Hospitality Design - July 2013 - 54

perspectives

sketchbook

the villas of grand cypress
> Golf is at the heart and soul of the Villas of
Grand Cypress. Chances are the guests who
flock to this serene Orlando resort—which
belies its proximity to glitzy Disney World—
plan to weave at least a few rounds on the 45hole Jack Nicklaus-designed course into their
getaway.
Knowing that the hotel attracts a loyal
base of travelers, local designer Lori Rapport
strived to both “delight guests while keeping
them comfortable” when she revamped the
property’s 146 villas and club suites, the first
phase of a property-wide overhaul.
“Elegant, but casually luxurious” is
how Rapport describes the warm, relaxed,
masculine spaces complete with stainless
steel EcoSmart bio-fuel fireplaces and custom
furniture that create a mid-century modern
look. Sunken living rooms, starring lush
leather sectionals, accent ceiling height,
while oversized dining room tables encourage

entertaining among packs of golfing pals.
Spa-like bathrooms with soaking tubs channel
the simple Japanese aesthetic of shibui, with
finger-sized pieces of stacked stone slate
contrasting with Zebrano wood and porcelain.
One of the villas’ highlights is the carpet,
with its playful, undulating ripples. Standing
on it is akin to playfully “standing on the
golf course,” Rapport points out. “We wanted

el cosmico
> Situated on 18 acres in Marfa, Texas, El
Cosmico is the epitome of an experiential
hotel stay. Guests of the “campgroundhotel-meets-artistic hideaway experiment”
from Texan hotelier Liz Lambert and the
Bunkhouse Group can choose to stay in the
likes of renovated vintage trailers, safari and
scout tents, or Sioux-style tepees, and hang out
in the hammock grove, outdoor kitchen and
dining area, community lounge, or reading
room.
“The feelings that Marfa’s landscape
inspires really parallel my love of the
bohemian hippie movement of the sixties
and my interest in nomadic and alternative
cultures and communities—they both embody
a sort of elegant freedom,” explains Lambert,
who has been visiting the area her entire life
since her family starting ranching there in
the 1960s. “It’s a unique place, not just for the
convergence of art and ranching cultures,
but for the quality of light, the expansiveness
of the sky—it’s like being in a vast ocean of
desert. I wanted to do something different
than what I’ve done before.”
A new tepee is in the works as are

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July 2013 hospitalitydesign.com

additional trailers, and thanks to a recent
acquisition of the property next door to El
Cosmico—formerly the Presidio County
judge’s house—she plans on expanding the
property with more rooms, event space,
“and other cool things” like a giant pool. As
Lambert says: “The idea of the great American
road trip seems very much alive in the hearts
of a lot of people, and we just happen to be
right there in the middle of that road trip.”

to introduce an element that translates to
the topography.” Artwork is another way of
connecting these private oases to its location,
reinterpreting the likes of the property’s huge
oak tree and the scenic journey up to the
clubhouse. As Rapport notes, there’s a sense
of calm when “guests who have been coming
here a long time have driven right by all of
these scenes in their golf carts.”
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