Boutique Hotel Detail, at Multifamily Scale

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Boutique Hotel Detail, at Multifamily Scale

CommercialMulti-Family
Hotel reception area with two red velvet desks, wallpaper featuring trees, chandeliers above, and a person walking past; framed by a large wooden arch with red tile accents—a striking example of retail design in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Alamira Luxury Living

A 22,000-square-foot clubhouse in west Columbus, designed to compete with hotels instead of with the property next door.

Category

,

Location

Trabue Road, west Columbus, Ohio, just beyond Grandview Heights

Community Context

Alamira sits on the west side of Columbus, a part of the market that has historically competed on unit count, floor plan, and rent. Amenity design was not the battleground. That is precisely what made the site interesting: there was no local benchmark to beat, which meant the only useful comparison was hospitality. We stopped looking at what other Columbus communities were doing and started looking at what hotels were doing, and designed to that standard instead.

Year

2026

Plaid-walled lounge with six green armchairs around a wooden coffee table, fireplace, TV, chandelier, framed art, and wood-paneled door.

Most multifamily amenity spaces are built to a ceiling. Not a budget ceiling exactly, though that is part of it, but a habit: amenity packages get planned generously, value-engineered quietly, and finished fast so the building can open on time. Residents have learned to expect a nice lobby and a decent gym.

Alamira was built to break that expectation on purpose. Preferred Living came to us with the largest clubhouse in their portfolio, 22,000 square feet serving 380 residences, and a brief that had almost nothing to do with square footage. They wanted an amenity experience that could hold its own against boutique hotels anywhere in the world, in a Columbus submarket where nobody had ever tried.

 

Project Snapshot

 

  • 22,000 SF clubhouse
  • 380 residences
  • Completed June 2026
  • 22 foot lobby ceiling
Two striped armchairs and a small table sit by an indoor pool, reflecting the elegance of retail design in Scottsdale, Arizona. A large arched window reveals an inviting outdoor patio with vibrant red umbrellas.
Modern dining room with a wooden table, six green chairs, three pendant lights, a wall-mounted TV, patterned wallpaper, and a window showing a colorful library.
Two beige armchairs with patterned pillows flank a small round table with a plant. Behind, floral wallpaper is decorated with four framed art pieces arranged in a grid, showcasing an elegant touch inspired by retail design in Scottsdale, Arizona.

“The details are what people feel and remember, even when they can’t quite name them." — Cheryl Stauffer

The Vision

Preferred Living has been building in central Ohio for a long time. Alamira was the project where they decided to put design at the front of their name. The goal was never simply a bigger clubhouse. It was recognition, the kind that travels past the state line, and the belief that a developer can be known for design the same way an architect is.

 

That ambition translated into a specific set of instructions. Unique materials, the kind that rarely make it into a commercial space. A spa offering that behaves like a destination rather than a bonus. And a level of finish that residents feel before they can name it. Cheryl and the team have described it since as the project of a lifetime, and the reason isn’t the scale, it’s that the client asked for more detail rather than less, at every single decision point. On a project of this size, our design hearts were incredibly satisfied.

The Impact

The client's reaction was immediate and, in Cheryl's words, overwhelming. But the verdict that mattered showed up in leasing when Alamira filled far faster than a property this new typically does, and it did it by pulling residents out of nearby communities. People paid a penalty to break an existing lease in order to move in, and the properties they left started cutting monthly rates to slow it down.

 

That is the return on detail. Not that people admire the tape trim, but that they want to live inside the feeling it creates.

The Approach

We spent our leverage on the things that usually get cut.

 

On a project of this scale, the first casualties are always the small ones. Tape trims. Tassels. Nailhead detailing. The extra pass on millwork that turns a raw edge into a finished one. Individually, none of them justify a line item. Collectively, they are the entire difference between a space that looks expensive and a space that feels considered. We pushed for all of them, on both fronts, construction and furniture, and Preferred Living pushed back in the best possible way by asking for more.

 

So every piece of millwork in the building is trimmed out. There is no exposed raw edge anywhere in the clubhouse. Every soft good carries detail at its edge rather than stopping at the seam. It is the kind of work most residents will never consciously catalog, and it is the reason the space reads the way it does the moment you walk in.

 

The program got the same treatment. A clubhouse this large can easily become a list of rooms, so we planned it as a range of social temperatures instead. There are fully public spaces for gathering, the cafe bar, the lounges, the billiards parlor and arcade, the theater. There are semi-private spaces for working near other people, the coworking lounge with its podcasting studio, the conference room, the library. And there are genuinely solitary spaces for recovery, the sauna, the hydrotherapy and cold plunge pools, the locker lounges. A resident can take a client call, decompress alone, and run into a neighbor over coffee inside the same building, without any of those needs colliding in the same room.



Elegant living room with two red velvet sofas, a large fireplace, contemporary art above the mantel, and a blue patterned rug on wooden floors—showcasing inspiration from Retail Design in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Services Provided:

Commercial Interior Design

Multi-Location Clubhouse Design

Amenity Space Planning

Construction Finish Selection

FF&E Design and Specification

Custom Millwork Detailing

Custom Furniture Fabrication

Art and Accessory Curation

Phased Installation Management

Our Expertise

Our Favorite Details

The leasing mural is a Kit Kemp pattern by Kravet and Andrew Martin, and it does more work than any other single element in the building. It’s the first thing a prospective resident sees, and it announces immediately that this is not a standard leasing office.

The lobby runs 22 feet to the ceiling, anchored by a Visual Comfort chandelier and a Material Bespoke fireplace with a six-foot firebox. The custom art piece above it took scaffolding and most of a crew to hang. The scale of that room is the argument the whole project is making, so every element in it had to be able to carry the height without shouting.

The indoor pool is finished in concrete zellige tile from Morocco, with natural stone mosaics through the rest of the wet areas. Handmade zellige in a commercial pool surround is not a normal multifamily decision. It’s a hotel decision.

The work pods are wrapped in Scalamandré. Putting a wallcovering of that caliber inside a space designed for spreadsheets is exactly the kind of decision that gets cut on most projects, and it is why residents actually want to work there.

The women's locker lounge is papered in an S. Harris butterfly pattern. It’s typically a room most communities treat as pure utility, but here it’s a room people talk about and linger in

And then the pieces that exist nowhere else: tufted panels on the front desk, built-in banquettes in the podcast studio and the billiards room, and upholstered doors into the golf simulator. Custom fabrication is a recurring Crimson signature, and Alamira has more of it than any project we have done.

Bold.
Unexpected.
Memorable.

A framed painting of a figure with a disco ball for a head hangs on a patterned wall in a small alcove, next to a desk, chair, and potted plant—an artful vignette that captures the innovative spirit often seen in Retail Design in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Notes from the Design Team

Installation had to run directly on top of an aggressive construction schedule, with a fixed opening date and no slack anywhere in it. We built a phased delivery plan, mapped installation roles day by day, and then tracked subcontractor schedules in parallel so our sequence and theirs never collided. Finished areas had to be protected from live work zones while both were happening simultaneously.

