As with the redecoration of other spaces at The Ahwahnee Hotel, we relied on the historic record to guide our selection of new rugs and upholstery goods, specifying commercial grade, stain resistant fabrics rated for high traffic environments – fabrics that shared some design DNA with the original ones used in this room between 1927 and 1942 – a window of time defined by the National Park Service as the hotel’s “period of significance”. Our close study of archival photos and of existing historic lamps informed our design of the new floor and table lamps, fabricated to our specifications, that now illuminate the hotel’s public spaces.
Our design recommendations for the hotel consistently steer the public spaces back toward the original design intent, adding a measure of interpretive value as well as integrity and durability. In The Mural Room, we returned a Persian rug to a bare wood floor, we rebuilt and reupholstered original club chairs, and — since a photo we discovered in the NPS archives revealed a pair of original 1927 writing desks in the room, we returned them to their original places. We paired the desks with new reproduction Georgian oak armchairs and new bridge lamps we designed to create a functional destination where guests can now be seen in those formerly lifeless corners of the room, writing postcards or working on their laptops.
The seating clusters, improved lighting, and copper clad fireplace all invite guests into a space that we left just a little bit better than when we found it.
