SUOMI DESIGN WORKS REFRESHES GUEST SUITES AT BAUHAUS-INSPIRED RESORT
The Firm Completes Renovation of Aspen Meadows Guest Suites

| Aspen, CO - February 23, 2023 | Suomi Design Works, the New York and Florida-based firm led by Michael Suomi, conceptualized a sensitive renovation and restoration of 98 guest suites at Aspen Meadows Resort, located within The Aspen Institute’s historic mountain campus. Originally designed by noted Bauhaus student, teacher, and proselytizer Herbert Bayer, the firm utilized both the existing heritage furnishings, paired with new pieces to build upon the Institute's unique legacy.

Set on 40 beautiful acres, Aspen Meadows Resort, located within The Aspen Institute and operated by Salamander Hotels & Resorts, is a secluded sanctuary where nature integrates with art. The resort brings Aspen’s past and present to life with ongoing special programs, unique art and history, and ample access to the outdoors and mountain recreation. 

Suomi Design Works used principals created by Bauhaus founders Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer to create the renewed Aspen Meadows guest suites, including all new furnishings and details such as rectilinear sofas and wood wall panels aligned with the suite architecture. Ranging from studios to two-bedroom suites, the firm approached the interior renovations with a deep understanding of the historical significance of the exterior details. By carrying the architectural lines of the buildings through the design of the furniture and the finishes, Aspen Meadows maintains its legacy with a renewed sense of comfort for 21st-century travelers.

“We included many instances of the custom colors developed by Bayer with Benjamin Moore to represent the Bauhaus’ original primary color theory, Bayer Red, Bayer Blue, and Bayer Yellow. We followed Bayer’s original use of this palette with Blue for details, and Red and Yellow for more interactive pieces near the windows. These primary colors became the core palette for materials and finishes” says Michael Suomi, President of Suomi Design Works.

Creating a space that feels modern, clean and expansive, while also warm and thoughtfully planned, Suomi Design Works paired Bayer’s original primary color palette of red, blue and yellow, with natural woods such as charcoal stained white oak and natural finished walnut, bringing outdoor colors in, and accompanying these with legacy pieces. The design team also identified a distinct palette of textiles, some designed by influential textile designers and influenced by an original student of the Bauhaus, Anni Albers, to restore the legacy pieces by designers who were sympathetic to Bauhaus origins such as Bertoia, Nessen, Lowenstein, and Saarinen. Originally designed and crafted for Knoll, Bertoia’s collection of handmade seating built from welded steel wire was recovered, including pieces such as the Diamond, Bird, and Side chairs. Noted Aspen photographer Ferenc Berko’s original, hand-embossed photographs, shot for the Institute in the 1960s, were cleaned and rehung to enforce the new design.

The firm’s design includes thoughtful 21st century updates such as guest-convenience power ports, oversized tables for entertainment, eating and working, underbed luggage nooks, and Anni Albers-inspired integrated boot-scrubbing flooring at entry points. Working with Kohler to capture the Bauhaus ideology, Suomi Design Works customized a unique bathroom faucet with a single disc control, allowing for it to operate on a tilt and to control volume and temperature all at once.

“This suite renovation has been delivered with great respect for our unique history, and represents Aspen Meadows’ future and evolution,” says Richard Stettner, Vice President of Aspen Campus Facilities and Operations for The Aspen Institute, which owns the resort.

About Suomi Design Works
Suomi Design Works, a Manhattan-based design firm, was founded by Michael Suomi in 2019 in order to meet the industry’s ever-expanding need for a high-level of creativity combined with deep expertise. With more than 30 years of architectural and interior design experience, Suomi has become well-known for his strong conceptual narrative approach to design for owners, developers, and legacy properties with vision. The firm's highly creative hotel concepts are grounded in a deep understanding of each property’s local, cultural, and industrial histories. By actively seeking out design catalysts to infuse each project with out-of-industry innovations from the worlds of fashion, technology, and cinema, Suomi Design Works creates completely custom hotels that are crafted through an exceptionally personalized process.

About The Aspen Institute
The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve the most important challenges facing the United States and the world. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Institute has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, and an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.

About Salamander Hotels & Resorts
Salamander Hotels & Resorts is privately owned and operated, and based in Middleburg, VA, just outside Washington, D.C. Founded by entrepreneur Sheila Johnson, it has a luxury portfolio featuring the Forbes Five-Star Salamander Resort & Spa in Middleburg, an equestrian-inspired property near Washington, D.C.; Salamander Washington DC, an grand luxury hotel located along the capital’s vibrant Southwest waterfront; Half Moon, the storied resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica, features three distinct experiences including the newly opened Eclipse; the newly renovated and reimagined Aurora Anguilla Resort & Golf Club on Rendezvous Bay, Anguilla; Aspen Meadows Resort, a sweeping destination property located on 40 beautiful acres in Aspen, CO; Hotel Bennett, a spectacular grand hotel in Charleston, SC, overlooking the city’s historic Marion Square; and Innisbrook Resort in the St. Petersburg/Clearwater area, which hosts the PGA TOUR’s Valspar Championship each year on its famed Copperhead Course. www.SalamanderHotels.com.