The best example is a detail almost nobody will ever notice. There are hidden doors connecting the library lounges to the locker room lounges, fob-controlled and disguised as bookshelves. A bookshelf that swings is a bookshelf that can drop something on someone.

So we worked out on the fly with the construction team how to permanently adhere every accessory and every book to those shelves, so nothing shifts or falls when a resident opens the door. It comes off as a simple design flourish but was actually a safety decision made in the field, under schedule pressure, on a door most residents will assume is a wall.

The client never saw most of that, which is how a Red Glove moment is supposed to work at Crimson. The polish that remains for the residents is the only part we want visible.

A large outdoor pool with lounge chairs and red umbrellas, set in front of a two-story brick building under a blue sky, showcases the sophisticated flair of retail design in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Arched wall alcove featuring intricate geometric and floral patterned tiles in blue, green, and brown, bordered by rectangular green tiles on both sides—an elegant touch inspired by retail design in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Hallway with a dark cabinet, patterned rug, blue tile accents, and two framed artworks: one of a blue grid with leaves and another depicting a dark octopus. Marble floor and overhead light create an inviting space reminiscent of contemporary retail design in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Indoor pool with clear water, lounge chairs, and tables in front of large arched windows overlooking an outdoor patio area—a perfect example of refined leisure spaces inspired by retail design in Scottsdale, Arizona.
A view into a bathroom with brick walls, patterned wallpaper, three mirrors, a double sink, plaid flooring, and a pink patterned rug—showcasing the unique flair of retail design in Scottsdale, Arizona.
A wooden sauna room with bench seating, warm lighting, a glass door, and a black-and-white checkered tile floor showcases sophisticated retail design in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Bathroom with checkered gray marble floor, pink and white tiled shower, glass door, towel on a stool, and maroon tile accents—showcasing a refined aesthetic inspired by retail design in Scottsdale Arizona.
A cozy living room inspired by retail design in Scottsdale, Arizona, features four plush chairs around a square coffee table, a fireplace, wall art, floral wallpaper, and a chandelier under a vaulted ceiling.
A modern dining room with a wooden table, six green chairs, pendant lights, a large TV, plants, and a window showing a colorful library reflects the sophisticated touch often seen in Retail Design in Scottsdale Arizona.
A dimly lit room with dark armchairs, patterned pillows, small lamps, ottomans, and feather-patterned wallpaper—expertly arranged for cozy seating—reflects the sophisticated touch of retail design in Scottsdale, Arizona.
A small room, inspired by retail design in Scottsdale, Arizona, features blue floral wallpaper, a built-in desk, a tan leather chair, a vase, two wall sconces, and a ceiling pendant light over striped carpet.
Two patterned armchairs face each other in a hallway with wood paneling, flanked by mirrors and side tables, and a framed horse portrait in the center background above a staircase—an inviting arrangement that exemplifies sophisticated retail design in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Game room with arcade machines, skee-ball lanes, pinball machines, a brown ottoman, high chairs, patterned wallpaper, and a rug on wooden flooring—an inviting space that draws inspiration from innovative Retail Design in Scottsdale Arizona.
A luxurious home theater room inspired by Retail Design in Scottsdale, Arizona, featuring patterned wallpaper, rows of blue armchairs with brown pillows, matching ottomans, small side tables, and dim lighting.
Room with green walls, two pool tables on patterned rugs, green velvet drapes, a central fireplace, and framed art on the walls. Overhead lights and lamps provide illumination.

Essex

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Essex

CommercialMulti-Family
A modern seating area with a rust-colored velvet banquette, patterned pillows, three yellow cube ottomans, small brass tables, and abstract black-and-white artwork on a dark wall.
Close-up view of a modern chandelier with ribbed glass globes and metal arms, set against a patterned wall and framed artwork in the background.
A small green chair is placed in front of a plaid upholstered bench in a dimly lit room with dark blue walls and wooden floor.
A chandelier hangs from the ceiling in a room with patterned wallpaper and various framed artworks, including a large colorful portrait and smaller landscape and insect-themed pieces.

Small Footprint, Full Brand

When Preferred Living brought Crimson in on Essex, the ask carried a degree of difficulty the square footage didn't telegraph. This was PL's first community in Grandview Heights — a brand-new market test for the developer in one of Columbus's most in-demand neighborhoods — and the clubhouse had to carry the full Preferred Living look and feel in a meaningfully smaller footprint than the amenity spaces the brand is known for: roughly 2,025 square feet. One open room to make one first impression, so every zone a resident would expect from a boutique luxury building, from lounge to coffee bar to business center to fitness area, to an outdoor gathering space was packed into a compact footprint without ever feeling crowded.

The key design move was to stop chasing contrast and let color do the zoning. Crimson washed the entire clubhouse in a single unifying color (Benjamin Moore Raccoon Fur) in an eggshell sheen, on every wall so the eye could take in the room as one generous, considered space rather than a series of small, competing moments. From there the team layered in pattern and confident color to give each zone its own personality: a Phillip Jeffries hand-blocked linen wallpaper on the back leasing wall, a charcoal Phillip Jeffries herringbone vinyl in the club room, plaid Maharam upholstery on the banquettes. In a compact footprint, the usual playbook like high contrast, strong material shifts, and hard architectural breaks would have chopped the room up and made it feel smaller, so we quieted the contrast and let pattern and color carry the interest and do the opposite: it made a small plan feel layered, intentional, and generous in what it offered.

The Red Glove moment was the kind of save that never shows up in a finished photo. Above the banquettes, the trim and the sconces were colliding — the millwork was catching the backplate of each sconce, so neither read quite as intended. Rather than let it look like an afterthought, Crimson had custom trim plates fabricated midway through construction so every sconce sat as though the trim had been built around it — made for each other, not worked around each other. A compact clubhouse with this much pattern is only as good as its execution, and Crimson stayed hands-on throughout the build, walking the site regularly, catching issues like this early, and protecting the design intent finish by finish. It's exactly the category of work that's invisible in the final image and the reason the final image reads the way it does.

Leasing told the story. Essex was Preferred Living's opening move in Grandview — the building the developer used to learn what the neighborhood's residents actually wanted — and it performed well enough to keep the partnership going. In the year and a half after Essex wrapped, Crimson designed more PL clubhouses across New Albany and Westerville and began work on two of the developer's larger communities, Langham and Fairfax. A compact clubhouse, done with restraint and real follow-through, proved the thesis: in Grandview, residents respond to a space that feels cohesive, considered, and legitimately boutique — and the first impression a clubhouse makes is the first impression the building makes.

Project Partners:
Upholstery: Fortner Inc.

