Being “Vintage” isn’t just about being born in a certain era; it’s about evoking timelessness, mastery, and superior taste and class, which is exactly what The Vintage Club has achieved with its recently renovated Clubhouse.
Completed Jan. 16, 2016, The Clubhouse renovation project began as part of a larger plan to focus on the future of The Vintage Club. The Board of Directors and current Members agreed that a revitalization of The Clubhouse would help ensure The Club’s status as one of the most exclusive clubs in the country and prepare The Club for future growth.
“Members at The Vintage Club have always been proud of their club facilities, especially their 85,000-square-foot Clubhouse,” says Steve Cenicola, General Manager and Chief Operating Officer. “The building’s architecture is timeless, but after 17 years, the interior needed some updating.” So, the Building & Grounds Committee drafted a plan for a full-scale renovation of The Clubhouse that enhances the overall Vintage Club experience while also achieving The Club’s goal to be the best in the desert.
In order to be the best, you have to work with the best. The committee selected the original Vintage Club architect, Robert J. Geering, FAIA, as Lead Design Consultant for the project. Geering and fellow Aetypic architects Mark B. Steppan and David Tritt oversaw the building’s architectural design elements during the renovation. Wilson Associates, a world-renowned interior design firm, managed the interior design features, while Craig Roberts Associates Inc. of Dallas handled the new lighting installations.
With floating palm trees, stunning mountain views and elegant furnishings, The Pointe at The Vintage Club offers Members and their guests a unique alfresco dining experience.
With a budget of $24 million, the design team set to work to re-create The Club’s vision, and they delivered; the finished product falls nothing short of pure desert luxury.
The artistry of the new design — which Cenicola describes as “casual elegance” —is evident from the moment guests arrive. The main entrance welcomes visitors with the warm glow of floor lanterns and blooming desert plants. Floor-to-ceiling glass doors and windows add a dynamic visual element to the scene with their Mondrian-esque pattern, which also appears on the lanterns.
From the main entrance, guests step through the glass doors and cross The Clubhouse’s redesigned gallery: floor lanterns continue along both walls as a guiding sense of warmth; a green onyx fireplace adds a touch of intimacy; and an abstract wall sculpture echoes the mountains in the distance, as do the pyramidal ceilings overhead.
The subtle grandeur and sophistication expressed in the first few rooms extends to the rest of The Clubhouse, including its multipurpose card room, updated bathrooms, boardroom, private dining room, and 1,000-seat ballroom. Members and their guests can enjoy an enhanced dining experience at LakeView Grille, surrounded by luxurious furnishings that reflect the design pattern found in the building’s entryway. The restaurant’s bar area, now known as Mick’s Bar, has also been redesigned and includes beautiful, custom-glass lighting and an abstract water feature that creates a soothing, natural soundtrack.
Pass from the LakeView Grille to the Pointe, the restaurant’s extended outdoor seating area, and you will find a distinctive dining space. Though dining alfresco is the desert standard, The Vintage Club has created a unique space by doubling the size of the patio, adding radiant floor heating and four fire pits, and providing ample light with newly installed black metal torches. Enhanced water features in the surrounding lake and four “floating” palm trees make guests feel as though they too are floating on top of the water.
Floor lanterns continue along both walls of the redesigned gallery to reflect the style of the main entrance.
For Cenicola, the physical revitalization of The Clubhouse represents a much larger rebirth happening at The Vintage Club, particularly in the real estate and golf sectors. The Club is in the midst of a real estate renaissance; investors and developers are buying up and transforming properties into luxurious, turnkey homes. New builds are even in the works.
At the same time, The Vintage Club’s real estate rebirth has taken on a multi-layered renaissance all its own. According to Kevin Chandler, owner of the Vintage Club Sales real estate office, more than $65 million has poured into home improvements during 2015 alone. From minor updates to complete remodels and new homes, the activity has been a major contributor to robust sales.
Among those participants in this renaissance, Elizabeth Benton — a former stockbroker — is at the forefront. She has purchased, renovated and sold a number of Vintage Club properties. “This program is great for The Club,” she says. It’s the most beautiful development and wonderful membership I've ever been affiliated with." that affection is mirrored in meticulous craftsmanship and brilliant placement that maximizes views, sun, and shade. Benton wraps each fully landscaped home in a rich, neutral color palette then finishes them with designer furnishings, window coverings, accessories, and artwork. The only thing a new homeowner needs is the key.
The remodel of the Tom Fazio–designed Mountain Course has also contributed to The Club’s new look and feel. Completed in 2014, the Tom Fazio course updates have brought The Club to the forefront of the golf scene, earning the designation “Best New Remodel” in the December 2015 issue of Golf Digest.
“I’m most excited about the renewed sense of life this project has delivered to our Club,” he says. Maintaining and renewing enthusiasm about The Clubhouse and other facilities has always been one of the project’s main goals.
The renovations have also included adding elements that make The Clubhouse all the more grand. “There’s state-of-the-art technology in the boardroom, club lighting, and music,” Cenicola says. “It will also offer a 5,000-square-foot kitchen that will feature all new equipment and include a pastry shop, a butcher shop, and wood-burning Italian pizza ovens. There’s also a new children’s playground, and high-speed wireless Internet was enhanced around all of The Club’s amenities.”
While the list of improvements and additions is already impressive, what makes the renovation project truly special is the collaboration that has transpired between The Vintage Club staff, Members, and Board of Directors. For Cenicola, it’s one of the most exciting parts of his job.
“Vintage Members and employees are excited to see the changes that are happening before their eyes,” he says. “It’s this level of enthusiasm, not only about our renovation but also about the future of The Vintage Club and the commitment from our Board of Directors to continually improve our product, that really drives me.”
A home away from home for Vintage Club Members, the renovated Clubhouse ultimately embodies what it means to be “Vintage”: rare, classic, and esteemed.
“There will be no other top-tier club in the valley that will be able to match our premier amenities, personalized service, and Member privacy,” Cenicola enthuses. Per request, the timelessness of the original building and architecture has been preserved, including the pyramidal ceilings and trellis walls, but the more modern and sophisticated touches that now fill the space help illustrate a perfect blend of old and new … of an iconic past and exquisite present.
As for the future, The Vintage Club expects nothing less than the best. After all, that’s what being Vintage is all about.
Vintage Club Sales
75-005 Vintage Drive West
Indian Wells, CA 92210
760-340-0500
Fax: 760-568-3531
Email: [email protected]
www.thevintageclub.com
www.vintageclubsales.com
Pass from the Lake View Grille to the Pointe, the restaurant's extended outdoor seating area, and you will find a dining space unlike any other.
