Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with Anne Sasso, the project manager at Forrest Perkins, the architectural & design firm that is renovating the Stoneleigh hotel’s rooms, lobby, grand salon, & spa. She had some cool insider information to share regarding the current refurbishment project. The two images above are peeks at what the new guest room and suite will look like.

Here is the entire interview:

D: Can you provide me a basic rundown of the project? What is the extent of the renovation, and what can we expect for the grand opening?

A: Well, everything is being renovated and refinished. We’re trying to maintain as much of the historical integrity as possible in all the wood paneling, crown molding, and such. Some of the guest rooms have been re-configured to fit with our new fixtures and fittings. The new rooms will have gorgeous marble floors, Kohler fixtures in the bathroom and guest room, plasma screen TVs, and Deborah Forrest’s line of base fabrics. We’ve found a way to integrate it all just right.

The grand salon, which is on the same floor as the Penthouse, is going to represent a private ballroom, like a Versailles in Dallas. It’s very cozy and fully-equipped with multimedia for meetings, galas, and receptions. While the Penthouse takes up about half of the eleventh floor of the Stoneleigh, Forrest Perkins will be the other half, which includes renovating the grand salon and two Murphy bed suites. The grand salon also has the capability of being used along with Carleton Varney’s Penthouse, so if you were to host a large gathering, the Penthouse and grand salon could be used for the same event.

D: When you all were up there working on the grand salon, did you stumble upon anything of interest? I’ve heard that Colonel Stewart, the tenant back in the 30’s, had several secret passageways.

A: I did get a chance to poke my head in to the Penthouse, and I came across several small doors that opened up to small rooms & hallways. As construction has continued, we are making a point to leave all of those old characteristics of the hotel in place.

As far as the renovation of the guest rooms is concerned, we’ll be making it a point to maintain these unique details about the hotel, while adding a few touches along the way. For example, with the guest rooms, we’ve added a few details such as crown molding & appropriate trim that will update the architectural design of the rooms to a more contemporary look.

D: Cool, I did have a chance to look at the suite that you all finished with the rotating TV in the middle.

A: Yes, well that suite’s design will stay the same, except that we will be incorporating the woods that are visible in the red & grey scheme. The color palette (greens, teals, whites) will stay the same. We’ll re-distribute the colors, but both rooms will have now those beautiful Crotch Mahogany wood furnishings. The basic furniture types will stay the same, and we’ll have that center unit that will rotate 180 degrees. We’ll have a big wood-framed sofa, which is a double-sleeper. Plus, there will be huge closets that I would give anything for.

D: After looking over the Forrest Perkins portfolio, I noticed that there are a lot of other hotels that your company has worked on like the Hermitage in Nashville and the Washington Plaza in D.C. Do any of those past hotel projects bring any inspiration to the Stoneleigh re-furbishment?

A: It’s funny that you ask. I’m leaving tomorrow to go to Union Station, a Nashville hotel that my previous project manager and I worked from start to finish. It’s actually just right up the road from the Hermitage. Union Station was a historical property that had some wonderful elements that were fun to maintain and bring attention to.

As far as inspiration for that project, we were able to step outside the box without making it solely a traditional property. We had the unique opportunity to maintain those key traditional & architectural elements while all the while bringing the hotel up to speed with a modern, contemporary design.

As we approached Union Station, we knew how important it is to maintain those architectural elements. Yet, those details were so traditional, and the question was how could you mix the old with new? So, it has been nice to have that previous experience with restoring a historical property.

D: It will be interesting to see how the Stoneleigh’s new face-lift will incorporate the old and the new.

A: I’m excited. A friend of mine, Richard Potter, used to live in the Penthouse back in the 80’s, and his family used to own a local metal shop, Potter’s Metal Arts. They were responsible for all the original metalwork in the hotel. I’ve met him in the last couple of years since I’ve moved to Dallas, and I had the opportunity to set him up for restoring and re-finishing the existing metalwork in the hotel, such as the banisters in the lobby stairs. His grandfather worked on the original Stoneleigh Hotel project, so it will be another great chance to incorporate the original design with the modern re-working.

