Behind The Scenes...
The Biltmore

Inspiration
The design for this project came out of the building's glamorous past. The Biltmore is a landmark historic building, originally built in the 1920's. When operated as a high end hotel it had seen the likes of Grace Kelly and Clark Gable pass through its halls. Sometime in the 1960's it was converted into apartments almost being demolished before it was acquired, gutted and brought into the 21st century. The design for this renovation needed to fit, or even be re-created, to mesh with its past. 
ourney
The weakest point in a project is usually where I focus the majority of my efforts. As this was undoubtedly the lower level of this home, there being no naturally occurring light, that's where the biggest transformation took place.  Custom lighting solutions were a must and the finished effect was very moody and dramatic. Wherever possible we added 'original' features as we imagined them occurring in the hotel back in the 1920's, ceiling medallions, crown moulding and textured wallpaper. To our surprise when we peaked underneath the downstairs carpet we discovered an original floor back from when the Biltmore was operated as a hotel! Playing off the colors found in the marble mosaic we came up with our color scheme for the project, grey, black and white and played it off all adjacent areas. 
Insights
Work with what you have. Each project already has features and materials that can be reincorporated, reinvented or reused. It's a great way to cut down on cost and mesh new design ideas with older ones.

BEFORE PICTURES