ALPHARETTA, GA.—The Bancroft Hotel, a National Registered Landmark and a premier boutique hotel based in Berkeley, Calif., has teamed up with The Refinishing Touch to update furniture as part of a large-scale renovation project.
The Bancroft Hotel was built in 1928, was designed by noted Bay Area architect Walter T. Steilberg, and has come to be known for its historic charm, personalized service and eco-friendly practices. Located directly across the street from the University of California at Berkeley and next door to the Berkeley Art Museum, the Bancroft is part of the rich and diverse history of the Bay Area.
Following renovations and seismic upgrades completed in the early 1990s, the Bancroft embarked on this new project with sustainability as its primary motivation while economically preserving the history of the property. The Bancroft’s commitment to going green includes the use of organic cotton sheets and bamboo towels in each of its 22 guestrooms as well as the use of cork flooring, recycled carpet tiles, nontoxic paints and earth-friendly cleaning solutions throughout the property.
Furniture’s Integrity Preserved
The hotel was furnished with custom-made pieces based on the architect’s original 1928 drawings of furniture that had never been made, but were intended specifically for the building. The furniture designs have been drawn to cater to the needs of today’s guests and to ensure space was maximized in each guestroom. This required an on-site furniture refinishing company with the skill and experience to renovate key pieces of the Bancroft’s furniture while preserving the integrity and character that the original designs required.
The Refinishing Touch was selected to fulfill this role and convert historically accurate armoires into desks. In keeping with the original designs and to create new pieces of furniture from the existing ones, The Refinishing Touch team modified the height and decreased the depth of each armoire. The drawers were then aligned and positioned to function as those of a desk. In line with the Bancroft’s sustainability goals, the tops of the armoires will be reused as material for new countertops.
“The Bancroft Hotel has a rich history,” says Daryl Ross, owner of the Bancroft Hotel. “It’s vital that we protect this heritage, and that includes the preservation of historically accurate furniture pieces that were previously custom-made for the hotel. The Refinishing Touch’s experience in wood preservation techniques and its skills in armoire conversion are vital to meeting our goals of preserving as much of the Bancroft’s history as possible while also keeping up with the expectations of today’s hotel guests.”
“We’re proud and honored to be part of this important project and to play a small part in the history of this landmark hotel,” says Mario Insenga, CEO and founder of The Refinishing Touch. “We have developed a unique process for the Bancroft that will preserve the carvings, character and style of its unique and valuable furniture while modernizing the pieces to ensure they remain useful for many years to come.”
Go to The Refinishing Touch.