D: It sounds like there are a lot of different people coming together to put this project together.

A: Yes, Forrest Perkins will be renovating the entire hotel, except for the Penthouse, which will be Carleton Varney’s project. Also, GDA, our architectural associate, will be covering two of the historical suites. The restaurant and bar will be produced by the Plan B group. We worked together with Plan B to integrate our designs together for the first floor. It’s been a lot of fun. Challenging, but fun.

D: How far along is the project at the moment?

A: All of the areas have been specified in design. We are in the midst of purchasing and moving all of the room elements on-site, and making them ready to be installed. Guest rooms are near-completion. We are expected to be finished by December 1.

D: Is the Spa opening up a little later?

A: The spa should be on target for December 1, and currently they are constructing the tunnel that will connect the hotel to the Residences. Last I heard, they were pouring the cover for it, so that might delay it slightly. As long as the tunnel construction is completed, the Spa will be set to open with the hotel.

D: There are a few other new hotels in the Dallas market, what is going to make the Stoneleigh stand out from the Ritz-Carleton, the W, the Zaza, The Palomar?

A: We’re not even in the same playing field, because we are bringing something so much more unique and exciting to the table. It has been absolutely incredible working on this project. For example, I run into so many people who ask about the Stoneleigh all the time, and I always hear a great story. Stories of people that visited when they were little, those that stopped by when they first moved to Dallas, those that always stayed there when they visited Dallas, or even people that lived there for a time. We have so many loyal followers, and now that we’ve updated it, we’re bringing in a whole new crew too.

It’s awesome to be able to work on a property that is such a great city landmark, and it’ll been fun to be able to make an impression.

Here’s a look at two more renderings of the new Penthouse, the first is a preview of the Drawing Room, while the second is of the Dining Room.

I had the opportunity to get an insider’s view of the the Stoneleigh Penthouse recently by speaking directly with the man behind the project, Carleton Varney. The project is steadily underway and it sounds like it’s going to pay an honest tribute to the original designer, Dorothy Draper, while still maintaining a modern look and feel.

As Varney puts it himself:

“The vision for the Penthouse is a really a Draper vision, because it harkens back to the time when the world was a world of glamour. Dorothy Draper’s kind of look is far more electrically colorful, and so to the Stoneleigh we are bringing back all of those brilliant reds, that black and gold look she was famous for, that kind of Baroque style, the Thomas Jefferson aqua blue and the use of beautiful, elegant fabrics, and glamour.”

Here is the entire interview:

Check out this wedding shot taken at the Stoneleigh before renovations began. When the hotel re-opens, the new Penthouse will be a one-of-a-kind venue for Dallas wedding receptions and parties. Stay tuned for more details on the Penthouse and its designer, Carleton Varney.

This year, as fans across the globe honor Elvis for the 30th Anniversary of his passing, it would only be fitting that the Stoneleigh commemorate the King, a former guest, in its own way.  When the doors open later this year, one of the Stoneleigh’s new perks will be a tribute room dedicated to Elvis, which will feature an assortment of memorabilia from the singer’s heyday.

Elvis first made an appearance at the Stoneleigh back in 1956 when he was in town for a one-night show at the Texas State Fair.  As this article by Mary Morris points out, the King escaped his throngs of screaming fans by ducking out in his suite at the Stoneleigh, of which he and his entourage had allegedly rented out two whole floors to ensure privacy.  Yet, Elvis wasn’t always in town for music; he was also noted to show up at the Shanghai Jimmy’s Chili Rice Parlor in downtown Dallas.  His dish of choice?  The No. 9 Tub with all the fixings: chili, onions, rice, cheese, celery, and relish!

Recently, Hotel Designs, which covers design news within the travel industry, posted up an article featuring news about the Stoneleigh project. Take a look here.