The Gladstone Hotel has built up serious design cred since its relaunch almost six years ago.
There are its 37 guestrooms, one-of-a-kind created by some of the city’s brightest artists and designers. And there is Come Up To My Room, it’s annual boundary-pushing alt design show.
But when you squeezed into the building’s always-boisterous Melody Bar on Friday night to watch longtime regulars and bachelorette parties wail Sweet Home Alabama on the karaoke stage, the look of the room was never the main attraction. It has amazing bones including the original bar and handsome wood paneling but the contemporary elements that Christina Zeidler and her team have mashed into the rest of the Gladstone were missing.
Until now. This week, Zeidler is unveiling the revamped Melody Bar with a series of press previews, tweet ups and designer mixers. The reviews are already glowing.
“I’m not sure I would have done this five years ago,” said Zeidler on Monday afternoon surveying the space as the final pieces of furniture were being arranged. “No one wanted any change back then but it didn’t want to be that bar anymore. It was crying out for help.”
Columns and moldings were left in tact but Zeidler removed the carpeting to reveal the original terrazzo floor underneath.
“We have a billion architectural references in this room so we filled it with things that combine the contemporary and antique,” she said.
On the contemporary side, FELT Studio‘s Kathryn Walter created a river of industrial felt that snakes across the ceiling. It’s aesthetically interesting but also helps with the room’s acoustics. There’s also an Orest Tataryn neon light sculpture and pendant fixtures Zeidler calls “hacked IKEA”, $59.99 dollar BRASA black shades resprayed inside with gold paint.
Found pieces include upholstered sofas and ottomans and an amazing table made up of interlocking log slices. The final look is lighter and very Gladstone.
