Known mostly for restaurant design, designer Chris Leighton was first asked to only design the new Seagate Hotel & Spa‘s Atlantic Grille Restaurant. But just nine months before the opening, he took over the entire hotel and spa design. "It moved very quickly," says Leighton. "We didn’t have a lot of time to second guess ourselves and I had to reestablish what the design prerogative was going to be here and come up with a completely new look for the hotel."

Leighton began collecting rocks and shells from the beach and looked to the morning sky and the reflection of the sun on the water for the color palette. But it wasn’t only the colors and materials that the designer was concerned with; he wanted to create something luxurious that felt like it belonged in Delray Beach, Florida, his hometown, where typically, small inns and large hotel chains are found. "We are not a beach resort hotel, but we are in a beach town. It’s not a typical town in Florida," he explains of the area, which is home to the Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens and the American Orchid Society as well as many popular restaurants.

Keeping its location in mind and its current push for LEED certification, nature played a leading role—materials such as various types of stone and wood are found throughout the public spaces. Within the two lobbies, guests can find a slew of sea-inspired details such as a wave wall hanging behind the reception desk; a 5,000-gallon reef tank in the main lobby and eel and lion fish tanks in the smaller lobby; handpainted wallpaper with a nature-inspired theme covering the walls; and lighting by Aqua Creations that give off a sea-creature vibe. "It’s a constant reinforcement," he says.

The approach for the 8,000-square-foot spa was similar with walls done in beach stone and wave-like motions, softly lit corridors, and Emma Gardner Design rugs that offer a subtle, calming touch. And the restaurant, Leighton’s favorite part, has laser-cut lighting details imitating a coral pattern, a mural of a wave pattern by Sicis, and a jelly fish tank, not to mention shell-shaped salt-and-pepper shakers. "I wanted it to feel like this just wasn’t another restaurant space," he says.

For the 162 guestrooms and suites, Leighton wanted furniture with fluidity so he went custom. To further carry out the same color palette and beachy feel found elsewhere in the hotel, he employed a mix of white carpet and engineered wood flooring with a gray-green quality, and hung local beach photography highlighting plants and vegetation. "It’s only four blocks from where I live," says Leighton. "This is something I’m going to see everyday so in my mind, it had to be something I could live with for the rest of my life. I’m very proud of it."

Seagate Hotel & Spa
Delray Beach, Florida

Owner: HHC Atlantic, LLC
Architecture Firm: Randall Stofft Architects, Delray Beach, Florida
Architecture Project Team: Randall Stofft, Gary Stofft, and Don Durante
Interior Design Firms: Adache Group Architects, Inc., Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; Leighton Design Group, Delray Beach, Florida and Rochester, New York; and HBA / Hirsch Bedner Associates, Atlanta, Georgia (Seagate Beach Club)
Contractor: Anderson Moore Construction Corporation (hotel) and Seagate Construction Group (Atlantic Grille, and Aqua Retail)
Purchasing Firm: The Parker Company
Engineers: TLC Engineering (MEP); ONM&J (structural); Enviro Design (civil)
Kitchen: Liberty Hospitality
Landscape: A. Grant Thornbrough & Associates

SEAGATE BEACH CLUB
Casual Dining Room Chairs: Walters Wicker
Tables: Table Topics
Light Fixtures: iWorks

INTERIOR LOBBY
Millwork: SMSI Southeast Millwork Services
Wood Flooring: Commercial Flooring
Custom Rugs: Emma Gardner Design
Stone Work: B&B Contracting
Lighting: Aqua Creations
Seating: Wendell Castle Collection / Icon Designs, and Artistic Frame
Casegoods: Wendell Castle Collection / Icon Designs
Lamps: Visual Comfort
Artwork: Phoenix Art Group
Aquarium: Magnificent Aquariums

ATLANTIC GRILLE RESTAURANT
Olive Stone Flooring: Concept II and B&B Contracting
Millwork: Aztec Woodworking and Sicis
Glass Tile: Sonoma Tilemakers and Sicis
Bartops: Keys Granite and Lapis Design
Custom Bar Tables: Steely Don
Seating: Loewenstein and Georges Upholstery
Lighting: Plug, Prospetto, and iWorks
Fabric: Innovations and Architex
Light Valence: Laser Light
Jelly Fish Tank: Magnificent Aquariums
Wallcovering: Valhan Papers and Decorators Unlimited

SPA
Flooring: COR Engineered Woods and Commercial Flooring
Textured Wall: Modular Arts
Stone Fountain: Blue World Fountains

PRESIDENTIAL SUITE
Seating: Wendell Castle Collection / Icon Designs and Artistic Frame
Casegoods: Wendell Castle Collection / Icon Designs and Truewood Products
Custom Area Rug: Emma Gardner Design
Throw: Textillary
Fabrics: Architex, Innovations, Kravet, and Unika Vaev
Artwork: Art and Frame Source
Lamps: Robert Abbey, Visual Comfort, and Arteriors
Flooring: COR Engineered Woods and Commercial Flooring
Millwork: SMSI Southeast Millwork Services