5 minute read
Illuminating Western Hospitality
Illuminating Western Hospitality
How BraytonHughes Design Studios Brought Lighting to Montage Big Sky
By Stef Schwalb
The natural, expansive beauty of Montana can’t be undersold. Afterall, why else would it be affectionately known as Big Sky Country? This wonderful western state features a range of unique terrain from the Great Plains to the Rocky Mountains, including the vast Glacier National Park wilderness preserve as just one of its many highlights. With so many serene sights to take in and outdoor activities to enjoy, finding a hotel that’s seamlessly at home in these surroundings—while also offering all of the amenities guests crave—is no easy feat. But Montage Big Sky does it stylishly, in spades.
Montage Big Sky
Photography Credit: Christian Hora
Montage Big Sky
Photography Credit: Christian Hora
Situated 45 minutes from Yellowstone National Park, and surrounded by the breathtaking Spanish Peaks mountain range, the grand Montage Big Sky features 100 chicly designed guestrooms and suites as well as 39 well-appointed residences. Offering activities for every season—including ski-in/ ski-out access to Big Sky Resort, three world-class fly-fishing rivers, and a private Tom Weiskopf–designed 18-hole golf course—there’s more than enough to keep visitors excited and engaged. Snowboarding, snowshoeing, mountain biking, trail hiking, and horseback riding are some of the many other forms of recreation available to get guests’ adrenaline pumping. Of course, the fact that the property also includes the 10,000-square-foot Spa Montage with a fitness center, studio, and a host of services such as massage, body, and facial treatments (among other things), dining at several venues including traditional Northern Italian cuisine at Cortina and Pacific-inspired bites at Alpenglow (not to mention craft cocktails and impressive wine lists), and an ice rink onsite is an added bonus for travelers seeking a little bit of luxury in everything they set out to experience. Last but certainly not least, visitors can also enjoy plenty of local shops and boutiques nearby. To find out how the general design, lighting choice, and inspiration came together for Montage Big Sky, we connected with Lisa Vasquez—San Francisco–based BraytonHughes Design Studios’ Senior Associate/ Senior Designer on the project—for some illuminating insights.
As one might expect, the general design aesthetic, architecture, and location of the hotel had a tremendous impact and influence on the lighting choices. “The shapes and textures of the lighting are earthy and nature-inspired, bringing the ‘Great Outdoors’ indoors,” explains Vasquez. “The glass texture on the sconces is reminiscent of the rocky gravel of the mountains; the branch-like fixture as you enter the hotel is inspired by the branches of the trees; and the ring-shaped fixtures of the ballroom spaces are a modernized take on fixtures found in old cabins. We kept the lighting style with clean lines to mimic the architecture but still maintain the rustic mountain charm.”
—Lisa Vasquez
Montage Big Sky
Photography Credit: Christian Hora
Montage Big Sky
Photography Credit: Christian Hora
To achieve the desired concepts, custom fixtures played a significant part in Vasquez and her team’s design approach. Some examples can be seen in the restaurant, front desk, and lobby living room, which are all so different and unique. “The majority of the lighting was custom-fabricated, which allowed us to integrate the nature-inspired elements into our lighting concepts a lot easier,” says Vasquez. “The restaurant chandeliers, for example, were inspired by old wagon wheels and cowbells. We wanted to have it be a loose translation of these Western elements without it being too literal.” She adds that each of the hotel spaces has a theme, so the lighting played into that theme, but as guests move through the hotel, that lighting feels connected through design elements, materials, textures, and finishes, which again—she notes—is easier to achieve when fixtures are custom-fabricated.
Montage Big Sky
Photography Credit: Christian Hora
As far as the role lighting plays within the design process, as well as its importance, Vasquez reveals that it’s quite significant to the BraytonHughes Design Studios team. “Lighting plays an integral part in our design, setting the mood within each space,” she says. “We worked hand-in-hand with the lighting consultant to ensure each area of the hotel reads as it was intended. For example, the bar is dark and moody, while the living room is warm and welcoming.” When it comes to inspiration for lighting design, there are a few things Vasquez and the team seek to ensure ongoing success. “First, we like to assess the hotel setting, researching the history and landscape. We then research hotels either in the vicinity or with similar design aesthetics to see what has been done [previously],” she explains. “Based on our research, we’ll narrow down design direction and we’ll begin to pull inspiration from lighting manufacturers, online interior design sources, and search engines like Pinterest, ensuring that there’s commonality between our design selections so the lighting design flows throughout the space.” ■
