As Architect of Record, Brereton partnered with Design Architect BHDM Design of New York to redesign and build the The Wild Palms Hotel two-story public areas—lobby, F&B, conference zone, corridors—totaling 16,500 square feet. (The 207 keys had been refreshed over the years during changes in ownership.) “Effervescent, bubbly, bright, and celebratory,” is how Dan Mazzarini, principal and creative director at BHDM describes the property. The hotel gave off “easy, breezy, mid-century California vibes,” Mazzarini says, “and we wanted to exploit what we had.” The chief inherited asset was the loftlike double-height lobby. Lacking, however, was a strong connection with the adjacent dining lounge and the outdoor pool, not to mention an overall sense of cohesion. BHDM initially devised a less ambitious and more sedate solution. But COVID halted the project for two years, and when it was rebooted, the team pivoted. “We changed the narrative to optimism,” Mazzarini recalls. “We also needed a drink!” So, the team paired Aperol spritz allusions with an apropos tagline: ’62 and sunny, a double entendre referencing the locale’s climate and the decade of the hotel’s origins.

To instate clarity, walls that separated reception, lobby, and dining functions were razed and structural work implemented. Checking in, guests now perceive a singular, joyous space with unobstructed sight lines all the way to the pool. Interiors are populated with a plethora of circles (think bubbles, beach balls) in a riot of cheerful colors: sunny yellows, clear-sky blues, rosy pinks. A custom mobile of acrylic discs takes center stage in the loftlike lobby, while a sculptural painted-wood artwork by Tilde Grynnerup backdrops the reception desk, an MDF construction with ombré vinyl insets. Cabana stripes and poolside-appropriate furniture reference the indoor-outdoor setting. Extending the spirited theme into the grab-and-go dining lounge at the lobby’s rear is a punchy, graphic mural wallcovering. It was designed by BHDM, as was the powder-coated aluminum face lamp—pure whimsy.