Galt House Hotel PROJECT SNAPSHOT Bold Floor Covering for a Bold Space Project Galt House Atrium Bold thinking has always been a part The Galt House needed a distinctive Hotel Renovation of the Galt House Hotel in Louisville, product that would make a design Location . After all, it was in the first statement while it stood up to heavy Louisville, Kentucky Galt House in 1864 that Union generals traffic—and the project had to be Website www.galthouse.com Ulysses S. Grant and William Sherman completed in a quick time frame (in

HOSPITALITY devised their audacious military time for the hotel’s Materials Durkan’s Lakir Collection strategy to capture Atlanta. guests). 1,406 square yards of carpet

Project Lead More than 120 years later, in 1985, “Owner Mary Mosely wanted some- Chris McDonough, The Gettys Group, the Galt House installed one of the thing that would really give a great im- Chicago, Illinois largest geothermal heating and air pression when guests walked into the conditioning systems in the world in its space,” said Kenny Franklin, director of Suite Tower. So when the Galt House engineering at Galt House. “The exte- was considering a recent renovation of rior of the conservatory with its pris- its conservatory, it was no surprise that matic glass looked fabulous, but the one of the South’s premier convention interior didn’t pop. The old carpet had hotels would approach the project with subdued colors and looked worn from boldness in design and durability in the day it was installed. We wanted mind. something with a wow, something new and modern.”

WWW.DURKAN.COM BOLD FLOOR COVERING FOR A BOLD SPACES

The hotel found “wow” in broadloom been done before, produces Lakir’s carpet from Durkan’s Lakir Collection. textural effects and stunning large- scale patterns more economically than The conservatory is the place to meet Axminster and in less manufacturing at the Galt House. The massive space is time. In luxurious Lakir, this precision impressive with a curved ceiling; a wall sculpted effect is seen in a simplicity of windows looking out over Louisville of lines bridged with plateaus of plush and the scenic ; bird cages full feathered pile and crowned with dense of live birds; Al J’s, a restaurant named scalloped ribbing. after former owner Al J. Schneider and which has a 30-foot aquarium bar; When it comes to durability and and a deli called Thelma’s, in honor of sustainability, Lakir stands up to Thelma Schneider, Al’s wife. the test front and back. It is made with Colorstrand fiber, an excellent Refreshing the conservatory was not a choice for the Galt House’s bright small assignment. It took 1,406 square conservatory because Colorstrand yards of carpet with a 30-foot pattern features unsurpassed colorfastness to repeat. Architects and designers light, atmospheric contaminants and from The Gettys Group, an award- harsh cleaning agents. winning global hospitality design firm specializing in interior design, Lakir also is backed by WeldLok, which consulting, branding and procurement is ideal for high-performance environ- in Chicago, brought in a complete ments that require excellent tuft reten- furniture package, new color palette tion properties. The Lakir Collection and new floor covering. They custom- also is red list free; it contains no mate- colored and scaled Lakir to create a rials designated harmful to living crea- bold energy in this stunning space. tures. With the new look in the conser- vatory and Durkan’s Lakir Collection, “The conservatory is the most popular, Galt House Hotel is on pace to once most seen and most traversed space again define boldness—in hospitality, in Galt House, so we wanted to make style and durability. a splash there immediately,” said Chris McDonough, senior design director, The Gettys Group. “The new carpet has a lot of depth and movement. Lakir gave us the quality look we wanted in the time frame we needed.”

The capabilities of Durkan’s Definity manufacturing technology was a deciding factor in the use of Lakir in the Galt House. McDonough said, “Durkan offered state-of-the-art technology and a cutting-edge product, and we at Gettys like to thoughtfully use these kinds of new products. Also, the Definity technology helped us meet our deadlines.”

Definity, which replicates the durability and look of Axminster as it has never

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