Hotel Vermont at the Vermont Expo

Visitors to the Vermont Business and Industry Expo last week had a chance to get a sneak preview of the interior design work we are developing for the new Hotel Vermont. We assisted the hotel with their booth at the Expo, with the arrangement of interior finishes that will grace the new boutique hotel in downtown Burlington.

The presentation of carpets, fabrics and greenery gave visitors to the Expo a sense of what the new hotel lobby and lounge will feel like. 'Stay Natural' is the tagline of the new hotel, and the interior design will deliver on this promise, with local, natural and healthy materials.

Some of our 3D renderings of the first floor lobby and lounge were also on display, along with this video from the groundbreaking ceremony featuring the owners and designers explaining the project.

The Vermont Business & Industry Expo is the region's largest business-to-business trade show and is hosted by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce. An estimated 3,000 people attended the two-day show held at the Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center in Burlington.

Designer Snapshot on New England Home

Today TruexCullins was featured on the New England Home Design Blog, the official blog of New England Home magazine.

Under the title “Designer Snapshot: No Boundaries”, the editors at New England Home chose three of our residential projects as examples of interior spaces that celebrate their natural surroundings and blur the boundaries between inside and out.

Read more about these three projects on today’s NE Home blog, then see the full article on the Shelburne home that was published in the magazine last year.

Restaurant Week Part 5: Norma’s

If you’ve been following us this week you know that we’re on a restaurant kick, with a new culinary design project posted each day. With summer right around the corner, we can’t think of a better way to enjoy a meal than sitting poolside with the Vermont mountain landscape opening around you. So today we are closing out our own Restaurant Week by coming back to Vermont and the Topnotch Resort in Stowe.

Norma’s is the signature restaurant of this four-diamond resort near the top of the Mountain Road. Opening in 2006, the restaurant serves up casual alfresco dining at breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The restaurant pavilion maintains a low profile, with a sweeping roofline and radial plan that allows for maximum views. TruexCullins collaborated with Belle Maison Interiors on this project, which has a contemporary interior and natural earth tones. An open kitchen opens onto the dining room.

The entire west wall of the restaurant is lined with a broad bank of mahogany-framed sliding glass doors that open onto a pair of sparkling pools. Outdoor tables provide more seating on the stone-paved terrace. And on a warm summer evening, the firepit on the patio becomes the source for a refined roast-your-own S’mores experience sure to please the whole family.

To view the menu and make a reservation, visit Norma’s Restaurant online at topnotchresort.com/dining-normas.php.

Restaurant Week Part 4: La Bella Vita

Each day this week we are presenting a recently completed project from our portfolio of restaurants and bars. Today’s special is a new Italian restaurant that opened just last year. La Bella Vita is located at the Samoset Resort on the edge of Penobscot Bay on the Maine coast and features an authentic antipasto bar, a wood-fired oven and a marketplace for Italian specialty foods.

This new restaurant has a strong connection to the ocean. The sound of the sea combines with the aroma of the Italian cooking for an engaging sensory experience as soon as you enter the space.

We incorporated a variety of lounge and sitting areas, including fireside seating, a communal table, and club chairs overlooking the ocean. Exposed wood columns and beams throughout the space frame a series of views, both internally and to the ocean beyond. Interior finishes and materials reflect those commonly found in domestic Italian kitchens, such as marble, wood, and iron. And the color palate of the interior and patterns of the carpets and fabrics are derived from both the food and the rich Italian history.

 La Bella Vita is located at the Samoset Resort, just south of Camden, Maine. To view menus or make a reservation, visit LaBellaVitaRistorante.com

Restaurant Week Part 3: Sugar Hill Inn

We love working on restaurant design projects that allow us to create environments that support and promote the enjoyment of food. Today’s project is in northern New Hampshire at the Sugar Hill Inn.

The Sugar Hill Inn is located near Franconia Notch state park and a number of New Hampshire ski areas, such as Bretton Woods, Cannon Mountain, and Loon. It is a charming, romantic getaway in a beautiful corner of the state and well worth the trip.

The Inn features an award-winning restaurant that offers a unique four-course meal in a romantic setting. As stated on the Sugar Hill website: “We have a European philosophy about dining. The table is yours for the evening. Take your time to enjoy the candlelight, cozy fire and amazing views with the combination of great food, wine and conversation … Our four course menu offers a well-balanced symphony of flavors and leads guests through a leisurely, romantic and artistic culinary experience.”

TruexCullins recently assisted the innkeepers of the Sugar Hill Inn with the renovations to their restaurant. The completely refurbished dining room includes wing-back chairs and a flexible central table. A custom casework display cabinet holds the Inn’s wine collection while screening the service area behind.

The restaurant is open to both Inn guests and the general public. For more info and to make reservations, visit sugarhillinn.com.

Restaurant Week Part 2: Amuse

This week we are sharing stories and photos of our recent Restaurant projects. Today we head to Essex, right outside of Burlington, where TruexCullins led the renovations to Amuse, the signature restaurant of the Essex Resort & Spa.