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River House

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River House

CommercialMulti-Family
A bar with a tufted blue front, granite countertop, wood-paneled wall, two gold pendant lights, framed artwork, and decorative plants on a wooden floor.
A black table holds decorative vases and jars in green, yellow, and black-and-white above stacked books, with framed art and photos on a gray textured wall behind.
A modern living room with a dark green wall, blue sofa with colorful cushions, yellow ottoman, small side table with books, and a gold wall sconce.
A modern lounge with a pool table on a rug, high-top table with stools, computer workstations, pendant lights, and contemporary decor.
A dark wooden dining table with yellow velvet chairs and a white bowl of greenery, set on a wood floor in a dimly lit room.
A beige sofa with patterned cushions sits on a covered patio, facing a wooden coffee table, with green plants and trees visible outside.

One Room, Three Rhythms

When Preferred Living brought Crimson in on River House, the brief carried an unusual ask for a PL clubhouse: reach a younger resident (the 20s and 30s renters drawn to Harrison West and the Olentangy River corridor) and do it without leaning on the blue palette PL clubhouses had become known for. Instead, the room would turn on dark green (Sherwin-Williams 6994 Greenblack), golden yellow, and warm red-orange accents, a palette with more confidence and more edge, written for a crowd looking for a building that felt made for them. At roughly 7,000 square feet, the clubhouse footprint ran slightly smaller than the PL typical, and the amenity list inside it did not shrink to match — bar, game room, resident lounge, theater, reception — so every square foot had to work.
The key design move was the plan itself. Rather than carve the bar, game room, and lounge into separate rooms, Crimson designed one long, open social space, each zone clearly defined and visually collaborative with its neighbors. The reward is a room that encourages the kind of socializing a younger renter actually uses a clubhouse for, sit down at the bar and still read the game room, move to the lounge and still catch the conversation at the billiards table. Anchoring it all, at the room's midpoint, is a two-sided fireplace wrapped in oversized wood beams and columns, set over a checkerboard floor of honed white and dark stone tile that gives both sides of the room a center to gather around. Dark green cabinetry, warm golden accents, and confident patterns do the zoning the walls don't, so the room reads unified without ever going flat.
The Red Glove moment was the arrival. Between reception and the clubhouse, Crimson framed a walkway with full-height drapery — textured white panels banded in a bright green velvet trim — an intentionally grand, theatrical gesture that gives the resident a peek into the clubroom the second they step inside. This small detail made a big first impression and is the kind of detail that reads simple in a photo and was anything but in execution: drapery track, framing, sightlines, and lighting all had to land exactly right, and the coordination between trades was the whole story. Every inch of that reveal had to be choreographed so the clubroom glimpse beyond the drapery looked like the most natural thing in the world.
Residents and Preferred Living both read it the same way. The clubhouse feels confident, collected, and eclectic: a palette bolder than the typical playbook, a plan that keeps the room social by design, and a welcome moment that announces the building before you've set your bag down. A younger demographic, a smaller footprint, a fuller room — that's the River House case, and the reason a building along the Olentangy has held the energy of its target resident as cleanly as it has.

Project Partners:
Upholstery: Fortner Inc.

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A Confident Take on Multifamily Living

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A Confident Take on Multifamily Living

Multi-Family
A pool table sits on a patterned rug in front of green upholstered booth seating with round tables, framed artwork, and pendant lighting in an elegant room.

Langham

A hospitality-driven multifamily community designed to elevate everyday living and stand out in a competitive market.

Category

Location

Columbus, Ohio (Grandview Heights / Tri-Village area). Proximity to downtown Columbus and walkability to neighborhood retail was a key positioning factor.

Community Context

Urban multifamily community in a highly competitive leasing market, Grandview, Ohio, designed to attract residents seeking a lifestyle-forward experience.

Year

2024

Two decorative pillows, one with a green and white geometric design and gold tassels, and the other with a blue and white dotted pattern, rest on an olive green sofa.
A staircase with green paneled walls, a wooden banister, a round table with vases and a plant, and three patterned stools on a geometric tile floor.
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The Vision

Design a multifamily experience that feels elevated, memorable, and resident-driven.

The developer’s goal was to create a community that would stand apart through experience, not excess. Rather than defaulting to predictable finishes or amenity checklists, Langham was envisioned as a place where shared spaces feel intentional and engaging. We wanted environments  that residents would actually use and talk about.

Crimson developed a design language that could carry across multiple floors and amenity types without feeling repetitive. The two-story, rich green-paneled staircase was designed as a central, sculptural wayfinding device, turning a point of circulation into a dynamic visual anchor. This solved the flow challenge by actively encouraging movement and connection across the two amenity levels.

The Approach

Design the amenities as a destination, not an afterthought.

Crimson approached Langham holistically, mapping how residents would move through the building and experience the spaces over time. Entry sequences, social zones, workspaces, and moments of retreat were carefully choreographed to support different rhythms of use throughout the day.

Amenity planning was informed by how residents live now, blending wellness, social connection, and work-from-home needs. This included spaces like a 24-hour fitness center with Peloton equipment, refined conference rooms, Starbucks beverage stations, and entertainment-driven areas such as a private theater, retro arcade, and virtual golf simulators.

Durable materials and thoughtful layouts were prioritized to ensure long-term performance, while custom elements and layered finishes added warmth and personality to spaces that could easily have felt oversized or impersonal.

To reinforce the "luxury destination" feel, the outdoor space was treated as a full-service resort experience, with temperature-controlled water, bespoke cabanas, and integrated hydrotherapy. This attention to high-end detail is one of many direct contributors to resident 5-star Google reviews.

The Impact

A community experience that residents recognize and respond to.

Langham’s amenity spaces quickly became a defining feature of the community, contributing to strong visibility and resident engagement. We love that online reviews consistently reference the modern aesthetic, upscale interiors, and variety of amenity spaces, reinforcing the idea that the intended design actually enhances their daily living rather than simply filling square footage.

Residents frequently describe Langham as feeling more like a luxury destination than a typical apartment community, citing the quality of shared spaces and overall atmosphere as differentiators.

In 2025, the project received the ASID Design Excellence Award for Commercial Space, Large, further validating Langham as a benchmark for experience-driven multifamily design.

“Langham was about creating spaces that residents genuinely want to spend time in — environments that feel intentional, welcoming, and built for long-term use, and multi-year leasing.”

2025-0709_langham_lobby-0389

Services Provided:

Interior Design for Amenity & Common Spaces

Space Planning & Layout

FF&E Procurement & Coordination

Sourcing, specification, procurement, and installation of furniture, fixtures, and finishes.

Material & Finish Selection

Lighting Design Coordination

Installation Oversight & Project Coordination

Our Expertise

Our Favorite Details

A custom lobby desk featuring patterned tile and paneled detailing anchors the arrival experience, while a commissioned LED artwork by a local Ohio artist introduces an unexpected sense of place.

A winding staircase wrapped in rich green paneling turns circulation into a visual feature, encouraging movement through the space rather than past it. Smaller moments, like a custom chess booth with upholstered seating and marble playing surface, transform compact footprints into memorable destinations.

Outdoors, the temperature-controlled pool terrace with cabanas and hydrotherapy features reinforces the hospitality-inspired approach, creating a resort-like atmosphere residents consistently highlight in five-star Google reviews.

Bold.
Unexpected.
Memorable.

