Situated in a prime location on North Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard, Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Fort Lauderdale is Tara Bernerd and Partners’ latest work for the Four Seasons brand, comprising 189 accommodations including suites and hotel residences, ballrooms, an expansive pool terrace, oceanfront dining, and a lobby café and champagne bar and a spa.
Appointed to design the hotel’s public spaces, rooms, suite and spa, Tara Bernerd and Partners sought inspiration from Fort Lauderdale’s yachting heritage, an era where Chris Craft yachts and Capri pants flourished. Encapsulating the freshness and elegance of mid-century modernist design, the result seamlessly blends a Riviera lifestyle with a luxury Florida/Bahamas feel to create an approachable luxury with timeless quality.
Tara Bernerd, founder of Tara Bernerd and Partners, told LLM – Luxury Lifestyle Magazine: “Four Seasons Fort Lauderdale is set to usher Fort Lauderdale into a new era of luxury. The natural beauty of its location, along the Beach Boulevard immediately reminded me of La Croisette in Cannes. Taking inspiration from Fort Lauderdale’s yachting heritage, we brought the space to life, with an effortless flow throughout the public spaces, pairing fresh palettes with statement mid-century furniture to create a luxurious yet welcoming atmosphere that reflects the city’s youthful and vibrant spirit.”
Entrance lobby and reception
The main lobby is the heart of the building; an elegant oasis designed to capture the warm, welcoming Florida feel upon entry at Four Seasons Fort Lauderdale. The double-height space walls have been clad in white washed oak and silver travertine to invoke a feeling of the Bahamas. Striking Gio-Ponti inspired patterns bring boldness to the floor, formed of triangular cuts of four contrasting coloured travertine and other stones.
Large floor-to-ceiling windows framed in antique brass and the extensive use of planters blur the lines between indoors and outdoors, allowing light to flood through the lush greenery outside into the lobby, promoting a feeling of well-being. The furniture selection for the space is a mixture of both mid-Century and contemporary pieces grouped with bespoke designs by Tara Bernerd and Partners for the concierge desk, bookcases, rugs, and jute chandeliers.
Honey Fitz Cafe and Terrace
A seamless continuation of the reception, the Honey Fitz café is an inviting all-day lounge that took its name from the Presidential yacht made famous by John F. Kennedy. Echoing the lobby, the café is adorned with pale linens, with the addition of warm ambers and mossy greens and a playful palm fabric as a contrast to create a cosy atmosphere. The area’s yachting heritage can be seen through the use of brass wall sconces and wood/metal wall lights that bring life to the space.
To the centre of the room, a marble topped table is on display for pastries and cakes during the day and champagne in the evening. Playing to the symmetry of the room, on each side of the table are groups of feature armchairs finished in a classic mid-century yellow fabric, facing a custom-made rattan sofa with pale linen cushions, set on bespoke designed rugs with a bold pattern similar to the lobby. Feature rattan and polished walnut-coloured wood screens frame the windows adding an additional layer of chic.
Double antique-brass framed glass doors lead immediately from the café out onto the café terrace. The space is open on two sides, with the pool deck above providing welcome shade from the sun, with sumptuous planting throughout allowing glimpses to the ocean beyond.
Guest rooms and suites
The guest rooms and suites within Four Seasons Fort Lauderdale portray a distinct mid-century inspiration, with a connection to the sea and nature. The use of pale linen to create a light and fresh palette is seen throughout the walls of the rooms, consistent with the lobby and café downstairs. A circular, bespoke, Tara Bernerd and Partners striped rug in cream and navy blue/oyster grey with pink bordering brings a playful touch to the room on top of the silver roman travertine-finished floors.
An elegant, architectural-inspired wrap-round shelf winds its way round one side of the room. Taking inspiration from Chris-Craft yachts, it is finished in a highly polished walnut coloured. The spacious bedrooms also feature brass reading light inset into the bespoke designed rattan and wood headboard, polished wood side tables, a deep green ottoman, a desk chair, wardrobe, a mini bar, and all that have been carefully selected to create that signature luxury look that Tara Bernerd and Partners is renowned for. Double sliding doors lead out onto the terrace, where guests can enjoy the breath-taking view of the North Fort Lauderdale beach and scenery to one side, or the Intracoastal Waterway to the other.
As with all Tara Bernerd and Partners’ properties, the suites at Four Seasons Fort Lauderdale have been designed to achieve that home-from-home feel. Each comprises a master bedroom and a separate sitting room where cream tones, polished walnut wood, and mid-century inspired furniture are seen throughout. The spacious balconies feature an outdoor sofa and coffee table, as well as a round dining table with four chairs, designed to be an outdoor sitting room with stunning views.
Condo residences
The condo residences at Four Seasons Fort Lauderdale feature a double bedroom and separate open-plan living room. To achieve a luxurious residential feel, Tara Bernerd and Partners have opted for open shelving on a travertine-floor space completed by a mid-century inspired wooden table and dining chairs, an abstract bespoke-designed rug, a curved soda, twin armchairs, teardrop shaped glass topped coffee table, a foot stool, shelve-turned-desk, and striking lighting.
Spa
Inspired by the infinite waterways that weave through Fort Lauderdale, the spa at Four Seasons Fort Lauderdale is a wellness sanctuary composed of lounges, salt-wall saunas, aroma steam rooms, ice fountains, and a fitness centre. The interplay of marble, natural woods, antique brass and pale linens in the design imbue a feeling of soothing luxury.
Factbox:
Address: 525 North Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
Phone: +1 754-336-3100
Website: fourseasons.com
