Set among the sprawling vineyards and lush green landscape of the Willamette Valley wine region, The Allison Inn & Spa of Newberg, OR, defines luxury while also reflecting its natural surroundings. The design team at GGLO of Seattle, WA, worked closely with the resort’s owner to develop a design concept that would incorporate all of the needs of an upscale hotel and spa as well as including natural materials to make it a sustainable and energy-efficient structure. With natural stone showcased throughout its exterior and interior design, The Allison Inn & Spa ties in with its surrounding landscape, and it has recently gained acclaim for earning LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

The exterior stone palette 
 

The color palette chosen for the resort’s design are colors found in nature, explained James Bradley of GGLO, the Design Architect for the project. “The goal was to recreate a contemporary country estate,” he said. “It is home to great vineyards. We thought of ways to make the project relevant to the landscape and the area.”

“The interesting part was the exploration for the entire design team that got us to the final design,” Bradley went on to say. “There were no preconceived notions. We had to create a design process. We went through a variety of patterns and design types and mock-ups to narrow down [the choices]. We thought of stone from the get-go, but we didn’t know exactly what type it would be. There was a lot of exploration used to search for the stone. We were looking at what quarries were available and the overall appearance [of the material].”

Old World-style masonry 
 

“Because our masons work specifically with a personally assigned stone hammer, over the years we have developed a specialty heat-treated stone hammer unlike anything we have found on the open market,” said Paull. “These hammers are fabricated, numbered and assigned to each mason, and they are for Guinett’s use solely.”

Overall, the design team at GGLO believes design and construction of The Allison Inn & Spa was a success. “It was a very smooth process,” said Bradley. “A lot of expertise was brought to the table. Really, the only challenge that occurred was deciding what stone to use. The entire project team is very pleased.”