Photo by Christopher Little, courtesy of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands mean different things to different people. For some, the area is synonymous with outdoor pursuits such as hiking and white-water rafting in Ohiopyle, recently named the best small town in the Northeast. This area is also a design mecca, thanks to Frank Lloyd Wright.
Laurel Highlands is home to Wright’s iconic Fallingwater, which is partially built over a waterfall on the Bear Run River. Wright designed the property as a vacation home for the Pittsburgh-based Kaufmann family in 1935. It’s a masterpiece of organic architecture with cantilevered levels and ingenious use of glass to merge indoors and out. Two other Wright projects, Kentuck Knob and Polymath Park, are also in the area.
Wright’s influence can be seen at another nearby property: Nemacolin, where design is an integral part of both the aesthetics as well as the ethos. Maggie Hardy is the CEO and owner of this sprawling luxury resort tucked on more than 2,200 acres; she’s also the owner and CEO of 84 Lumber, the largest privately owned lumber company in the US.
There are three main lodges at the property–Falling Rock, The Chateau and The Grand Lodge.
Falling Rock is inspired by Fallingwater and every aspect of the lodge was designed by David Merritt, a student of Wright’s at Taliesin. Wright-inspired touches can be seen in the geometric motifs on the textiles, lighting fixtures and even the barrel-back chairs in the lodge’s restaurant, Aqueous. Like his teacher, Wright was obsessive about details. Once the interior stonework was complete, Merritt felt it looked too new and personally touched up the stones with black spray paint to age them.
Nemacolin’s other lodges embrace maximalism with a touch of whimsy, and are designed to cocoon guests and to impress. The exterior of The Chateau (pictured above) is modeled after the Ritz Paris, and is currently being renovated to showcase a new pastel color scheme and marble accents. The Grand Lodge was recently transformed as a glamorous take on a hunting lodge, complete with elaborate lighting and richly layered textiles. Flooring throughout Nemacolin, from the carpets to the tiles, is bold and colorful and even inspired its own Instagram account, @nemafloorin, but art and thoughtful design with purpose are everywhere on the property.
The resort recently invested $45 million to create Wisteria, an on-site community for 300 of its associates. The contemporary homes and a building housing a gourmet market, fitness center and a pub could easily pass as its own stylish resort. Beyond its sleek design, the community serves a key purpose: to deliver affordable and convenient housing, all in an uplifting setting.
Elsewhere on the property, art plays a key role in the guest experience. Hardy’s personal art collection can be seen throughout the resort’s public areas as well as in the on-site Reflections Museum. The 1,000 pieces span the 1400s up to modern day and include works by Alexander Calder, Andy Warhol, and Norman Rockwell. Beyond fine art, the Hardy family’s interests are wide-ranging and eclectic. The resort features a 1920s carousel, airplane hangar with antique planes, and even an area with rehomed tigers, cheetahs and lions, showing that surprise and delight are around every corner.
Imagery courtesy Nemacolin.
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