A staircase with green paneled walls, a wooden banister, a round table with vases and a plant, and three patterned stools on a geometric tile floor.

Notes from the Design Team

Designing Langham required thinking at multiple scales at once, from establishing a strong overall identity to refining the smaller moments residents interact with daily. With so many amenity spaces across multiple levels, maintaining cohesion without repetition was a central challenge.

What made the project especially successful was treating every space, large or small, as an opportunity to reinforce experience. By pairing bold design decisions with thoughtful planning and coordination, the finished community feels active, engaging, and clearly differentiated from standard multifamily offerings.

Award-winning-art-and-design
2025-0709_langham_lobby-0329
A high-ceiling multi-family amenity lobby featuring tall arched windows, deep green walls, velvet olive-green furniture, and geometric gold chandeliers.
2025-0709_langham_cafe-bar-0158_w
A pool table sits on a patterned rug in front of green upholstered booth seating with round tables, framed artwork, and pendant lighting in an elegant room.
A kitchen counter with wood drawers, blue tiled backsplash, decorative vases, stacked books, leafy branches, and two brass wall sconces with white globes.
Three built-in bookshelves with teal lower sections contain assorted books, vases, and decorative objects against a patterned backdrop on a wooden floor.
A round marble table with two purple chairs and a green velvet banquette sits below a framed artwork in a white-paneled alcove.
A modern bar area with brown leather barstools, a marble countertop, gold horse statues, and geometric pendant lights above. Black dining chairs and round tables are in the foreground.
2025-0709_langham_theatre-0086
2025-0709_langham_theatre-0078
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A dark wood console table with decorative books, an amber vase, a horse-shaped lamp with a beige shade, and wall art partially visible in the background.
2025-0709_langham_pool-0263 1
2025-0709_langham_outdoor-0272
2025-0709_langham_outdoor-0297
A modern outdoor armchair with a woven rattan frame, patterned blue and white cushions, and a small green pillow, placed on artificial grass near a patio.
Outdoor patio area with cushioned chairs, round tables, and sofas on artificial grass, featuring decorative pillows and potted plants in the background.
2025-0709_langham_golf-0105
A small seating nook with a chessboard on a table, red upholstered benches, a hanging glass light fixture, and wallpaper featuring black and white silhouette portraits.
2025-0709_langham_conference-room-0053
A modern bathroom features two gold-framed mirrors, dual sinks with gold fixtures, wall sconces, and a vase with white flowers on the countertop.
Floral patterned fabric with orange, yellow, blue, and brown colors displayed vertically.
A restroom hallway with dark blue doors, beige tiled walls and floor, and five framed portraits hanging on the wall.
2025-0709_langham_gym-0025 copy

A Hospitality-Driven Amenity Experience

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A Hospitality-Driven Amenity Experience

2025-0709_fairmount_cafe-bar-0471
2025-0709_fairmount_cafe-bar-0483

A Hospitality-Driven Amenity Experience

A boutique-inspired multifamily amenity and clubhouse designed to deliver elevated experience within a smaller, more efficient footprint.

Category

Location

Westerville, Ohio

Community Context

A suburban multifamily community positioned between New Albany and Westerville, offering convenient access to retail, green space, and commuter routes while appealing to residents seeking an elevated, residential lifestyle.

Year

2024

2025-0709_fairmount_theatre-0488
Modern interior with an arched doorway leading to a room with red bookshelves and a framed artwork, next to a blue wall with large windows and a small table with two brown chairs.
2025-0709_fairmount_lobby-coffee-0439
2025-0709_fairmount_lobby-0395

This project represented a strategic evolution in multifamily amenity design for our client. Located in Westerville, Ohio, the community was developed as a more cost-conscious alternative to the developer’s typical standalone clubhouse model — without sacrificing experience, identity, or leasing performance.

Crimson Design Group partnered with the development team to create a hospitality-driven clubhouse carved from the shell of a residential building, spanning two of its three floors. The goal was clear: design an amenity space that feels intentional, welcoming, and distinctive, while supporting lease-up and long-term resident engagement in a competitive market.

 

Project Snapshot

 

  • Amenity Layout: Integrated clubhouse spanning two levels within a residential building
  • Design Approach: Hospitality-inspired, boutique-scale amenity design
  • Footprint: Smaller, efficiency-driven clubhouse model
  • Leasing Outcome: Strong lease-up performance
  • Resident Experience: Residential warmth paired with urban polish

The Vision

Create a boutique, hospitality-inspired amenity experience within a smaller footprint.

The developer set out to rethink their traditional clubhouse approach. Rather than investing in a large, standalone amenity building, the vision was to deliver the same sense of polish and presence through a more efficient, integrated model.

Crimson envisioned the clubhouse as a “hidden gem” within the community, a space that feels considered, elevated, and inviting, encouraging residents to gather while reinforcing the overall identity of the property.

The Approach

Designing for impact, cohesion, and efficiency.

Working within a reduced footprint required careful planning from the start. Crimson focused on maximizing visual continuity across the clubhouse by carrying a consistent palette of blues and reds throughout the space. This cohesive approach allowed the two-level layout to feel connected and visually larger than its actual square footage.

One of the most impactful design moves was the addition of a vestibule at the facade. While modest in scale, this architectural gesture creates a clear sense of arrival, giving the clubhouse presence as residents approach and signaling that the space is something special.

Layouts were designed to support multiple uses throughout the day — from casual gathering to focused activity — without overprogramming the space or sacrificing comfort.

The Impact

A smaller footprint with outsized results.

Once complete, the success of the design was immediate. The property leased up quickly, and the client was thrilled with the outcome. Residents responded positively to the elevated unit finishes and the contrast between the suburban setting and the warm, hospitality-driven amenity experience.

The project demonstrated that thoughtful design (not square footage alone) drives resident engagement, leasing performance, and long-term value.

“This project proved that you don’t need a massive footprint to create an amenity space residents actually want to use.”

Our Favorite Details

Small moves made a big difference.

The exterior vestibule establishes a strong first impression, while inside, layered seating arrangements and residential finishes help the clubhouse feel warm and approachable. Consistent color use across spaces reinforces cohesion, and thoughtful styling ensures the amenity feels like an extension of home rather than a generic shared space.

The result is an environment that residents want to use — not just pass through.

Bold.
Unexpected.
Memorable.

A row of upholstered armchairs with brown velvet cushions, small table lamps, and framed vintage posters on a dark blue paneled wall.

Notes from the Design Team

This project required flexibility and close coordination. With a new building layout and a departure from the developer’s typical clubhouse model, scheduling adjustments were inevitable.

Crimson worked closely with the project management team to adapt timelines and coordinate subcontractors as conditions evolved, ensuring the design intent stayed intact and the project was delivered on schedule.

A beige pool table with a racked set of billiard balls is centered in a room with blue walls, four tan barstools, and a pendant light above.

Services Provided:

Multifamily Amenity & Clubhouse Design

Space Planning & Layout

FF&E Procurement & Coordination

Sourcing, specification, procurement, and installation of furniture, fixtures, and finishes.

