The swimming pool at the historic Ahwahnee Hotel isn’t original to the property but was added during the mid 1960s – a heated amenity that hotel guests enjoy year round, even when the pool is surrounded by snow.
When the pool was due for a major renovation, including a new concrete liner and heating system, we were asked to come up with a new tile border design for the waterline. We began by researching California tile patterns of the 1920s and 1930s – interesting glazed tiles that reflected the Arts and Crafts or Mission sensibility of the period. Still, nothing felt quite right– until we realized while walking through the hotel lobby that the answer had been under our feet all along – the bold geometric patterns of the lobby floor.
We submitted a few ceramic tile designs that mimicked and amplified the existing patterns of the lobby floor tile: a practical solution and a very simple design to adapt, with square tiles cut into triangles.
Our independent research revealed we needed tile that would withstand the harshness of the environment – a tile that would weather the effects of the hard “granite water”, chlorine, and temperature extremes. Instead of glazed tile that would become unsightly when chipped, we recommended a solid color porcelain tile – a “color-through” tile with a high recycled-materials content.
Though the pool is a relative latecomer in the hotel’s history, this simple and appropriate design detail makes it seem as if it has always been.
