Sometimes, a building feels more like a piece of art than a simple structure. And if it's an historic building, that piece of art comes with complexities, idiosyncrasies and personality.
"The Mount Royal is a property of iconic significance within Banff," says the Mount Royal Hotel's lead designer Alison McNeil from the influential design firm Dialog. "Its history is layered from different eras that mirror the development of Canada as a whole. So, we reimagined the building as a quilt, a piece of art that weaves together historical elements."
Much of the project then became centered around this quilt concept. From a broad approach to the building's unique layers, to the choice of a hand-crafted quilt-inspired headboards as a key accent in each guest room - this concept has anchored the design in many ways.
Each Mount Royal guest room is receiving a custom-designed headboard from the highly-respected art firm Moss & Lam to serve as the centerpiece of the room’s décor. Moss & Lam’s Jamie Stagnitta says they worked with the designers at Dialog to develop a canvas that celebrates the many layers of the Mount Royal Hotel's heritage in a tasteful way.
The headboards are being handmade in a 14,000 square-foot studio, using a dry brush technique to enhance texture and the feeling of craftsmanship, Stagnitta says.
It’s no wonder the quilt headboards will make such an impact. After all, quilts have a timeless feel and yet they represent the coming together of many layers.
"This project is about weaving together historic elements, just like a quilt," Dialog's Alison McNeil says.
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