Share to
Chasing Rabbits
By : Rockwell Group
GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN – 16th edition
Discipline : Interior Design : Grand Winner
Categories : Other categories in interior design / Unclassified Category in Interior Design : Platinum Winner
Solaris Group is an independently owned boutique development company with a resort property in Vail Village. The resort features residences as well as a vibrant mix of retail, dining, and entertainment and performance spaces with panoramic views of Vail.
Solaris Group tapped Rockwell Group to transform one of Solaris Plaza’s venues into Chasing Rabbits: a clubhouse collective catered to a new generation of Vail, with a series of bespoke experiences that skiers and locals alike can enjoy from the afternoon into the late evening. Our location was formerly a large cinema bistro, and we wanted to create a series of distinct dining and entertainment spaces that allowed guests to move through different experiences from late afternoon into the wee hours—a surprise series of bespoke experiences for dining, playing, and lounging.
The signature Mediterranean restaurant is a light, airy environment with minimalist influences and a materiality that matches the rugged mountain surroundings. Upon entering, guests have a view of the restaurant’s centerpiece—a monumental glass fireplace with a sculptural, riveted marble hood suspended from the ceiling and a marble deck, sitting on a chevron wood accent floor. The restaurant is paneled in light Douglas Fir as well as a chiseled, textured stone tile layered behind walnut screens, which add depth and dramatize the uplighting. Columns are also clad in the light-washed wood. Lovely arched walnut portals delineate the bar and lounge from the main dining room, and antique mirror ceiling panels elongate the room. The bar has a tambour wood die and black stone top. The main flooring material is a gray stone. Alabaster wall sconces and custom banquette sconces add a layer of ambiance.
From the restaurant, guests make their way to the Library, an eclectic, quirky lounge and extended dining room, via the Library Gateway. The immersive corridor has walnut millwork panels, some of which feature a halo of light. An intimate seating area provides a quiet conversation nook near the wine room.
The Library has a coffered, wood-paneled 16’ ceiling, floor to ceiling bookshelves and wood paneling, and a faux mezzanine that wraps the upper reaches of the bookshelves. Rich, velvet banquettes line the room, along with custom wall sconces. The parquet wood floor is accented with the eccentric and playful “Saber” area rug from House of Hackney, inspired by traditional Tibetan tiger rugs. Views in the room are oriented toward a large, poster style Andrew Martin artwork printed into luminous aluminum and titled “Space Girl.” The poster has a 70s galactic vibe and features a woman in space suit and light-up neon red helmet to highlight her alluring gaze.
East meets West at the Speakeasy and Clubhouse, which is entered through a secret panelized door. The journey there features red marquee lighting in the ceiling and a rug with a red lightbulb pattern, providing an optical illusion of reflection. Walls are clad in highly polished wood wainscoting and etched charcoal mirrors illuminated with red lights and custom tasseled sconces.
The richly textured immersive room is draped in velvet, with a hand woven rope screen by Brooklyn artist Chelsea Plumb, a walnut wood laser cut ceiling detail, velvet and leather seating, a black chevron floor, dark blue plaster walls and ceiling, and a red leather wrapped bar die. Custom floral wallcovering in the ceiling cove frames the laser cut ceiling detail. Chinoiserie-inspired sconces cantilever out over the tables. Three antique mirrored panels reflect the light behind the bar.
An infinity corridor begins the journey to the Playhouse, a game lounge room, club, and screening room that takes guests back in time to an 80s arcade. The corridor leads the way with a series of repeating portals that break up the length of the space and add a glow with custom graffiti wallcovering and strip lights. Infinity mirrors between each portal and a reflective tile floor add to the funhouse atmosphere, as does the 11’-tall pink breakdancing bunny that beckons guests at the end of the corridor. The playhouse itself features vintage arcade games, a DJ booth, photo booth, popcorn machine, air hockey tables, and lots of neon moments. The walls are clad in an acoustic material from Baux and feature repeating geometric motifs. A black and white patterned floor tile takes up half of the room, while the other features a Pac-Man inspired floor. Industrial disc lighting in the ceiling illuminates the room, which contains lounge seating and small tables for light bites and drinks. A bar features a cinema-like marquee for changeable text and signage—a nod to the space’s former life as a movie theater and the Playhouse’s ability to transform into a screening room.
Collaboration
