Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1516370
Auberge is known for putting stylish resorts in some of the most beautiful places in the world (Napa, Aspen, Telluride, Hudson Valley, Newport, Santorini, Florence), but there's also a growing focus on urban, club-like properties such as The Knox in Dallas — intimate city stays with a hyper- local emphasis on design and food. This strong sense of place permeates everything Auberge does. "The first thing you have to do is appeal to the locals," says Auberge CEO Craig Reid, who moved to Dallas in 1998. "The Knox hotel will resonate with Highland Park, Preston Hollow, and Uptown families, be it for a special occasion, honeymoon, birthday parties, celebratory get-together for friends, to host someone coming to town." In other words, their personal pied-à-terre. With 140 guest rooms, The Knox is smaller than most luxury hotels in Dallas, Reid notes. "It starts on the second floor. The idea is that it has a little bit of a private club feel, but open to all," he says. "The entrance is small and discrete; it will almost be like visiting an elegant Dallas home." The entry features a winding staircase leading to a series of spacious living rooms and outdoor lounges. There will also be event spaces, an outdoor pool bar, fitness center, spa, and movement studio. A restaurant comprised of two smaller rooms is intended to feel like you've walked into a private cocktail party rather than a boisterous restaurant. "The hotel should resonate with the community, but it should also be design forward, a little bit theatrical," he says. "We want it to be a surprise — an Instagrammable moment." Who better to carry out this design m a n d a t e t h a n Martin Brudnizki, the internationally acclaimed design star whose opulent flourishes can be seen on Aquavit, Le Caprice, and The Ivy in London; S p l e n d i d o i n Portofino; Hôtel Barrière Fouquet's and the new Fifth Avenue Hotel in NYC; and Le Grand Mazarin in Paris, to name a few. Brudnizki says, "The design DNA will feel inherently Dallas, but will also take guests to otherworldly places. The goal is to create an internationally recognizable interior that caters to visitors, while also becoming a second home to Highland Park and the broader Dallas community." The color palette is inspired by the adjacent Katy Trail with greens, tans, rich reds, and warm gold tones; materials will be rich and tactile to reference the outdoors. "We will also collaborate with makers across the globe to mix in locally sourced pieces that create an international feel, whether it be custom embroidery, plaster reliefs, or local leatherwork," he says. The Knox residences will be designed by interior designer Chad Dorsey, who has offices in Dallas and Los Angeles and has previously designed homes for several clients who have purchased apartments in the building. Dorsey has served as co-chairman of Kips Bay Decorator Show House Dallas for three years, is the creator of Strike stone fireplace surrounds, and has a collection with Aria Stone and an upcoming collaboration with Ann Sacks that launches later this year. His first book, published by Assouline, will release in May. "The resi- dences will have a relaxed, subdued sophistication w i t h r e f i n e d millwork and casing that feel r e s i d e n t i a l , " Dorsey says. "A lot of the towers in Dallas are quite sleek and modern, like art galleries, but what we are doing feels more like a home. And, in Dallas, we think about homes in a different way — the scale is bigger." Dorsey's sumptuous Opposite page: A rendering of The Knox, Auberge Resorts Collection hotel drawing room in Dallas, designed by Martin Brudnizki. Above, from top: The Knox hotel drawing room looking into a bar. The residences' pool. A lounge in the residences designed by Chad Dorsey. Chad Dorsey Martin Brudnizki