Backs of banquettes are done in a fabric that has indentations reminiscentof

Tag : Coated Fabric
"It's designed to celebrate the process of picking wine," saysDavid Rockwell of the new Adour Alain Ducasse restaurant in the St.Regis New York, his first collaboration with the chef. "We createdlayers in the room, which relates to layers one experiences withwine."

A Makore wood panel transports guests from the grand lobby of thelandmark hotel into an intimate, leather-wrapped vestibuleoutfitted with a custom-sculpted polished bronze host stand andmatching, larger four-person wine bar topped with a goatskinparchment. Sculpted pieces continue in the form of afloor-to-ceiling uplit screen wall at the back of the small spacemade of handblown gold-flecked glass spheres suspended on bronzecables—a subtle ode to champagne bubbles. But the realconversation piece is the bar's state-of-the-art computer programand projection system that allow guests, with the touch of thescreen, to not only choose a wine, but also learn about its origin,producer, varietal, and grape. "It's an interactive sommelier,"Rockwell says, adding that it took his team six months to developand find the right technology firm.

A peek through a floor-to-ceiling glass and wood wine cabinetoffers guests a glimpse into the jewel-box, luxurious 72-seatdining room. Here, the colors and celebration of wine come to lifeunderneath the space's original ornate ceiling thanks to deepburgundy leather and velvet seating, a corresponding wool and silkrug, rich wood paneling, multiple wine cellars, and old-school winedecanter stations at each of the four corners of the room. The roomsparkles thanks to the fact that the existing architecture has beenupdated with an ever-so-slightly silverleaf covering while thewalls are wrapped with a backlit, seeded antique glass veil (itstands eight inches from the walls so they can still be seen)coated with a custom silver vine pattern film interlay that seemsto grow up the walls. "It's the story of the contrast between oldand new, old world service traditions and state of the art winetechnology," Rockwell says. "This new set of rituals is at theepicenter of wine culture in New York."

A series of three semi-private lustrous dining rooms—LeftBank, River Room, and Right Bank, respectively—wrap the maindining room. Decked out in champagne-colored seating (backs of banquettes are done in a fabric that has indentations reminiscentof cork), mirrored ceilings, and fabric-covered walls (the latterin the smaller rooms), they are connected not only by panedwindows, but also a gold, lavender, and inlaid mother of pearlfive-panel mural by artist Nancy Lorenz depicting the Adour River,which is not only the restaurant's namesake, but appropriately, itflows near Ducasse's birthplace. Yet the true wine tastingexperience happens in the space's burgundy- and wine cellar-cladPrivate Vault Room that features the same technology and similarglass spheres (this time suspended from the ceiling over thecommunal table) as the bar.

"At 2,400 square feet we were challenged to create spaces that feltluxurious. Our breakthrough came when we eliminated all of thewalls and used the wine armoires to separate and screen the rooms,"says Rockwell principal Shawn Sullivan.

Not surprisingly, renovating this historical space (the formerLespinasse restaurant) came with "huge challenges," Rockwell says.Not only did the designers have to create light in a room burieddeep within the hotel, but they also had to make each of the winecases with individual thermostats. But the biggest feat: thevine-patterned glass veil. "We did many mock ups to get that right.The office was littered with rejected samples of the pattern,"Rockwell says. "But eventually we got it right, and that's whatmatters."

Others agree. The restaurant's design grabbed one of this year'sJames Beard Foundation nominations.

For more information, visit www.rockwellgroup.com or www.adour-stregis.com .

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