Club Scene
Three New Clubhouse Projects Are Designed To Pamper Members
BY NORA BURBA TRULSSON
Edge at Grayhawk
Scottsdale, Arizona
Lawrence Lake, ASID
Lawrence Lake Interiors
Scottsdale, Arizona
PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAM SINGLETON
 A glowing aqua bar front on the demonstration kitchen’s long counter invites residents to participate in cooking classes.
The clubhouse for Edge at Grayhawk, a condominium community in north Scottsdale, Arizona, pulsates with energy. By day, the residents stream through the clubhouse to meet friends for coffee, check the news, drop off clothes for dry cleaning with the on-site concierge or read e-mails on laptops. By night, they come back for cooking classes, wine tastings or to watch movies. On weekends, swimming, a game of Texas hold ‘em or billiards, or perhaps watching a game on the big screen televisions are the draws.
That the clubhouse is such an attractive magnet for the residents of the community’s 350 condominiums is thanks equally to the lively programming provided by Avenue Communities, the developer, and to the upbeat, urban look of the facility, created by interior designer Lawrence Lake.
“This clubhouse is about energy,” explains Lake, who specializes in clubhouse, residential, hospitality and product design. “I was asked to do a ‘lifestyle interior’ targeting a demographic of 20- to 40-year-olds, and to create a setting that draws people out of their condominiums and encourages interaction.”
Lake has a history with the 6,000-square-foot clubhouse. He designed its original incarnation in the 1990s when the surrounding units were rental apartments. “The clubhouse was really more of rental center then,” he explains, “as well as a fitness facility with a swimming pool.”
The new look required starting from scratch, moving the fitness center to another location and adding new amenities, including an exhibition kitchen, cafe, small movie theater, video game room, sports bar and central gathering space. Working with colleague Renee Jonovich as project manager, Lake selected a color palette of aqua, chocolate brown and black; fabrics with bold patterns, and materials that include metal, glass and stone.
Lake set the tone for the space near the clubhouse entrance by creating a central gathering space with closely spaced armchairs facing a row of coffee tables bearing giant tic-tac-toe games. The seating area is underscored by a custom-designed area rug and defined by a dark wood coved ceiling, inset with perforated metal panels. Lake also created a flooring pattern for the clubhouse, marked by bands of travertine and slate, interspersed with narrow strips of glass tiles.
“The close chair placement encourages you to interact with the person sitting next to you,” says Lake, “and the board game encourages you to interact with the person sitting across from you.”
Nearby, the exhibition kitchen features a long granite counter with a glowing aqua bar front. Bar stools upholstered in a graphic fabric encourage residents to participate in the cooking demonstrations. A closed-circuit television system also allows residents to watch the classes inside their condominiums.
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| Closely spaced chairs encourage interaction in the central gathering space. |
The exhibition kitchen is adjacent to the cafe, where metal tables and modern dining chairs encourage coffee gatherings, as well as to the pool table, which is flanked by a long banquette.
On the other side of the central gathering space, Lake created a sports lounge setting with a curved bar and a poker table. A leather sofa and arm chairs form a comfortable seating group around the central big-screen television. Lake also designed several curved, freestanding banquettes which foster more intimate gatherings.
Lake paid special attention to the lighting design for the clubhouse. “Most people in this age demographic work during the day, so they might only use the clubhouse at night during the week,” Lake says. “We wanted to make sure the look was appealing and inviting by night as well as day.” Lake used a series of recessed, track and pendant lights for the various areas in the clubhouse. The curving bar is highlighted by a series of handblown glass light globes.
Lake also installed art and accessories that stood up to the scale and patterns of the furnishings and interior materials. A graphic image of cards behind the Texas hold ‘em table defines the space, while a metal wall sculpture adds interest to a wall in the kitchen. Lake also used flatscreen televisions, mounted in groupings, as a form of electronic art.
The designer linked the clubhouse to the adjacent pool patio with a series of telescoping glass doors that, when opened, blur the line between indoors and out. Lake selected new contemporary patio furniture, including lounges of his design, for the outdoor spaces.
Completed in 2008, the Edge at Grayhawk won Lake an ASID Arizona North Chapter second-place design award in the hospitality category. The first-place winner in that category? Another clubhouse by Lake.
Interior design: Lawrence Lake Interiors, 9495 E. San Salvador Dr., Scottsdale, AZ 85258; (480) 443-0900 or www.lawrencelakeinteriors.com.
Granite countertops: Arizona Tile, www.arizonatile.com.
Entry chairs: Outerlimits, Inc., www.outerlimitsinc.com.
Bar stools: NLP Furniture Industries, www.nlpfurniture.com.
Bar stool and banquette fabric: Maharam, www.maharam.com.
Leather sofa and arm chairs: ISA International, www.haveaseat.com.
