Livermore Valley Wine Country Inn
The Livermore Valley Wine Country Inn is a proposed 30-room inn located in the South Livermore Valley in California. It was designed by architect, SDG Architects and developed by long-time Livermore resident, Michelle B. The property is pet-friendly, family-owned and managed, with a fabulous farm-to-table restaurant seating up to 77 guests. Michelle’s mission is to support the over 60 local wineries and serve tourists as a boutique lodging and gathering place.
NEW CONSTRUCTION | 29,345 sq ft
Boutique Inn for LVWCI, LLC
THE Before and PROPOSED
An Inn is Developed 25 Years After Master-Planned
Before
Proposed
the challenges
Award-winning wineries missing international recognition due to lack of lodging and tourism.
.01 Resident Turned Developer
For some, it's once in a lifetime you take on such an endevour and set out to build a 29,000 sq ft inn, and others are career developers and know the ropes. Building a family buisness in the inn, we used our experience to walk Michelle B, owner of LVWCI, LLC through the process to fully understand how it works.
We identified where the architect's scope ended and ours began. Architecture firms that do not have an interiors department don't supply any of the interior finishes. Look around - if you're inside, everything you see was chosen by an interior designer.
As interior designers, we are trained to select interior finishes in addition to the furnishings generally associated with our trade.
.02 Race Against the Clock
Although the interiors are fit out last - with furnishings installed as the final touch - contractors need the design to provide bids.
The cost of materials vary widely as do the cost of installation based on the design. Tile, for example, is less expensive to install in a subway pattern vs herringbone, where there are more cuts and planning, equating to labor and time.
We pulled our team together to deliver a robust interior design plan set including elevations, details and finish schedules to send out to bid.
The 1.31 Acre parcel was master-planned into the community for decades prior to being developed by a long-time resident.
THE DESIGN APPROACH
Spanish-Mediterranean Inn
Livermore has long been known as a world-class wine region, but has trouble getting connoisseurs due to the absence of adequate wine country lodging. The solution was to create an inn that would serve as a place to rest, rejuvinate and support tourism in the valley. The inn will be surrounded by vineyards, orchards and garden boxes to support the 77 seat farm-to-table restaurant.
The boutique inn will accomodate guests that attend numorous weddings, ladies' weekends away and over 400 annual events at many local venues, including nearby The Course at Wente Vineyards. The hotel will host wine tasting in the lobby, indoor-outdoor flux space and small meeting rooms for community gatherings. Additionally, the design will also include a 2,700 square foot caretaker's unit for the owner-operators and family to reside.
Design Concept
Architect, SDG, from Brentwood, CA designed a grand lobby with a two-story ceiling, cat walk and overlook surrounded with arches.
We enhanced the interior architecture with a living wall and recliamed wood back drop to the reception desk. Large, custom ironwork chandeliers were specified along with wall washer sconces to highlight the art and wall sculptures scheduled. The corridors received custom patterned carpet with way-finding triggers at rooms and elevator lobbies, including details down to the yarn color selection.
The interior design drawings included 45 sheets detailing the specifications, plans, elevations and details.
The Drawings
Part of the mission is to incorporate local vendors, artisans and business' into the project. As well as being eco-friendly and minimizing the impact to the environment and sustainability for future generations.
During the design process we pulled in local artisans as well as those with eco-friendly missions in a creative way.
Only Up, a local creative branding agency, owned by Trent Thompson, was commissioned to create the moden living wall behind the reception desk. The concept was important to the owner and bringing greenery in while supporting local talent.
Bay Area Redwood was founded with the mission of keeping trees out of the landfill. We incorporated redirected trees into various features in the lobby including decorative beams, the wood clad reception desk and feature wall.
Starting with design, LVWCI, LLC's commitment encourages sustainability to continue through project execution.
The Community
The Inn design is based on a Mediterranean-style resort, akin to traditional wineries. The focus is to showcase local wine culture by playing a support-role and creating a natural transition from the days tasting activities to the retreat back to the inn.
With multiple indoor/outdoor spaces, marrying the interiors with the exterior architecture and courtyard design was of utmost importance. Natural stone, a brick-clad, barrel ceiling and reclaimed wood are present in the lobby and throughout the main areas.
With 5 guest room types and an executive suite, the finish level remains highly textural and traditional, as requested by the owner.
FINAL RESULT
A Bright Future For The Inn
Livermore, California is a town rich in culture with a diverse group of subcultures ranging from ranchers to vinters - and their tourism population equally varied. The Inn, with guest rooms, event space, restaurant and caretaker's unit brought out our desire to help new builders understand the process. We enjoyed the opportunity to exhibit our range of experience including custom carpet design, commisioned art and network of vendors. The project is currently on hold due to an appeal by nearby residents and COVID-19 related delays. We are excited to keep you posed as the project breaks ground.
"I'm looking forward to creating an exceptional hospitality experience
that guests will remember for years to come. "
- Michelle B.
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