk designed them to capture the effect of raindrops that had fallen into a pool of water, causing giant concurrent rings to reverberate, some with eight-foot diameters. The overall effect is like the calm aftermath of a spring rain. Aaron Kramer designed and sculpted Portal, the dramatic spherical sculpture made of wooden strips that hangs in the pre-function area outside of the ballroom. Inside the ballroom, dramatic custom-designed circular chandeliers hung in a glistening gold cove, concentric rings on the custom-designed carpet and circular patterns on wall coverings continue to suggest motion caused by raindrops.

Intriguing art greets guests the moment they step into the hotel and see Dance of the Forest, a steam-bent wood sculpture by Charlie Whinney, a British artist, who carved long ribbons of wood that curl, coil and intertwine with each other in beautiful loops. The whole airy sculpture is made from one beech tree that he cut down from his backyard in a remote village in England. Four of the ribbons of wood are motorized and rotate almost imperceptibly. 

The guest services area delights visitors with Euphoric, an abstract digital print on canvas by MoodSpace that’s lit from above to suggest movement. The exceptional countertops on the reception desks remind you of long, thick blades of spring green grass frozen in ice. They top creamy Calacatta Sponda marble bases. The lobby is a concert of movement with curved chairs, some shaped like martini glasses and custom-designed Macassar ebony-backed sofas that gently curve and envelop. Long, gracefully-arched floor lamps feature tiered string shades.  A soft, green-and-gold custom rug that echoes the same wave pattern that’s designed into the terrazzo floor beneath it rests underfoot. All suggest motion and encourage conversation and interaction.

The exciting Socci restaurant features a partial-height wiggle wall and a metal mesh curtain that divides the seating area from the open kitchen. The space itself adapts from day to night. The restaurant features a beautiful terrazzo bar in shades of coral, golden bronze, peach, tan and beige. Behind the bar, an innovative display transforms from morning to evening. It rotates 180 degrees and changes from a whimsical collection of coffee cup sculptures, Caffeine I-III and IV-VII, by Kevin Chambers, which is perfect for daytime, to a selection of spirits bottles, ideal for the evening.

No matter what time of day, the lobby restrooms are sure to delight. The hallway leading to the restrooms off of the lobby is darkened with shadows of leaves, some blurred, some sharper, projected on the floor. ForrestPerkins’ Emlyn Altman collaborated with Adam Frank of Adam Frank Inc. to create a sense of adventure as one journeys through this passage with its tree-patterned wall coverings and play of shadow and light. Once inside the restrooms, one wall is ablaze in the oranges and golden tones of a sunset and the dark silhouettes of birds in flight. Mirrors above the vanity feature bird silhouettes that are lit and when a guest turns on the faucet, water flows in a sparkling red stream if it’s hot and a blue stream if it’s cool, thanks to ingenious lighting within the fixtures. 

Another destination with an unexpected sense of adventure is the Presidential Suite, a modern, interactive space where a color scheme of blues and oranges, distinctive furnishings and a modern mood greet you. A chandelier of glass spheres over the dining table, for example, reminds you of champagne bubbles. The backs of two egg-shaped chairs have a fishnet feeling and are reminiscent of a hammock. A sculptural tub and Calacatta Sponda marble with inlaid glass strips gives the bathroom an ultra luxurious feel. Best of all, the exciting and eclectic Presidential Suite provides a spectacular view of the nation’s capital and all its surrounding energy and evidence of motion.

Design Firm/Designers: 

ForrestPerkins/Principal, Stephen Perkins, AIA, ISHC; Architect John Carhart, AIA, Vice President, Architecture; Lead Interior Designers, Brooke Traeger, ASID, and Morriah Mryszuk, ASID, Associate; Director of Lighting Design, Emlyn Altman, LC, IESNA, Associate, Diane Lloyd Kliebenstein,  Associate

Architect of Record:

Cooper Carry

Influence/Inspiration:

Evidence of Motion

Signature Features:

All public spaces, specifically-the Great Room, including the lobby, restaurant and restrooms, grand staircase, pre-function rooms, ballroom, meeting rooms, Presidential, Hospitality and Luxury Suites, Club Lounge, elevator cabs and fitness center.

Art Consultant:

Corey Mercy of Soho Myriad

Lighting Design:

Emlyn Altman, director of lighting design at ForrestPerkins, designed the architectural lighting throughout the public spaces for this project. Brooke Traeger and Morriah Mryszuk designed the custom decorative lighting. ForrestPerkins collaborated with Stonegate, iWorks, Adam Frank Inc. and Color Kinetics on various lighting elements.  

Purchasing Agent:             

Benjamin West

 

Photography:  Kenneth M. Wyner

ForrestPerkins Gives InterContinental Dallas A Multi-Million Dollar Facelift

Interior Design and Architecture Firm Updates Hotel with Dynamic Designs

Washington, DC  (May 2011)  ForrestPerkins gives a fresh and glamorous look to the InterContinental Dallas, a spacious hotel that is a favorite for conventions and lifestyle celebrations. The award-winning interior design and architecture firm transformed the grand lobby, more than 75,000 square feet of spectacular ballrooms and meeting spaces and 32 handsome executive bi-level suites. ForrestPerkins also designed a striking new restaurant, Q de Cheval. 

“One of the greatest things that ForrestPerkins has done is to create a sense of arrival. ForrestPerkins was able to bring new life into the hotel, to create stopping points and experiences for our guests,” says Scott Blakeslee, General Manager of the InterContinental Dallas, which is located at 15201 Dallas Parkway in Addison, Texas. “When you arrive under the porte-cochere and enter the InterContinental, one of the first things you see is an oversized fireplace encased in black marble. That alone gives you a sense of arrival. And if you look up, down, left or right, everything flows together. A 360-degree design is so important when you arrive somewhere.”