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The Club at Morningside
Rancho Mirage, California
Timothy N. Castor
Castor Design Associates
Highlands Ranch, Colorado
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCOTT CAMPBELL
 A flame-patterned custom carpet underscores the dining room, which opens onto the new terrace. Fortuny light fixtures add interest to the ceiling.
The Club at Morningside dates back to the early 1980s as the centerpiece of the first Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course in Southern California. Set on a lake and adjacent to a double green for the 12th and 18th holes, the contemporary clubhouse building has panoramic views of the golf course as well as nearby Mt. Gorgonio and Mt. San Jacinto. The exclusive country club has attracted a membership that includes former presidents, titans of industry, sports figures and a good smattering of bold-face names from the entertainment industry.
Several years ago, the club’s board and members decided it was time to upgrade the 38,000-square-foot facility’s interior. For the project, they turned to Colorado interior designer Timothy Castor, whose firm specializes in private club design.
“The club’s interiors had last been done in 1992,” explains Castor, “and they were worn out, dull and uninviting. The members wanted the new look to be polished
and luxurious.”
The members also wanted something that reflected the club’s desert setting, Castor explains. “Most of the members have homes elsewhere in the United States, primarily in cold climates, so they did not want this club to look like their club ‘back home.’”
Working with his Castor Design Associates team that included senior designer Kim Tedora and junior designer Courtney Powers, Castor presented a design scheme that featured bright, bold colors such as red and green against cream-hued backgrounds, and emphasized custom millwork and lighting designs. The team also suggested an expanded terrace off the club’s grill, allowing members to dine outside and drink in the dry desert air.
“When we received approval, we shut down the club in May 2008,” Castor says. “We basically gutted the place and were able to reopen in November for the club’s high season.”
The new look is softly swanky, drawing references from the Palm Springs area’s reputation as a winter hideaway for the rich and famous, yet comfortable and casual enough for club members to gather after 18 holes of golf, a game of tennis or a workout at the fitness facility.
In the lobby, Castor underscored the look with polished marble flooring, mahogany-clad walls and a custom entry rug. An IES-certified lighting designer, Castor also created the lobby’s dual chandelier, comprised of glass beads mounted in a S-shaped sweep and set into a faux-finished coved ceiling. Lobby furnishings include leather armchairs and upholstered seating arranged in a comfortable conversation grouping.
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| A dramatic coved ceiling highlights the men’s card room, which also features custom millwork. |
“We had to use large-scale furnishings in the lobby, ” explains Castor. “The sofa is nine feet long, and the crackle-finished breakfront is about 12 feet tall. Residential-sized furnishings would have been lost in there.”
Castor warmed up the main dining room, which opens onto the new terrace, with a flame-patterned custom carpet design, tigerwood-topped tables, tufted banquettes and Fortuny light fixtures. “We waited 26 weeks for the lights,”Castor notes, “but it was worth it. They help make the room. I think they look like kites.”
The cocktail lounge’s hexagonal coved ceiling was an existing architectural focal point, but Castor had the ceiling painted a light tone and embellished it with a chandelier of his design. A custom carpet defines the lounge’s seating area, which is populated with leather barrel chairs and red sofas. “We used red to contrast with the green of the golf course that you can see through the huge windows,” says Castor.
Castor updated the men’s and women’s facilities at the club as well, including creating relaxing gathering spots off the respective locker rooms. The men’s card room, for example, is highlighted by a dramatic alder wood coved ceiling, custom millwork and leather seating.
The designer also developed the club’s overall artwork program, commissioning several pieces that were made in Los Angeles.
The Club at Morningside re-opened to rave reviews from members, and has resulted in more projects for Castor. “We’re now working on their pro shop and the fitness center. We also received a referral to do another country club in Ranch Mirage.”
Interior and lighting design: Castor Design Associates, Inc., 10010 S. Kingston Court, Highlands Ranch, CO 80130; (303) 346-0062.
Builder: Stoker Construction, Inc., Ranch Mirage, CA; (760) 770-0710.
Custom rugs and carpeting: Couristan, Inc., www.couristan.com.
Lobby green armchairs: Hancock & Moore, through HoffMiller, 595 S. Broadway, Denver, CO 80209; (303) 698-0800, www.hoff miller.com or www.hancockandmoore.com.
Lobby leather chairs, sofa, side chairs and coffee table; dining room chairs; and men’s card room side and coffee tables fabrication: JDM, www.juhaszdesign.com.
Men’s card room leather seating: St. Timothy, www.st.timothychair.com.
Men’s card room table lamps: Kravet Lighting, www.kravet.com.
Custom light fixture fabrication: Hart Associates, www.hart-associates.com.
Dining room ceiling pendants: Fortuny, www.fortuny.com.
