Boutique Design - Winter 2023 - 47

THE EX TER IOR OF THE CI RCA- 1 889 RES I DENCE THAT NOW HOUSES THE BL I ND TI GER ASHEV I LLE
" The design doesn't stop
when you open the hotel. "
MK: I was looking at the concept for a project
on Nantucket. I was going do a whole scheme
on Nantucket Red and Americana, because now
hotels there are veering in another direction. For
Portsmouth, I started researching that a bit more. It's
a coastal city and a working wharf-it screams New
England. We're going with the idea that when you
want a New England getaway, not only is Portsmouth
one of the most ideal places to visit but it is truly so
rich in American history. I'm envisioning a mashup
between Jonathan Adler and Ralph Lauren. Two
iconic designers with wildly different styles, but who
really speak American culture.
How has it been expanding your fi rm for the fi rst time?
MK: Tory has become the most important person
in our lives. Day one, she was like, 'Alright, this is
what we're doing.' Rob and I have ideas, but we also
know what we don't know. We wanted somebody
who could help us, and we were very open. There
actually wasn't much of a learning curve at all. It was
super easy for us to work together from the start.
We couldn't be luckier; the core four of us feels
really comfortable.
RB: Tory and Alejandro had to learn about our
idiosyncrasies. They're tolerant of us. They work
together in Brooklyn, and we probably communicate
three times a week. We set our agenda, and we
trust them implicitly. We all have a perspective,
but not an ego. Sometimes we fi ght for things we
like, sometimes we don't. Megan and I have worked
together now for a really long time. We know how
we're going to challenge each other. We sometimes
stay away from those things because we've got to
preserve the marriage, too.
As owners and operators of Lark Hotels, how do you
work with Elder & Ash as a design fi rm?
MK: Bluebird, Blind Tiger and AWOL [brands] were
all created by us at Lark and within Lark. We give
these brand standards to Elder & Ash, or to any other
designer. If for some reason we wanted somebody
else to design a Blind Tiger, we as Lark would provide
the guidelines. It's like talking to any designer who
would design a Marriott versus a Hilton versus
anything else. As Elder & Ash outside of Lark, it's
interpreting Lark's vision on that brand. We're all
the same, essentially, but we do wear those different
hats. As Lark operators, we decide where we need to
go, this is what the market wants, this is the brand
we're going to create, here are the brand standards.
And now you, Elder & Ash, design it.
What's next?
RB: We'd like to work for more outside clients. For
example, we don't own Tälta Lodge, a Bluebird by
Lark in Stowe, Vermont. The owner hired [Elder &
Ash] to design it, and then chose Lark to operate. It
allows us to fi ll out the whole picture rather than just
saying, 'Here's your design, we'll implement it, and
then you take it over.' The design doesn't stop when
you open the hotel. We enjoy getting involved with
service culture, programming, menu development, all
that stuff that is about designing the experience and
creating something more than what's visual.
MK: It's nice to branch out, even with other hotels.
We have an independent hotel in Asheville called the
Radical, designed by Michael Suomi. We did the retail
curation, the lifestyle content, the homepage video.
We enjoy partnering with people in other creative
endeavors. We are open to anything and everything.
I will only survive if we continue to have small,
interesting projects as well. But our team will thrive
on doing larger things. BD
HO S P ITA L IT YD E S I GN . COM
47

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Boutique Design - Winter 2023

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