Material & Finish Selection

Installation Management

Our Expertise
A striped upholstered barstool with wooden legs sits in front of a blue fluted bar with gold metal accents and a light wood floor.
A wall with a geometric pattern of multicolored marble triangles, with a modern, double white sconce mounted near the top center.
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Two decorative pillows, one gold velvet and one with a colorful geometric pattern, are placed on a dark blue upholstered sofa against a blue wall.
A lounge with velvet-cushioned armchairs, marble-topped tables, and vintage posters on a blue paneled wall, with wall-mounted lamps providing light.
Framed vintage Chocolat Klaus poster depicting a figure on a red horse hangs on a blue wall beneath a lit double wall sconce.
A ceiling corner with dark blue crown molding and a colorful, marbled patterned wallpaper on the ceiling.
View through a white brick archway of a hallway with a red rug, red built-in shelves on the left, paneled gray wall, and a framed butterfly artwork.
Floor-to-ceiling red bookshelves with books and decor stand against a wall in a room with blue paneling, wood flooring, and a patterned rug. A framed bird artwork hangs on the blue wall.
A modern office space with a round marble table, brown leather chairs, a blue arched desk area with two monitors, wall sconces, and framed art on navy blue walls.
Bookshelves filled with assorted books, decorative items, two blue horse figurines, and an open book on a desk-lit surface below.
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Close-up of a red cabinet with brass handles and a black cushioned seat on top, showing the textures of wood and leather-like material.
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Luxury Retail Interior Design, Refined to Its Quietest Form

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Luxury Retail Interior Design, Refined to Its Quietest Form

Retail
Modern dining room with a long wooden table, gold chairs, a central floral arrangement, geometric chandelier, and glass sliding doors. Warm backlighting highlights wall displays.

Elegant, moody, and intentionally intimate.

The Fairfax Boutique was designed to feel like an extension of home—warm, welcoming, and elevated with a touch of drama. Tucked into Grandview Heights, just minutes from downtown Columbus, the clubhouse and amenity spaces combine upscale and textured materials with unique, small-scale layouts.

Category

Location

Columbus, Ohio

Community Context

Boutique Neighborhood District

Year

2022

A row of wooden jeweler's workbenches with tools and equipment under blue cabinets and bright task lighting.
Modern office entryway with navy blue accent walls, a white desk with a black chair, wall art, pendant lights, and a staircase with a sleek railing.
Double doors upholstered in deep blue tufted fabric with gold accents, beneath a modern chandelier. A white table with a potted plant sits in the foreground.

Designing for true luxury retail interior design often means knowing what not to say. For D.C. Johnson, a nationally recognized custom jeweler serving an exceptionally discerning clientele, the showroom needed to do one thing above all else: create an environment where clients feel immediately at ease making intimate, high-value decisions.

Crimson Design Group partnered with D.C. Johnson to design a custom jewelry showroom that reflects the brand’s legacy of craftsmanship, discretion, and trust. The result is a refined, intimate retail environment where materials, lighting, and spatial sequencing work together quietly — allowing the jewelry, and the client experience, to take the stage. The project’s success earned national recognition, including a feature in Robb Report, positioning the space as a benchmark for modern luxury retail design.

 

The Vision

 

Create a bespoke luxury retail environment where trust, privacy, and emotional comfort guide every design decision.

The vision for the D.C. Johnson showroom was to create an elevated experiential retail design that prioritizes privacy, comfort, and conversation over spectacle. Unlike traditional retail interiors designed for volume and visibility, this space was intentionally crafted to support a slower, much more personal buying experience.

Every aspect of the showroom was considered through the lens of the client journey, from arrival to consultation. The goal was to reinforce confidence and ease while creating moments of quiet discovery that mirror the significance of the pieces being selected.

A jewelry display case holds a necklace and a bracelet on stands, set against a white wall next to a window with black trim.
Glass cabinet with various liquor bottles displayed above a marble countertop, which holds a decanter, a bottle of whiskey, and two glasses on a gold tray.
Modern home bar with marble countertop, red velvet bar front, black leather bar stools, glass cabinets with liquor bottles, and a wall-mounted landscape photo above the sink.
A modern home bar with blue cabinets, a marble countertop, glass-fronted upper cabinets filled with bottles, a sink, and a wall-mounted TV above the counter.

The Approach

A high-end commercial interior design process defined by precision and Red-Glove execution.

Crimson approached the project as a bespoke retail interior design effort, carefully curating materials, finishes, and lighting to establish a calm, controlled atmosphere. Several light fixtures were intentionally selected for their cut glass and crystal forms and subtly echo the shape and brilliance of gemstones and diamonds, a detail the client deeply connected with.

The layout prioritizes intimacy and sequencing over openness. In the bridal area, two custom white women’s jewelry cases were designed as refined armoires, complete with pocket doors. Rather than immediate display, clients are invited to walk up, open the doors themselves, and reveal one-of-a-kind pieces inside — creating a private, almost ceremonial moment of discovery.

An orange upholstered bar area adds another experiential layer. Designed as a perch rather than a counter, it allows clients to gather comfortably while trying on jewelry, often with a drink from a thoughtfully stocked bar. It transforms the act of shopping into something relaxed, social, and memorable.

Throughout the process, Crimson coordinated closely with artisans, fabricators, and installers to ensure that every visible and unseen detail aligned with the level of craftsmanship the brand represents.

The Impact

A luxury retail environment that elevates both experience and perception.

The completed showroom reinforces D.C. Johnson’s position as a leader in custom jewelry and high-end retail experiences. Clients describe the space as refined, welcoming, and comfortable. It’s an environment that supports meaningful, high-stakes decisions without pressure or distraction.

The showroom’s design has helped redefine expectations around luxury jewelry retail, proving that discretion, warmth, and experience can be just as powerful as spectacle.

Four framed abstract art prints hang on a light-colored wall above a white desk with a vase of pink flowers and a beige upholstered chair in front.

Services Provided:

Luxury Retail Interior Design

Custom Showroom Design

Full Interior Design Services

Space Planning + Client Flow Strategy

Material + Finish Selection

Custom Millwork Design

Jewelry-Specific Lighting Design

FF&E Specification + Procurement

Trade Coordination + Installation Oversight

Our Expertise

Our Favorite Details

What defines this showroom is its deliberate, experience-driven details. Lighting that subtly mirrors the geometry of gemstones. Custom bridal armoires that transform display into discovery. An upholstered bar that invites clients to linger rather than rush.

Together, these elements create a bespoke retail environment that feels calm, confident, and enduring.

Bold.
Unexpected.
Memorable.

A living room features tan leather chairs, a plaid upholstered bench, a white display cabinet with jewelry busts, and large black-trim windows with greenery outside.
A modern home office with a white desk, a plaid upholstered bench, a white chair, glass-front cabinets, wood floors, and two large crystal chandeliers.
A bright, elegant showroom with two plaid sofas, white tables, display cabinets with jewelry, a large chandelier, and framed art on the walls.
A white display cabinet with mirrored doors stands between two black-framed windows in a bright room with dark wood flooring.
Gold letters and numbers "D", "J", "C", "1946" arranged around three stylized pen nibs on a dark blue background.