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Cast Off Cabin
Gypsum, Colorado
Donna Figg, ASID, LEED AP
Slifer Designs
Edwards, Colorado
PHOTOGRAPHY BY RIC STOVALL
 The cabin’s architecture reflect’s the area’s history. A firepit welcomes members year ‘round.
The log cabin sits at the base of Constellation Ridge, perched along the rushing waters of Gypsum Creek. While its rustic style suggests a history rooted in the 19th century, the cabin actually serves a more modern purpose. Completed in 2008 by a design team led by interior designer Donna Figg of Slifer Designs, the structure, called Cast-Off Cabin, is a small clubhouse for residents of Brightwater, a golf course community in Gypsum, Colorado.
“Cast-Off Cabin is meant to be a refuge for golfers, a base for fly-fishing and a location where the community members can host private parties,” explains Figg, who is director of hospitality for the Edwards, Colorado-based design firm. “We used a pioneer ranch theme for this particular building, which is also the design motif for the Brightwater community.”
The history of the 963-acre property, located about a 30-minute drive from Vail, dates back to the 1800s, when it was part of the Doll Ranch, noted for its race and draft horses, as well as cattle. The property remained a ranch until 2005, when it was purchased by Clearwater Development, which envisioned Brightwater as a resort community with activities such as golf, fly fishing, horseback riding, hiking, cross-country skiing and downhill skiing at nearby Vail and Beaver Creek.
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| Reclaimed timber was used for flooring and to clad the ceiling throughout the cabin. The great room is crowned by a custom chandelier. |
Cast-Off Cabin is one of several community amenities scattered throughout the property, and was designed to have a relaxed, low-key atmosphere. The 2,000-square-foot building includes a great room with a stone fireplace, dining room, small commercial kitchen, restrooms and outdoor decks for dining and lounging. One of the decks also has a firepit.
“We used reclaimed wood from old barns and cabins on the property,” explains Figg of the design element that helped set the tone for the interior. “The wood was used for the ceiling treatment and flooring, and we also used old shutters between the great room and the kitchen.” The interior walls reflect the building’s split-log construction.
Figg and the Slifer Designs team were able to keep the cabin’s furnishings costs low by using value-priced vendors, shopping local antiques stores for accessories and working with local craftspeople on interior details. In the great room, Figg surrounded the stone fireplace with a cozy seating group that includes a brown leather sofa, red plaid armchairs and a Navajo-style area rug. The small indoor dining room is populated with a mix of chairs and tables, giving it an appearance of having the furniture gathered over time. The pieces include a fly-tying desk, with multiple drawers and cubbies designed to appeal to fishermen.
In the kitchen, quarter-sawn oak cabinetry and black granite countertops give the space a residential appeal. Outdoors, durable log Adirondack furniture, done in a light stain, populates the decks.
Figg commissioned a local blacksmith to create a custom bronze and iron chandelier for the great room, detailed with rawhide-stiched shades and images of fly fishermen in various poses. The artist also made sconces for a wall between the kitchen and the great room, embellished with images of manta bugs, a common fly that is used for ties.
Other outdoorsy accessories include fishing baskets, a cowhide backpack and a canvas painting depicting trout varieties. The cabin’s only visible nod to modern times is a flat-screen television in the great room, in case residents want to watch a golf tournament or other programming.
Since its completion, Cast-Off Cabin has served as a backdrop for golf, fishing, hiking, cross-country skiing, parties and even a wedding or two. It has also garnered Slifer Designs a Gold Medal for interior design from the American Resort Development Association.
Interior design: Slifer Designs, 216 Main St., Suite C-100, Edwards, CO 81632; (970) 926-8200 or www.sliferdesigns.com.
Architecture: Gies Architects, Inc., 404 Broadway, Eagle, CO 81631; (970) 328-9280 or www.giesarchitects.com.
Builder: Custom House Construction Corporation, Eagle, CO; (970) 328-3040 or www.customhouseconstruction.com.
Great room leather sofa and armchairs: Austin Ranch, www.austinranchfurniture.com.
Armchair fabric: Old World Weavers, www.old-world-weavers.com.
Great room sofa, cocktail tables and red cabinet, dining room fly-tying desk and outdoor deck chairs: Bergmeyer, Driggs, ID; (307) 690-9159.
Great room area rug: Line of the Spirit, Crestone, CO; (719) 256-4739 or www.lineofthespirit.com.
Great room chandelier and sconces: Franz Froelicher, Blue Heron Forge, Carbondale, CO; (970) 704-0804 or www.blueheronforge.net.
Dining tables and corner cabinet: Old Hickory Furniture Company, www.oldhickory.com.
Dining chairs: Lorts Manufacturing, www.lorts.com.
Fly-tying desk chair: South Cone, www.southcone.com.
Antique accessories: Ski Country Antiques, 114 Homestead Rd., Evergreen, CO 80439; (303) 674-4666 or www.skicountryantiques.com.
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