AvroKO Channels the Bauhaus and Havana for the Scott, a Luxury Resort in Scottsdale
With large-scale renovation projects, briefs can be tricky—it’s not the easiest feat to carve out a fresh new vision comprehensively complementary to existing bone structure. Such was the challenge for the revival of The Scott in Scottsdale, Arizona, a resort formally known as Firesky Resort & Spa.
“We were tasked with a significant modernization makeover, yet needed to preserve the original Spanish Revival–inspired architecture,” explains Greg Bradshaw, principal at AvroKO, the architecture and interior design firm that spearheaded the 190,000-square-foot renovation project in the heart of Scottsdale’s Old Town district.
To ease the transition between traditional architecture and 21st century fit-out in the 204 guest rooms and public areas—with three dining options, 14,500 square feet of indoor meeting space, spa, and two pools—AvroKO turned to the Modernism movement and the capital of a former Spanish colony: Havana.
Custom rattan and wicker furnishings paired with wood accents create a warm, honey-hued backdrop for a design theme Bradshaw sums up as a “mash-up of Bauhaus’ian and Cuban details and layers” – think a Havana front porch with a splash of old-world glamour. Curved brass Bauhaus-inspired chandeliers are paired with rattan settees and, as an unexpected standout feature, cane screens. Woven in fresh, amber-hued cane in a hexagonal design, these are used both as unexpected wall accents and spatial dividers throughout.
In the Canal Club restaurant, where cuisine, appropriately, has a Cuban twist, arched banquettes are upholstered in a shimming gold velvet—a challenging material for a heavy-traffic environment. Patience paid off, and the result is both “stain and rub resistant—not typical for that fabric form,” notes AvroKO principal Kristina O’Neal.
From the wide array of plantings, to the tropical landscapes depicted in vintage artwork, to wallpaper bursting with palm leafs, greenery abounds. That’s a nod to Cuba’s sub-tropical climate.