Notes from the Design Team

Designing a luxury jewelry showroom requires a different pace and mindset. Every decision was pressure-tested early, refined carefully, and executed with precision to ensure the space feels effortless in use.

This project exemplifies Crimson’s Red-Glove approach to high-end commercial interior design — where discretion, coordination, and follow-through matter as much as visual outcome.

A geometric crystal chandelier hangs above double doors upholstered in deep blue tufted fabric with gold trim and handles.
Close-up of two gold door handles on a tufted, deep blue velvet door with gold decorative studs outlining the upholstery.
A wooden display wall with glass cases showcasing jewelry, books on the top shelf, and black chairs arranged by a glass-topped counter.
Glass display cases with jewelry on shelves are set into a dark wood wall behind a tan leather sofa and a black column.
A modern office with an orange desk chair, two striped armchairs, a wooden desk with an open book, and a large window in the background.
Dark wooden display shelves featuring glass cases with jewelry, books, and decorative items, all illuminated by built-in lighting.
Modern bathroom with dark textured walls, rectangular marble sink, gold-framed mirror, wall sconces, and framed "Rolex Oyster" advertisement on the wall.
A dark wood display wall features glass cases with jewelry on stands, books, and decorative objects in a well-lit room with hardwood floors.

A Private Hangar Designed for Life, Work, and Flight

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A Private Hangar Designed for Life, Work, and Flight

Commercial
Crimson Design Group's private aviation hangar interior design in Scottsdale, Arizona — a multi-use environment for business, family, and aircraft.

A Private Hangar Designed for Life, Work, and Flight

A multi-purpose private aviation environment designed to support business, family life, and personal passions — seamlessly under one roof.

Category

Location

Scottsdale, Arizona

Community Context

Year

2025

A modern conference room with a long white table, cushioned chairs, woven pendant lights, and a large television on a dark built-in cabinet.

For this Scottsdale-based family, a private aviation hangar wasn’t just about housing an aircraft. It was an opportunity to create a highly personal, multi-functional environment that supports how they live, work, and gather, all with the discretion and performance private aviation demands.

Crimson Design Group was brought in to design a space that could do many things exceptionally well: serve as a professional setting for business operations and client meetings, function as a relaxed lounge and entertaining space for family and friends, showcase a curated automobile collection, and, of course, operate flawlessly as an aircraft hangar. The result is a thoughtfully layered environment where lifestyle and logistics coexist without compromise.

 

The Vision

Create a private environment that adapts effortlessly between business, family life, and personal passion.

The family needed spaces that could shift seamlessly from professional to personal, from hosting client meetings during the day to gathering with family or entertaining guests in the evening.

Crimson approached the design with the understanding that this was not a single-purpose facility. Every zone needed its own identity, while still feeling connected to the whole. The hangar, offices, lounge, and executive meeting spaces were designed to function independently, yet together form a cohesive, intentional environment that was anything but typical. 

The Approach

Highly coordinated, Red Glove design that balances technical demands with lifestyle-driven detail.

Crimson’s approach began with deep listening. Understanding how the family planned to use the space — day to day and over time — informed every design decision. The team worked closely with aviation consultants, builders, and specialty trades to ensure operational requirements were met without intruding on the experience of the interior spaces.

Inside, Crimson layered materials, lighting, and furnishings to create a progression of environments: focused and professional in the office and meeting areas, relaxed and welcoming in the lounge and kitchen, and gallery-like in the auto collection showroom. Transitions between zones were carefully choreographed to maintain privacy while preserving openness and connection.

The Impact

A private aviation space that supports an entire way of life.

The completed hangar functions as far more than an aviation facility. It serves as a private headquarters for business, a place to host clients with confidence, and a comfortable environment for family gatherings and personal enjoyment.

“This wasn’t about designing a hangar, it was about designing a place where life happens, with flight simply being part of the rhythm.”
 — Crimson Design Group

Colorful modern living space with orange sofa, plaid bar stools, leather armchairs, large chandelier, patterned wall art, and open blue staircase against exposed brick.
A modern office space with a white table, gray chairs, wall art, a large woven light fixture, and a glass wall revealing a lounge area and parked cars outside.
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Close-up of a brown leather-wrapped handrail, with blue metal railings and part of a glass door in the background.

Services Provided:

Private Aviation Interior Design

Multi-Use Space Planning + Programming

Workplace + Client-Facing Interior Design

Luxury Lounge + Hospitality Design

Material + Finish Selection

Custom Millwork Design

Lighting Design Coordination

FF&E Specification + Procurement

Trade Coordination + Installation Oversight

Our Expertise

Our Favorite Details

What makes this project special is how intentionally each space was designed to support a different mode of use. Private offices and meeting rooms offer a calm, professional atmosphere for focused work and client conversations. The lounge and kitchen/bar shift the tone toward comfort and connection, encouraging downtime and informal gatherings.

The auto collection showroom is treated like a gallery, allowing prized vehicles to be displayed with the same care and attention given to fine art. Throughout the project, lighting plays a critical role — adapting to different activities while maintaining a cohesive, refined aesthetic.

Bold.
Unexpected.
Memorable.

DSCF4683

Notes from the Design Team

Projects like this require an exceptional level of coordination. Every decision had to account for technical aviation requirements, business needs, and the personal preferences of the family (often simultaneously). That complexity is where Crimson’s Red Glove process truly shines.

From early planning through final installation, the team remained closely involved to ensure each space functioned exactly as intended. The result is an environment that feels effortless to use, because every detail was carefully considered behind the scenes.

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Modern home office with a gray desk, two tan chairs, wooden cabinets, framed photos on the wall, and a decorative airplane model on a shelf.
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A Concept Worth Scaling

by

A Concept Worth Scaling

CommercialHospitalityRetail
Modern restaurant interior with a long bar, green chairs, hanging lights, and large windows letting in natural light. Tables are set and shelves behind the bar display bottles.

A Concept Worth Scaling

A retail and hospitality concept refined, expanded, and scaled across multiple locations.

Category

, ,

Location

Multiple Locations — Phoenix & Scottsdale, Arizona

Community Context

High-energy, community-driven neighborhoods selected for social gathering, visibility, and repeat visitation

Year

2021–2024

DSCF4797

Every successful retail brand begins with a strong idea, but lasting growth depends on how that idea is carried forward. Trevor’s Liquor launched with a clear point of view: a liquor store designed as a destination, where retail, hospitality, and community intersect.

When new ownership acquired the brand, Crimson Design Group was brought on as the design partner to help evolve and expand that original concept. Beginning with Trevor’s second location and continuing through subsequent openings, Crimson worked closely with the team to translate the brand’s DNA into new spaces. We worked to refine the experience, adapt it to new footprints, and ensure consistency without repetition.

