Colour to the Rescue - The Saguaro Palm Springs Hotel

Info & Images: Courtesy StambergAferiat + Associates

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Colour had brought the hotel to near death. Could colour bring it back to life and make it shine?

When StambergAferiat + Associates were approached to revitalize a moribund property in a prominent location in Palm Springs, California, a desert city with an economy about as faded as the hotel’s, they turned to the indigenous desert flowers of the Coachella Valley for inspiration. The result is a design and branding direction that breathes new life into the property and anchors it to its spectacular location.

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A deep khaki green, effectively hiding the 250-room structure in plain sight, the hotel was operating at 15% occupancy and grappled with a confusion of styles created by its former owners. Led by Peter Stamberg and Paul Aferiat, distinguished Knoll designers and veteran design strategists, the transformation approach was to re-sculpt a classic modern building into an oasis worthy of its high profile location and a new clientele.

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The result is a feeling of movement with static planes, taking cues from pioneering Op artists and borrowing from nature. Viewed from one direction, the spectrum reveals itself one way. Viewed from the opposite, it unfolds differently. The humanistic and emotional effect is that one is encircled by counterpoints of the spectrum to create a welcoming feeling, a place of comfort, excitement and peace. Taking the colour inside, guest room interiors correspond to the colour palette of the room’s balcony.

 

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Both, the courtyard and the lobby are inspired by the dramatic views of the nearby San Jacinto Mountains, which the existing building did not previously embrace. Not wanting a literal translation, StambergAferiat drew on the works of Palm Springs architect Albert Frey, architect of the first International Style building in the United States, artists Richard Serra and David Hockney, and designer Jean Prouve to develop a series of abstracted mountainscapes in the hotel’s public spaces.

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Since opening in early 2012, The Saguaro Palm Springs and its sister hotel in Scottsdale have brought their respective areas back to life and are symbols or their resurgence in popular culture. Their many awards and widespread publication, attest to the bold and transformative effect a bit of colour can have on an existing building and a city.