Hyatt Centric Buckhead Atlanta has made its opening debut, with design inspired by the history of Georgia’s pottery industry, which developed because of the fine quality of clay in the area. Archaeologists date pottery remnants found in the region to as early as 3000 BC.
“In conceptualizing the design of the hotel, our team studied the local history, landscape and heritage of
Buckhead’s location, looking to the unique stories and historic details that defined the area through the
ages,” said Tracey Sawyer, founder/ CEO, Sawyer & Company. “We found ourselves inspired by both the neighborhood’s unique current identity as well as the history of Georgia’s clay craftsmanship, which has been associated with the region for as far back as 5,000 years.”
The hotel’s interiors feature playful nods to earthenware and earthy color schemes complemented by bold graphics and eye-catching textures. When entering the hotel, guests are greeted with a floral stenciled wall accentuating a light installation of woven pendant shades in oblong shapes mimicking those of pottery. Behind the check-in desk is a towering terracotta wall. The elevator doors open to vibrant sunkissed colors resembling the glazing on pottery in a three-part installation by award-winning Canadian artist Claire Desjardins titled Daydreamer. On one of the hotel’s exterior walls sits a shareworthy mural by artist Lenia Castro of Buckhead Murals, offering perspective on the development of Atlanta and the state of Georgia.
“The design ideation of the hotel was guided by the neighborhood’s unique identity as well as the history
of Georgia’s clay craftsmanship,” Sawyer noted. “As such, nods to Georgia’s vast natural clay resources can be seen
throughout the space with playful expressions of clay, pottery and sculpture to celebrate the history of
local creators, sculptors and artisans. This theme can be seen in the glazing, shape and color of the
front desk, which also features a light installation inspired by the shape of pottery. A pottery wall
installation by American artist John Johnson adorns the area next to the front desk, while elevator cab
artwork from Quebec-based artist Claire Desjardins again gives off a glazed look. Headboard walls in the
guestrooms are inspired by painted ceramics, while the pattern on the TV wallcovering was inspired by
the crackled texture of worn glazed pottery. Guestroom area rugs express the organic shape of
earthenware, along with the greater Georgia clay landscape.”
Mount Royal Restaurant—a Montreal-style steakhouse featuring an outdoor terrace—is located on the ground floor and designed for world travelers with its Turkish accents and more. Just as Atlanta serves as a hub of cultural intersection, Mount Royal was designed to reflect a crossroads moment where people are inspired to come together to share personal experiences over good food.
Designed for world travelers who find themselves at home all over the globe, Mount Royal balances the old with the new where the patina of natural materials form a contemporary experience. From the hotel lobby, one passes through airy curtains draped within a steel archway, where a monolithic hand textured stone and aged bronze bar with glowing shelves invites guests to order their morning coffee and pastry.
Floating above, reclaimed wood beams with swags of hand-stitched patchwork evoke tented city center markets. In the evening, standing in front of an original piece by contemporary artist Kimo Minton, a host will greet guests and seat them at tables detailed in engraved nickel and stretched buffalo leather.
Custom banquettes with authentic Turkish rug pillows are designed to embrace diners through tactile and visual senses.
The dining area is meant to provide an open and sociable space with small flexible tables that can seat an intimate table of two or a large group of twelve. The warm velvet gold tones of the barstools, rich green glazed hand-pressed tiles, and stone mosaic floor add worldly details to provide a unique experience. Outdoor on the terrace, a firepit invites guests to chat over drinks on brisk evenings with the light of the fire reflecting off the glass mosaic mural in the background.
“Design narrative throughout the hotel tells the story of the area’s local history, unique identity and local
culture guided by three overarching themes—the Historical Local Context, Compression and Expansion,
and Georgia’s vast natural Clay Resources—alongside the Hyatt brands’ international and global spirit of
color, pattern and fashion. Our goal was to express the location in a unique way, to celebrate the
neighborhood, the land and the history in a playful and sculptural way through form, pattern and color,” Sawyer said.
Spaceman —an indoor-outdoor rooftop lounge located on the 15th floor—features bird’s eye view of Atlanta’s skyline. The design of Spaceman invites its guests to move from one space to another as if walking through the chatter of a nighttime market while sparking spontaneous conversations along the way. It is a place for storytelling over drinks while tipping its hat to the horizon to one’s next destination.
At the top of the hotel, the design of Spaceman elevates the cultural crossroads experience with a bird’s eye view of Atlanta’s skyline. It is a study of the flow of light and sound through a lens of wood textures, rich jewel tones and mirrored surfaces connecting personal stories to the horizon.
When one steps out of the elevator to the roof level, a custom bronzed mirror art piece hints to what lies at the end of a familiar worn path across stenciled concrete floors. Ultimately leading to the lobby, a host guides guests to one of two outdoor terraces, the lounge or the bar.
Where one terrace lends itself to craft cocktails at sunset amid hand-painted tile archways, glowing lanterns and Turkish rugs, another terrace offers cozy banquette seating beneath a pergola canopy, a grassy spot for a game of cornhole and a multi-screen wall to view on game days.
Whether perched on an ostrich leathered banquette in front of hand-tied macrame panels or leaning into a rich jewel-toned velvet chair beneath the thatch textured wood beam ceiling, the seating throughout the rooftop is designed to suit a variety of guests and encourages the flow from one space to another.
At the crux of the rooftop is an expansive bar placed like a jewel in a glass box. The bar itself is anchored by two columns adorned in bronzed mirrors reflecting art bottles placed on glowing shelves, all while framing a view of the evening sky.
Above, an undulating sculpture against the backdrop of an artistically lit ceiling creates a beacon effect seen from highway 400 below.
“We hope guests will be excited by the use of hyper-local elements that reflect and celebrate the area’s
past and present incorporated creatively throughout the design of the hotel, with details such as a light
installation inspired by the shape of pottery,” Sawyer said. “Our goal is for guests to feel an authentic sense of place, so
we wanted to capture the visual aesthetic of the neighborhood, which houses both low-rise and high-rise
structures, as well as both urban landscapes and greenspace. As such, the notion of compression and
expansion and opposites and contrast is woven throughout the design of the hotel through bold, graphic
color palettes and natural elements to mimic the sense of contrast seen in the area, and we hope guests
will be surprised by the playful use of color and design to capture the essence of the neighborhood.”