The sheer scale of the InterContinental Dallas is impressive. The 528-room hotel has huge public areas. “One of my favorite things about this hotel is the massive amount of space. You seldom find the luxury of this much space in new hotels. The way ForrestPerkins designed these spaces allows us to really welcome people in, and they’re drawn into the spaces. You want to linger, relax and take your time in these areas,” Mr. Blakeslee says.

ForrestPerkins worked gracefully with these grand proportions, designing walnut-veneers for massive columns, magnificent custom 10′ by 5′ crystal chandeliers and the jewel of the lobby, a 15′-high sculptural bar. Beautiful, backlit honey onyx panels illuminate the front of the registration desk, the curved bar and the walnut-veneered columns, which feature embedded sconces. A warm glow permeates the lobby area.

Artwork also plays an exciting role. The renovation reflects a close collaboration between ForrestPerkins and Dallas-based artist Brad Oldham. Mr. Oldham was commissioned to create a collection of sculptural elements for both the interior and exterior of the hotel with a towering 15′ by 15′ wall sculpture illuminated with color-changing LED lights that enhance the entry to the new restaurant. Six resin and wire tree sculptures adorn the width of the dramatic back bar that faces the lobby lounge. And four sculptural elements adorning the exterior entry fountain engage visitors as they’re coming and going.

ForrestPerkins  infused a feeling of subtle sophistication when it redesigned the Inter-Continental Dallas’ executive bi-level suites with shades of cream, caramel and bronze with teal highlights. Texture and pattern celebrate the surrounding Texas landscape with hammered metal, embossed leathers and locally-sourced stones. Custom-designed lighting throughout the ballrooms and meeting spaces was designed to echo the swirls found in the vividly-colored, Indian sari- and musical note-inspired custom carpets.

It was brave to do such a major renovation during a recession. “Naturally, in a thriving hotel, we needed to work around our guests while working with ForrestPerkins and the general contractor. But the statement of the design is so impactful, our staff is excited, which excites our guests,” Mr. Blakeslee says. “It almost felt psychic on the part of ownership and ForrestPerkins.”

The ForrestPerkins’ team responsible for the renovation of the InterContinental Dallas includes Deborah Lloyd Forrest, FASID, Principal; Toby Bishop, Associate, Senior Designer; Danielle Cross, Associate, Designer; and Jerry Flemons, AIA, Vice President, Architect. Consultants include John Tappenden, Lighting Designer; David S. Silva, JJA, Inc., MEP Consultant; and Richard L. Reed, P.E., Urban Structure, Structural Engineer.

Photograph by Adrian Jack 

ABOUT  INTERCONTINENTAL

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms. IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns, through various subsidiaries, more than 4,500 hotels and more than 650,000 guest rooms in 100 countries and territories around the world. The Group owns a portfolio of well recognized and respected hotel brands including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites® and Candlewood Suites® and also manages the world’s largest hotel loyalty program, Priority Club® Rewards with 52 million members worldwide. IHG has more than 1,300 hotels in its development pipeline, which will create 160,000 jobs worldwide over the next few years.  IHG offers information and online reservations for all of its hotel brands at www.ihg.com.

For more information or reservations, call 972.386.6000 or visit www.intercontinental.com/dallas. For media inquiries, please contact Ariana Hajibashi, Adastra Public Relations, at 214.641.9684 | ariana@adastrapr.com.

ForrestPerkins To Design Interiors for Five-Star St. Regis in Amman, Jordan

Working With Al Maabar and Starwood Hotels on Mixed-Use Development

Washington, DC (March 2011) – ForrestPerkins, the international architecture and design firm, has been awarded the interior design for the St. Regis Amman and The Residences at St. Regis Amman in Jordan by Al Maabar Abdoun Real Estate Development Company. This five-star luxury hotel and multi-residential project will mark St. Regis’ first entrée into Jordan. ForrestPerkins is honored to have been selected for this project and to be working with Al Maabar Abdoun Real Estate Development Company and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. 

Stephen Perkins, AIA, ISHC, co-founder and principal of ForrestPerkins, is inspired by the project. “The ancient and modern history, natural and urban fabric, culture and rich traditions of this important international city offer a rich lode of influences for the design of such an important new development,” he says. The new St. Regis Amman will be located in Abdoun, an exclusive neighborhood of Amman that is home to many embassies and ambassadors’ residences. The hotel will feature 270  guest rooms, including 91 suites, four restaurants and a supper club, a café, ballroom, bar, pool and pool bar, spa and fitness center. The Residences at St. Regis Amman will include approximately 80 branded units. ForrestPerkins will design the one- to five-bedroom apartments, lobby, fitness center and gourmet shops within the residential segment of the development. 

ForrestPerkins’ successful work in luxury hotels and multi-family residences is known for its stunning sophistication and beauty balanced with practicality. The firm has designed and/or renovated more than 100 luxury hotels and multi-family residences worldwide, including two of the premier hotels in the Jabal Omar Development Project in Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. ForrestPerkins also designed the first showroom to open in the Middle East for Kohler Interiors Hospitality (KIH). This elegant showroom was developed with Quartet Specialized Furniture, KIH’s regional franchisee, in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 

ForrestPerkins, which has offices in Washington, DC, Dallas, Texas and San Francisco, California will provide the interior design services for the St. Regis Amman and The Residences at St. Regis Amman, and New York-based Perkins Eastman Architects (no relation) will be the Architect of Record. The Al Maabar Abdoun Five-Star Luxury Mixed-Use Development is scheduled to open in 2014.

ForrestPerkins’ Design for the Jefferson DC Featured on Today Show as Conde Nast Traveler Hot List Favorite

To watch the video, click here.