For the newest addition to the Universal Studios hotel cluster in Orlando, the Karen Daroff of Daroff Design and Allan Shulman of Miami-based Shulman+ Associates captured this midcentury era in a family-oriented resort.

The lobby’s standout feature—a 50-foot-high palm tree enclosure—echoes the Americana Hotel’s terrarium.

“We were always mindful of the budget constraints associated with a moderately priced hotel, so we relied heavily on pops of color with a palette ubiquitous to the period,” Daroff explains.

The midcentury aesthetic continues in the resort’s 900 family suites and 900 double queen guestrooms.

The 600-seat Bayliner Diner also celebrates the era by continuously running vintage films in an “early space-age-inspired food court,” Daroff describes.

Four food stations surround a kidney-shaped island with several self-serve stations.

Two pairs of sky blue, acoustically treated boomerang- and guitar pick-shaped light coves complement the bright colors in the large space.

The dining room is filled with aqua vinyl booths and orange Eames chairs.

An open staircase, complete with a water feature at its base, forms the center of the hotel’s crescent shape. 

“There is a wealth of material available about the midcentury era, and there really was no shortage of inspiration,” says Daroff.

A fifties inspired retail store completes the look.

The second floor of the building is punctuated by a ten lane bowling alley.