For Limelight Hotels’ newest location in Snowmass, Colorado, the group tasked New York-based Stonehill Taylor to develop what principal Mike Suomi terms “repeatable touchpoints.” These include, he says, a sense of arrival that incorporates sculpted seating elements, a major art installation, and a fireplace or fire element. Public spaces also had to accommodate two uses. One is live music, which is incorporated into an indoor-outdoor bar and restaurant that pairs vivid red and orange stools with buffalo plaid gray and white chairs. The second is a kids-only area, highlighted by a mint green feature wall of sound-absorbing tile that serves as a backdrop for an array of small-scale seating, game tables, and books.
Striking wood ceilings here and elsewhere introduce the quintessential lodge material into the mix while protecting it from snowy skis and muddy boots. “The bones of the architecture are coming from the language of the ranches that populate the area,” says Suomi. Accents of green pick up the hues found in the surrounding forests, while blackened steel and natural stone augment the use of wood. Art pieces reference regional scenery, too, including a neon antler installation facing the entry and the mountain range silhouettes of the reception desks. The 99 guestrooms are more straightforward, with clean lines and neutral hues punched up by throw pillows, buffalo plaid, and, when possible, fireplaces.
As Limelight readies itself to go back to the drawing board in redoing its 10-year-old Aspen property, Stonehill Taylor will be there, as well as when the brand reaches into other (as yet to be named) markets. “We’re excited about distilling the brand into a design language,” says Suomi.
