BRETTON WOODS, NH—When plans for the $60 million renovation of the Omni Mount Washington Resort were in the works, there were two main goals: to maintain as much history as possible and incorporate the property’s natural surroundings into the design.
Those two requirements extended from everything to the furniture, to the lighting, to the choices of floor coverings. “We didn’t want the hotel to look manufactured. We wanted to give it a ‘collected’ look, like you acquired the different elements one at a time,” explained Laura McKoy, director of interior design for Omni Hotels & Resorts. The brand worked with Richmond, VA-based design firm Beaty & Brown to create the landmark hotel’s new style.
In the guestrooms, two different color palettes were created, both of which were inspired by the wildflowers that grow near Mount Washington. “We developed one palette for the guestrooms that was more green and another that had more yellow tones. The style of the guestrooms is a very European, English look. So the colors are from the wildflowers, but the rooms are not floral in theme,” McKoy explained. The hotel decided on Axminster carpet that is a mix 80/20 wool from Desso and Cambridge Weavers.
“It is rare to find Axminster carpet in hotel guestrooms, but it went perfectly with our goal for the renovation. It creates a very European, very luxurious feel. We went with a thicker padding as well so it is very dense and plush underfoot. It’s something that sets us apart from other hotels,” McKoy said, while acknowledging Axminster was the more expensive choice. “However it should hold up for two cycles compared to nylon, so you get what you pay for.”
The design team developed three custom carpet designs for the Omni Mount Washington’s guestrooms in three different color schemes. “Two of the palettes reflect the color scheme of the wildflowers, the third is a slightly more neutral concept. All three have small patterns like medallions that offer superior coverage in the guestrooms,” McKoy said. The guest bathrooms of the hotel were also completely renovated as part of the project and marble flooring was installed in each that features a large-scale herringbone pattern.
Axminster carpet by Cambridge Weavers was also installed in the corridors of the property. McKoy pointed out that the custom design created for the carpet is particularly unique and fully incorporates the look and feel of New Hampshire’s nature. “We wanted to use the animals and flowers indigenous to the region in the design but not have it be too overt or obvious,” she said. Among the animals silhouetted in the design are turkeys, beavers and chipmunks. For the flora, the hotel selected the flowers that had been “runners up” for the state flower of New Hampshire, including apple blossom, goldenrod, buttercups, violets and evening primrose. “All together it created a sophisticated design and it’s a very busy pattern so it will provide the durability necessary for the heavy foot traffic in the corridors.”
As exciting as it was to create new floor coverings for the Omni Mount Washington’s guestrooms and corridors, the hotel took the opposite approach in the lobby making the decision to reuse the existing hardwood floors. “We really wanted to reuse the existing wood instead of replacing it. No, it’s not in perfect condition, but that’s part of its charm,” McKoy commented. “We consider the lobby to be sort of the ‘living room’ of the hotel and the wood helps to create that feel. Plus, not only was it important to us to maintain as much of the property’s history as we could, we also wanted to keep what our loyal guests love.”
Accenting the hardwood floors throughout the seating areas in the lobby are hand-woven wool area rugs done in the same wildflower color palette. Meanwhile, more custom Axminster carpets were designed for the hotel’s main dining room and its new pub steakhouse, Stickneys, which focuses on regional cuisine. “The carpet in Stickneys depicts birch trees and snowflakes—things you see commonly in Bretton Woods,” McKoy said.
While it will still be another two years before the renovation of the Omni Mount Washington is complete, the hotel is already getting a good response. “Guests really love it. They appreciate the 21st Century updates but also enjoy that the hotel still has its historic charm. It’s a very unique experience,” McKoy said.