The Fleur Noire Hotel
“Ellie’s wallpaper has more depth and mood than any wallpaper I have experienced.”
Chris Pardo, Architect & Interior Designer, Fleur Noire Hotel, Palm Springs, CA, USA
In this post, an interview with Chris:
ECD: Why did you choose Ellie Cashman Design wallpaper? What designs did you choose, and why?
CP: I have always been captivated by Ellie’s work. It has more depth and mood than any wallpaper I have experienced. I have used some of her wallpaper in the past, which resulted in truly dynamic spaces. For Fleur Noire it was a natural to select Dark Floral II Black Saturated – It felt like the design was specifically meant for the hotel. To make a consistent transition from outside (Louise Jones murals) to inside we decided to enlarge the scale of the wallpaper to 300X. Thus created an almost Alice in Wonderland experience with giant Peonies blooming above the headboards.
ECD: Where did you apply Ellie’s wallpaper in your hotel?
CP: We installed the Dark Floral II print in every guest room, positioned on the bedwall above a custom built wainscotting that was painted light green, pulling in colors from the print. The use of the wallpaper in the bedrooms really sets the mood. Its beauty confronts you and is both soothing and memorable. We also utilized the design, however in a different manner in the lobby/clubhouse. Here we did not scale the print but instead wrapped the entire room in the design. The final effect is similar to sitting in the grass in the middle of a flower garden.
ECD: How did you like working with Ellie's wallpaper?
CP: The team at Ellie Cashman were amazing to work with. Our project was challenging, as no wall was the same size. We had sloping, angled roofs, and needed a gigantic scale. They worked closely with me to ensure and triple check that I had every piece positioned perfectly for the guest experience.
ECD: What do you think of the end result?
CP: I knew that when I selected it the wallpaper would be a major part of the identity of the hotel, but after installed I was blown away by the transformative nature of the work. The wallpaper not only is stunning but it also cemented the story of the architecture, the buildings and the murals. It has created an incredible sense of place.
ECD: If you could describe Ellie's wallpaper in one sentence, what would it be?
CP: Breathtaking.
About Chris Pardo, Architect & Interior Designer
I started my career in hotel management with the Four Seasons hotel group. Later I returned to graduate school to pursue architecture. Over the past 18 years, my work has morphed in focus from residential architecture to hospitality architecture and interior design. My aesthetic in the design projects varies greatly on the community where the property is built. It’s meant to create a sense of place.
About the Fleur Noire Hotel
Fleur Noire Hotel is a 21-room property consisting of casitas, bungalows and suites. It was originally built in 1951 as the Tradewinds Hotel, a Spanish style seasonal retreat targeting snow birds and the Los Angeles crowd. Fleur Noire is a renovation and rejuvenation of this historic property after years of neglect. The buildings lacked character and the landscape had all but dried up. We commissioned internationally renowned floral muralist Louise Jones to utilize the buildings as her canvas. Our vision was to provide life to the project, letting it blossom into the future. The property features a large pool surrounded by the hotel’s casitas, desert-inspired landscaping, firepits and endless works of art. Guests can enjoy their own private patios or join together in the many communal spaces, each of them an outdoor living room. The guest rooms and clubhouse all feature dynamic wallpaper by Ellie Cashman, custom wainscotting, terra cotta floors and bespoke furniture.
For more information about The Fleur Noire Hotel, please go the website.
Photography by Elevation Media & Imagine Imagery
Stay wonder-ful,