 

Project Snapshot

 

  • Scope: Design of locations two, three and four after change in ownership
  • Role: Brand translation, spatial refinement, and location-specific adaptation
  • Concept Type: Experiential retail with hospitality integration
  • Performance Signal: Successful expansion to four locations in under five years
  • Brand Impact: Proven scalability of an experience-driven retail model
DSCF4339
A couch with pillows on it.
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The Vision

Honor a strong original concept while refining it for growth.

The challenge wasn’t to reinvent Trevor’s — it was to understand what made the original concept resonate and ensure that essence carried through each new location. Crimson’s role was to help define what elements were core to the brand experience and where flexibility was possible.

The Approach

Translate brand DNA into adaptable, high-performing environments.

Crimson approached each location with a hospitality mindset, carefully choreographing how guests move, gather, and linger. While layouts and proportions shifted from site to site, key experiential elements — including bar moments, lounge seating, curated product displays, and layered lighting — were reinterpreted to suit each space.

Design decisions balanced expressive storytelling with disciplined planning. Warm materials, bold color, custom millwork, and vintage-inspired details added character, while durable finishes and operational clarity ensured each store could handle daily demand. The result was a refined version of the original idea that could flex, grow, and perform.

The Impact

A brand experience strong enough to expand and evolve.

The success of the expanded locations reinforced the power of the original concept and demonstrated its ability to scale. Customers responded to the consistency of experience paired with subtle variation, treating each Trevor’s as both familiar and new.

That momentum translated directly into growth. Trevor’s expanded to four locations across Arizona, with year-over-year sales increases reported at approximately 28% during expansion years. The brand’s continued growth confirms that experience-driven retail, when thoughtfully executed, can be both emotionally engaging and commercially successful.

“Scaling Trevor’s was about understanding what couldn’t change — and where each new location could have its own personality.”

Arched entrance with black tile frames a view into a restaurant bar area, featuring chandeliers, wall art with palm trees, and a blue planter with a green plant.

Services Provided:

Brand Translation & Design Continuity

Multi-Location Interior Design

Space Planning & Layout Adaptation

Material & Finish Selection

Custom Millwork Design

Lighting Design Coordination

FF&E Specification & Coordination

Installation Oversight

Our Expertise

Our Favorite Details

Across locations, Trevor’s spaces are defined by moments that encourage guests to linger. Bar areas that feel social rather than transactional. Lounge seating that invites conversation. Shelving systems that showcase products without overwhelming the experience.

Each location includes subtle variations — different adjacencies, scale shifts, or material emphases — while maintaining a consistent tone. It’s these nuanced decisions that allow the brand to feel cohesive without feeling formulaic.

Bold.
Unexpected.
Memorable.

Bar interior with assorted bottles on the counter, hanging chandeliers, decorative signage, and a tropical-themed mural on the back wall.

Notes from the Design Team

Working on Trevor’s meant stepping into an existing story and helping it grow. What made the work especially rewarding was seeing how customers embraced each new location immediately. That response reinforced an important insight: when design is rooted in experience and intention, it becomes a powerful driver of both loyalty and growth.

A modern bar with green upholstered chairs, a round counter, and a large overhead structure decorated with tropical leaf wallpaper. Spherical pendant lights hang in the background.
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A Bold Icon in the Short North

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A Bold Icon in the Short North

Hospitality
FINAL-04-June-2021-Whiskey-Bar-214
Crimson Design Group's immersive hospitality interior design for Luxe 23 Whiskey Lounge in Columbus' Short North — bold, theatrical, and custom-art driven.
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Luxe 23 Whiskey Lounge

An immersive hospitality interior where luxury, art, and experience collide.

Category

Location

Short North Arts District, Columbus, Ohio

Community Context

A nationally recognized arts and entertainment district known for bold expression, nightlife, and cultural influence

Year

2021

FINAL-04-June-2021-Whiskey-Bar-292

Some projects demand restraint. Luxe 23 demanded courage.

Located in the heart of Columbus’ Short North Arts District, Luxe 23 Whiskey Lounge was conceived as part of a $30 million mixed-use development anchored by Urban Chophouse. From the beginning, the goal was to create a hospitality destination that felt unmistakably luxurious, unapologetically bold, and incredibly experiential. The developer wanted a space that could match the neighborhood’s creative energy while elevating it.

Crimson Design Group partnered closely with the development team to design an immersive interior experience layered with art, drama, and surprise. The result is a whiskey lounge that has been consistently positioned in local press as a destination in its own right, not just for its spirits program, but for the atmosphere that surrounds it.

 

The Vision

Create a hospitality destination that feels theatrical, luxurious, and unforgettable, but without sacrificing comfort or craft.

Luxe 23 was envisioned as more than a whiskey lounge. It needed to feel like a fully immersive experience that was layered with visual impact, artistic expression, and unexpected moments. The design had to invite conversation, curiosity, and return visits, while still delivering the refinement expected of a high-end hospitality environment.

Crimson approached the vision with a clear understanding that in the Short North, the city’s Arts District, boldness isn’t optional, it’s the baseline. The challenge was to push creatively while ensuring every element felt intentional, cohesive, and worthy of long-term relevance

The Approach

Lead with creativity, anchor it in strategy, and execute every detail with Red Glove precision.

Crimson’s approach balanced high-concept design with smart, strategic decision-making. The team identified where bold custom elements would create lasting impact, and where inventive solutions could achieve drama without unnecessary cost. One example was the use of large-scale vinyl graphics in elevator interiors, transforming a utilitarian moment into a memorable arrival experience.

At the same time, Crimson leaned fully into hands-on creativity. Custom installations, layered styling, and curated objects were developed, sourced, and installed with direct involvement from the design team. This allowed the space to feel personal rather than overproduced.

The Impact

A space that became part of the neighborhood conversation.

Since opening, Luxe 23 Whiskey Lounge has been consistently framed in local media as a destination — praised for its energy, atmosphere, and role within the larger Luxe 23 development. Coverage highlights the lounge’s ability to shift seamlessly from a relaxed daytime environment to a lively nightlife setting, reinforcing how the design supports multiple modes of use throughout the day and evening.

Positioned within a high-profile mixed-use project, the Whiskey Lounge contributes to Luxe 23’s identity as a lifestyle destination in the Short North. The space doesn’t just serve guests — it shapes how they experience the property and the neighborhood as a whole.

“This project gave us permission to be fearless — and to trust that when design is done thoughtfully, bold ideas resonate.”
 — Crimson Design Group

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Services Provided:

Hospitality Interior Design

Experiential Concept Development

Space Planning + Guest Flow Strategy

Custom Art + Installation Design

Material + Finish Selection

FF&E Specification + Procurement

Graphic Integration + Visual Branding

Installation Oversight + Styling

Our Expertise

Our Favorite Details

At the heart of Luxe 23 stands its most iconic feature: a 12-foot-tall pink woman, custom-designed and 3D printed exclusively for the space. Her underskirt is decorated with a fabulous, patterned wallpaper, her accessories were individually hand-applied and the space featured a sculptural moment that immediately signals this is not a typical lounge.

