Blue skies and sunshine – after days of rain, we couldn’t have asked for a better weekend for our Napa tours. With 30 American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) California Peninsula Chapter members and guests registered for the 2-day program, our block of rooms at Gaia quickly sold out. Luckily the hotel was able to accommodate the extra parties so no one ended up on the park bench!
The event started with a presentation by Todd Jersey of his namesake architecture firm, Todd Jersey Architecture. A pioneer in green architecture, Todd talked about the green features of Gaia Hotel Napa Valley, the world’s first LEED Gold hotel, and current projects, including Gaia Anderson. Yuan-Sing Chang, LEED AP, and Todd led the project tour where we were dazzled by the efficiency of the skylights and impressed by the comprehensive water conservation features of the grounds, among other things. Gracious and unassuming, Wen-I Chang, founder and president of Atman Hospitality Group rounded out the program by giving a philosophical perspective on green development. The Hotel then hosted us to a reception of sumptuous, and seemingly endless, ‘chef’s selection’ hors d’oeuvres and held raffle prize drawings for free stays at the Gaia Anderson. That’s hospitality at its best!
Sunday morning saw us at Gordon Huether Studio, an innovative fine art studio that works with glass, metal, and found objects. Its diverse projects range from the San Bruno BART Station to a homeless shelter in Dallas.
The conference room was full of fascinating mockups for private commissions and public art competitions – including a whimsical series of cows intended for a highway beautification project!
The cavernous workshop showed scaled designs for a variety of major works, including the George Bush Presidential Library & Museum.
It was fun to see the glass pieces under fabrication, and learn about the complex process involved in their creation. At the end of the tour, we were free to eat, drink and be merry, a fitting conclusion to our Napa Experience!