Sandy Sheldon Design Hub was tasked with designing and installing a new clubhouse for a drivers' club at Sonoma Raceway. The budget was moderate, but the timeframe was very short. The real challenge? To transform a 1,780 sq. ft. commercial space into a premier drivers' clubhouse using only furnishings and fixtures.
This was my first look at the space. A previous tenant hadn't even removed all of their furnishings.
To make the space functional for the members, I needed to take a long and narrow space and create a multiple zones. Because there was no real construction involved in this Phase 1 of the project, the challenge was to create a space that could house multiple functions without adding any walls.
The multiple spaces included:
Locker room.
Two coaching stations.
Lounge with seating for 15.
Window seating to take advantage of the awesome track-side views.
Conference table for members and executive meetings that doubled as dining.
Cafeteria style dining.
Food service area.
Outdoor lounge for entertaining track side.
I worked with the architecture of the building to help delineate the separate "rooms" required to make it functional. Because it's a large metal building, there are vertical structural support columns along both sides of the space. These columns were my jumping off point to decide where each individual function would be placed.
This was a schematic I gave to my tech engineer. It gives you an idea of how I chose to layout the space using the structural columns.
To further introduce the concept of individual rooms, I knew it was imperative that I install walls treatments. These treatments were also my answer to the sound issue within the space.
I put together this design concept to get the green light from the decision makers. They immediately signed off on it, so I quickly got to work.
This silk hand-painted checkerboard grasscloth wallpaper from Poppy Print Studio was the perfect choice for this track-side clubhouse. It not only fit the theme, but it added a textural element, both literally and visually, to help in a small way with the sound issues inherent in the building. It also set the stage for the lounge location.
The short lead time on this project was another challenge. I only had five weeks to design the spaces, locate product, get it shipped, and get it installed. That meant I had to work quickly and visit warehouse sales, consignment stores, and work with distributors that had in-stock furnishings.
I added black trim around the wallpaper "box" to give it a more finished look, and then my furniture items from RH started to arrive.
Next up was the conference area.
To further address and control the sound quality in the space, I installed these black and white felt acoustic tiles from Felt Right. Not only were they easy to install, they reduce the reflected energy by 35 percent on average. Win, win!
To set the stage for this beautiful Carrera Marble table, I layered two rugs for texture to warm up the space, and to further enhance the sound quality. They worked like a charm. When I first spotted the table at a warehouse sale my intention was to paint the base black. Once it was delivered to the space, I realized the gold base was perfect. It brought in a warmth and spoke nicely to the sisal rug.
Next up, the clubhouse cafeteria style dining space. I used the same wallpaper and trim to provide continuity with the lounge space and to provide some interest and delineation to the dining area.
I used this black oak sideboard for the coffee and tea station, and I had club members provide photos I could have framed to personalize the space. My tech engineer installed a screen in the middle of the gallery wall so digital art and track day videos from past and future events could be showcased.
From this view you can see the wall of windows that frame a beautiful view of the track and blanket the space in natural light. You can also see the black and white curtain wall beyond the lounge space. This adds a wall affect to the locker room providing club members privacy and it further enhances the black and white theme bringing a feel of cohesion.
I don't have a photo of the locker room to share, because, well it's not completed yet. It's fully functional, complete with a second lounge, and has been getting a lot of use, however, there was a problem with the locker doors. It wasn't in the budget to purchase brand new lockers, so a club member donated them, which was great. But not so great was the fact they were 1990's orange cherry wood. If you saw me on Instagram painting the doors, I have to report it didn't go as well as I had planned. I didn't have a controlled environment to refinish them in and we had so much rain and the temperatures were really cold. The paint didn't adhere well at all. They are currently being refinished and will be installed shortly.
I can share this photo of a club member using the locker room tho. I had this zero gravity massage chair with heat and shiatsu foot massage brought in as a surprise. It's been a huge hit!
I can't end this post without showing the outdoor balcony space. It wasn't in the budget to order furniture, nor did the lead time allow for standard shipping times. After an exhaustive search, I stumbled upon the perfect pieces.
I was so excited to find it. I was at a Scandinavian Designs warehouse sale looking for furniture for another project and I stumbled upon this.
The depth of the balcony didn't allow for standard sized coffee tables, so I was able to find these black metal benches that work perfectly. Not only do they fit the space in size, but the horizontal lines work so well with the metal siding on the building. The black lines also mimic the black strapping on the back of the dining chars. It's as if it was all perfectly meant to be.
I didn't have experience with the design and installation of a high-end gentlemen's clubhouse prior to this project, but I was so happy to be asked to do it. There were a lot of challenges to overcome but I had so much fun. While the intention behind this space was that it would be a private club for members only, the racetrack management is so thrilled with the outcome that they're looking to showcase it as a boutique event space for outside groups to rent. The clubhouse leadership is thrilled.
- Sandy Sheldon
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