Photo By Barbara Kraft
In creating a world-class facility that would address every aspect of health and wellbeing under one roof, the Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village Wellness Center and Spa in Westlake Village, CA, was designed using stone, brick and glass. The six-story structure includes a health and wellness center, full-service spa and television studio, as well as gardens and water features. Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo (WATG) of Irvine, CA, served as the architect and interior designer for the project.
The overall design goal, according to Rhonda Rasmussen of WATG, was to create a luxury hotel with a showcase of hand-selected stone and artifacts. “It is a five-star property with a high level of quality materials, and not only did we use stone, but we used the best quality of stone throughout,” she said.
In order to meet the desired aesthetic, a wide range of stone materials, including marble, limestone, travertine, granite, onyx and quartz, were used throughout the facility. Stone materials were supplied through a number of vendors, including Southland Stone USA, Inc. of North Hollywood, CA, Antolini Luigi of Sega di Cavaion, Verona, Italy, and Walker Zanger of Sylmar, CA.
“The hotel has a collection of specialty stone hand selected by Mr. Murdock, [the owner] throughout the hotel,” explained Rasmussen. “In the lobby, the panels behind and on top of the front desk and the concierge desk are fabricated from solid slabs of the rare Onice Smeraldo from Antolini Luigi in Italy. The focal tabletop is a slab of the translucent Emerald Crème.”
The main entrance of the facility features a 6-foot-round custom stone medallion fabricated by Creative Edge Master Shop, Inc. The medallion features Giallo Realle, Crema Valencia, Rosso Laguna and Rosa Verona marble, while the stone surrounding this feature is comprised of Cream Valencia and Pompeii Gold marble from Walker Zanger.
Flooring throughout the lobby features 36- x 36-inch tiles of White Carrara marble with 4- x 4-inch decorative inserts of Nero Marquina marble. Slabs of Onice Smeraldo were fabricated for the front desk countertops, while a large slab of the material was framed and hung as artwork above the reception area. Additionally, the entry doors are inset with White onyx, and there is also a pair of custom-designed lanterns hand-carved out of the same material.
One of the hotel’s dining establishments, Onyx restaurant, features two 5- x 8-foot panels of semi-precious stone. The panels are comprised of Fossilized Quartz with select pieces of Petrified Wood placed throughout. The panels serve as feature walls, which can be found on either side of the see-through aquarium behind the bar, and they are backlit to create a dramatic effect. These semi-precious stone panels were supplied through Antolini Luigi, and the feature wall is flanked by two custom backlit onyx lanterns.
In addition to the vertical backlit elements, the bar tops at both the entry bar and sushi bar are comprised of backlit Honey onyx from Southland Stone USA, Inc. of North Hollywood, CA, and the material creates a dramatic ambience for the Asian dining establishment, according to the architects.
Southland Stone also supplied various-sized pieces of Carrara Venatino marble and slabs of Giallo Ornamental granite for several areas throughout the hotel’s spa. “It is a distinguished property - maintaining the high standards of the five-star deluxe hotels,” said Ravi Johar of Southland Stone, adding that the owner went to Italy and selected several containers of material. “He bought some of the most exotic materials available - some that cost as much as $1,000 per square foot.”
The flooring and walls throughout the wet spa area feature various-sized 3/4-inch-thick pieces of Carrara Venatino, and the flooring material was sandblasted for non-skid compliance, according to the architects. Further complementing the Carrara Venatino is a custom-made glass mosaic mural referred to as “Diving Dolphin.” The materials were manufactured by Trend USA of Miami, FL, and supplied through SpecCeramics of Anaheim, CA.
Moreover, the hallway leading to the spa features 12- x 12-inch tiles of Carrara Venatino set on a diagonal, while long rectangular pieces of Oro Toscano serve as a border. Outside of the border, another row of 12- x 12-inch pieces of Carrara Venatino ties off the space. The restroom inside the spa also features Carrara Venatino flooring, while slabs of Giallo Ornamental were fabricated for the countertops.
“One of the main installers for all the public areas wanted us to help them with all the Carrara Venatino tiles in sizes including 12 x 12, 18 x 18 and 24 x 24 inches, as well as mosaic pieces in the spa,” said Johar. “The challenge was to maintain consistency and color for more than 50,000 square feet. I think this was a very elegant job done in a very simple material, while at the same time maintaining the classic look of the past ages. You have to go into the hotel to discover the beauty, elegance and grace of this most distinguished hotel - set in the middle of a very modern public office setting.”
Other semi-precious stone slabs that can be found throughout the hotel include varieties of amethyst, onyx, agate, quartz and petrified wood, among other minerals, many of which are backlit, according to Rasmussen. Also, typical guest bathrooms feature Carrara White marble flooring and walls, while white granite was fabricated for countertops. In addition, fieldstone was used to adorn a feature wall surrounding an outdoor Pagoda.
Construction for the project began in March 2004, and the facility opened to the public in December 2006.