Elsewhere, unexpected details reward closer attention. Elevators wrapped in oversized vinyl graphics deliver a dramatic first impression. Acrylic display boxes house hand-painted shoes, mannequin hands, and costume jewelry — many thrifted personally by Cheryl herself — creating curated moments that feel playful and human. Even the bathrooms hold surprises, with graffiti-style artwork modified and framed by Cheryl and her sister, turning an often-overlooked space into a guest favorite.

Bold.
Unexpected.
Memorable.

Large pink sculpture of legs in high-heeled shoes and a skirt stands under a chandelier on a black-and-white checkered floor near a window and mirrored wall.

Notes from the Design Team

Luxe 23 was one of those rare projects where trust unlocked creativity. The client allowed us to push, and we took that responsibility seriously. This wasn’t about adding bold elements for shock value. It was about crafting moments that felt authentic, layered, and memorable.

Some of the most meaningful details came from going beyond the expected scope — thrifting, painting, installing, adjusting on site. Those are the moments guests respond to, even if they can’t always articulate why. That’s when a space stops feeling designed and starts feeling alive.

A round black table with dark blue chairs and a magenta velvet banquette, featuring assorted cushions and a large vase with green branches, under a modern chandelier.
A modern lounge with colorful velvet seating, decorative pillows, large globe lamps, plants, and a mural on the wall.
Elevator doors feature an image of a person in Elizabethan costume blowing bubblegum, set in a gold-frame elevator next to a bright pink wall.
Close-up of a blue velvet chair with gold studs next to a round dark table in a modern interior setting.
A plush, magenta velvet booth with decorative pillows, including a tiger print and a tasseled cushion, in a stylish, upscale lounge with chandelier lighting.
A modern lounge with colorful velvet seating, decorative pillows, large globe lamps, plants, and a mural on the wall.

Redefining Senior Living Through Design

by

Redefining Senior Living Through Design

Senior-Living
Modern living room with marble fireplace, wall-mounted TV, two brown leather chairs, a blue rug, bookshelves, a chandelier, and decorative items including a horse statue and framed art.

The Coventry Senior Living Community

A luxury senior living community designed to feel residential, welcoming, and distinctly non-institutional.

Category

Location

Upper Arlington / Columbus, Ohio

Community Context

An urban, walkable senior living community designed to appeal to active adults seeking independence, connection, and long-term comfort

Year

2023

A living room with blue walls, two red armchairs, a sofa, a white coffee table with flowers, and framed landscape paintings on either side of patterned double doors.

Senior living design carries a different kind of responsibility. The Coventry was developed with the goal of creating a community that feels refined, comfortable, and engaging — without ever feeling like a traditional “nursing home.” Designed for Continental Senior Living, the project blends independent and assisted living in an environment that supports dignity, connection, and ease of daily life.

Crimson Design Group partnered with the development and operations teams to create interiors that feel familiar yet elevated, balancing hospitality cues with the predictability and comfort that residents and families rely on when choosing a senior living community.

 

The Vision

 

Create a senior living environment that feels comfortable, refined, and easy to understand — from the first visit onward.The Coventry sits within the evolving Kingsdale corridor which is a walkable, mixed-use district that enhances resident access to retail, services, and community amenities, strengthening both lifestyle appeal and market positioning for senior living developers.

The vision for The Coventry was rooted in familiarity and pride. Continental Senior Living wanted a community that reflected the expectations of residents who see themselves as active, engaged, and “young at heart” — not defined by their age, but by their active lifestyle .

Crimson envisioned luxury interiors that feel more like a private club or well-appointed residence than a care facility. Bright, airy spaces, warm materials, and a refined country-club sensibility were used to create an atmosphere that feels welcoming and reassuring for residents and their families alike.

The Approach

Design with clarity, comfort, and daily operations in mind.

Crimson approached The Coventry’s project with a deep understanding of how senior living communities function day to day. Layouts were designed to support intuitive movement, reduce visual confusion, and create clear transitions between social, dining, and quieter spaces.

Material selections balanced elegance with durability, ensuring the interiors would age well over time while maintaining a residential feel. Each space was designed to be cohesive yet distinct, helping residents orient themselves easily while still offering variety and choice throughout the community.

Close collaboration with the operator ensured the design supported staffing workflows, resident routines, and long-term operational needs which is an essential component of successful senior living environments.

The Impact

The result is a community that builds confidence for residents, families, and operators. Online resident and family reviews consistently underscore The Coventry’s interior experience as welcoming and elevated, with many noting its resort-like feel and spacious common areas as distinguishing features.

The Coventry delivers an environment that supports both experience and performance. For residents, the interiors offer comfort, familiarity, and spaces that encourage connection. For families, the design reinforces trust and confidence during one of life’s most emotional decisions.

For Continental Senior Living, the result is a community that positions itself confidently in the market — one that feels elevated without being intimidating, and welcoming without feeling generic. The design contributed to lower turnover, premium rent positioning, and a leasing environment that effectively tells the community’s story on its own

For the client, a central gathering space was non-negotiable. At The Coventry, the bar became that anchor, conveniently positioned between casual dining and the TV lounge so residents can gather comfortably, no matter how they prefer to engage.
 — Crimson Design Group

A blue reception desk with a white marble top sits on a wooden floor, in front of a blue and white abstract mural. Two gold and crystal chandeliers hang above, with an orchid on the desk.

Services Provided:

Senior Living Interior Design

Independent & Assisted Living Amenity Design

Space Planning & Layout Coordination

Material & Finish Selection

Custom Furniture & Upholstery Design

FF&E Specification & Procurement

Lighting Design Coordination

Installation Oversight

Our Expertise

Our Favorite Details

One of the most meaningful design references is tied to the site itself. The community was built on the former location of a Macy’s department store that had long been part of the Upper Arlington landscape. Crimson echoed that history by pulling the store’s signature soft blue brick into the interior palette. When the original brick couldn’t be salvaged, tile was selected to mimic its tone and texture. 

Layered lounges, refined dining spaces, and thoughtfully designed activity areas offer residents options throughout the day, supporting both connection and quiet moments.Residents and visitors highlight key social hubs — such as the library, multiple dining venues, and outdoor areas — as places that foster connection and comfort, reinforcing the design’s role in supporting community engagement in online reviews.

Bold.
Unexpected.
Memorable.

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Notes from the Design Team

Senior living design requires a different lens. Every decision at The Coventry was made with an awareness of how residents, families, and staff experience the space — often at emotionally significant moments.

What made this project especially meaningful was the opportunity to design spaces that feel dignified and welcoming without relying on institutional cues. By focusing on clarity, comfort, and thoughtful detail, the finished community supports daily life in a way that feels natural rather than prescribed.

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Corner of a marble and brass-clad counter with geometric black, white, and gold tile pattern, wooden floor, and integrated lighting above.
A living room features two plaid armchairs with green pillows, a central round table with a potted plant, a horse painting, and a mix of leather and fabric seating.
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A restaurant interior with brown leather banquette seating, light wood tables, cream chairs, and framed artwork on a dark wall. Each table has a small lamp.
A room with a couch and chairs.