The Essex is the Burlington area’s only AAA Four Diamond hotel and has a strong focus on culinary excellence. Our work included the interior renovations of Amuse and the casual dining and bar area of the adjacent Tavern restaurant.

The central feature at Amuse is the chef’s table, a community table for 12 where guests have a front-row seat of the culinary action. With a clear view into the open kitchen, guests are able to watch as one of the master chefs prepares their meal. The experience is fitting for a facility that bills itself as a culinary resort. And if you are sufficiently inspired by the artistry in the kitchen, you can sign up for one of the cooking classes offered at the resort.

The rest of the dining room is given equal attention, with custom banquette seating, delicate glass fixtures, and a palette of off-white and natural wood. It is a classic New England interior for a classic Vermont restaurant.

Restaurant Week Part 1: Church and Main

The warm weather is upon us now, and the local restaurant scene is hopping. With the advent of the summer tourist season and the bevy of spring holidays and events, Al fresco dining has taken over Church Street and Vermonters are flocking to their favorite restaurants.

The culinary scene in the Burlington area has grown impressively in recent years. We are also lucky to have such a strong network of local farms that deliver fresh veggies, meats and cheeses to these restaurants on a daily basis.

TruexCullins Interiors is currently working on a new restaurant which will be opening on Church Street soon. Look for more info on that project this summer! For now, we thought we would take a look at a few of our other recent restaurant projects as we kick off the summer 2012 season. Call this our own "Restaurant Week", and we'll start with one of the newest gems on Church Street in Burlington: Church & Main.

For over 18 months now, Church & Main has been serving brunch, lunch and dinner at the bottom of Church Street, in the location of the former Smokejacks. TruexCullins Interiors designed this new dining room, with custom furnishings, artful lighting, and rich finishes. Being right around the corner from the Flynn, the place has a definite theater vibe. Accent lighting highlights local artwork, and heavy velvet curtains provide privacy for an intimate dining experience.

The food, of course, is on center stage here. The focus is on locally-sourced ingredients that are presented in creative and dynamic ways. Church & Main also has an extensive wine list and outdoor seating. Be sure to follow Church & Main on facebook or visit them online at www.churchandmainvt.com

PHOTOS BY NATALIE STULTZ & BETSY RICH PHOTOGRAPHY

Coming Events: Architecture and Design 2012

There are some exciting events coming up for our architecture and design community in Burlington and beyond. Here's a look ahead to some of them:

May 10: PKN-BTV Vol. 7
The next PechaKucha event is this Thursday at the Fleming Museum. If you've been to one of these before, you know that it is a fun, energetic night of wildly divergent and interesting presentations. This is volume 7 of the Burlington event, with another great line-up planned.

For the uninitiated, here's the official scoop: PechaKucha Night was devised in Tokyo in February 2003 as an event for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public. It has turned into a massive celebration, with events happening in hundreds of cities around the world, inspiring creatives worldwide. Drawing its name from the Japanese term for the sound of conversation ("chit chat"), it rests on a presentation format that is based on a simple idea: 20 images x 20 seconds. It's a format that makes presentations concise, and keeps things moving at a rapid pace.

More info at:  http://pecha-kucha.org/night/burlington-vt/

May 24: Bennington College Campus Tour
Our local AIA branches in Vermont, New Hampshire and Western Massachusetts are presenting an afternoon of presentations and tours at one of the country's highest rated colleges in terms of building and campus design.  Building tours on the Bennington College campus include projects by Tod Williams + Billie Tsien, Robertson Ward, Kyu Sung Woo, and Edward Larrabee Barnes.

The event occurs from 3:30 to 7:45pm and is good for 3 AIA HSW SD learning units. To register, visit: http://aiavtnhwm.eventbrite.com/  For more details, click to enlarge the poster below:

October 19-21: AIA New England Conference & Design Awards
Finally, we have a look forward to this fall's big event for AIA Vermont: the AIA New England Conference & Design Awards Program on Oct. 19-21, 2012 at the Hilton Hotel & Conference Center in Burlington. For us Burlingtonians, we are not only looking forward to the great workshops, lectures, and tours planned, but also to the opportunity to show off our award-winning city to our friends from across New England.

This will be the height of the fall foliage season in Vermont, so if you're planning on attending from out of state, make your hotel reservations now and lock in the conference rate.

For more details, visit: http://www.aiavt.org/aiane_conf/

Chelsea Street Ribbon Cutting

The Vermont Law School has just announced that U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, Gov. Peter Shumlin, Vermont Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Reiber and other officials will attend the ribbon cutting of VLS's new Center for Legal Services at 11:30 a.m., Friday, May 18.

The historic building at 190 Chelsea St. underwent a $3.5 million renovation to convert it into the new home for the South Royalton Legal Clinic and the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic. The two clinics provide millions of dollars of free legal services to needy families, community groups and others in the name of environmental stewardship, social justice and public interest.

The ribbon cutting and a tour of the building are free and open to the public.
 

You can find a brief description of our work on this project on our website.  You can also read about the new center for legal services and the story of the Legal Clinic in an article posted on the VLS website.