For the Allison Inn & Spa, which opened last fall on 35 acres in Oregon Wine Country’s Willamette Valley, the design team of Seattle-based GGLO didn’t have to look hard for inspiration. "The concept for the inn is born out of its surroundings," explains Carol Schaefer, a principal at GGLO, which handled the hotel’s architecture, interior design, and landscape. "It is situated in an area that has a rich agricultural history. Rather than copy this history, we looked to it for inspiration for materials, colors, and forms."
To truly be one-with-nature, they built the hotel more like a small-scale country estate than a hotel. Plus, it is an outward facing design intended to take full advantage of the pristine vistas available on all sides of the property. "It was important to nestle the inn into the landscape and make it appear a natural extension of the landforms versus imposing forms on the landscape," says James Bradley, a GGLO principal.
Inside, wood and stone prevail, and the designers swathed the spaces in nature-inspired hues. The design was a "feast for the senses" and the bounty of the Willamette Valley is expressed not only through its connection to the adjacent vineyards but also to the abundant crops of blueberries and olive trees and estate cut flowers and herb gardens on the property. "The public space palette draws from warm earth colors; the spa palette is more about the cool soothing colors of sky and water; and the restaurant palette is inspired by the colors pervasive in regional cuisine—squash, beet, raspberry, and pinot noir," says Schaefer, adding that the hotel is going for LEED certification.
Elsewhere, a dramatic glass-enclosed circular staircase connects all four levels of the guest wing housing the 85 guestrooms; a massive living room lobby features a stone fireplace; the spa’s indoor infinity-edged pool has folding floor-to-ceiling glass doors that open onto gardens and water features; and rooms are outfitted with custom crafted furnishings, balconies or terraces, five-fixture baths, and original artwork.
