New look for Hotel du Pont lobby, bar

The Hotel du Pont's lobby and its Green Room bar have received a classy "nouveau Victorian-inspired" makeover by acclaimed New York architect and interior designer Campion Platt.

Couches, chairs, loveseats, and ottomans in various hues of gold, blue and green were installed at the downtown Wilmington site at the end of January and earlier this month. 

The lobby also has a communal table, different lighting fixtures and new rugs that feature bold, floral designs.

"The idea is to energize the lobby for the single travelers as well as groups, making it a place one wants to stay, sit, talk, drink and work," said Platt, whose design projects have included the Mercer Hotel in New York and the Chateau Marmont Hotel in Los Angeles which is known for its Old Hollywood glamour.

At the Hotel du Pont, tables are stacked with jigsaw puzzles and books highlighting the history of the hotel and area.

The lobby also features books on local artists, such as Wyeth family, as well as Platt's own 2010 design book, “Made to Order.” 

The new look is much different than previous renovations. The lobby was last updated about seven years ago. The cost of the current project was not disclosed.

It's been about 10 months since The Buccini/Pollin Group acquired The DuPont Building that houses the Hotel du Pont for $32 million.

The Wilmington-based real estate acquisition, development and management company has said it wanted to get acquainted with the 105-year-old hotel before making any revisions.

Buccini-Pollin is now beginning to unveil some of the planned $175 million changes that it is making to the historic 1913 building purchased in April 2017.

The building was owned by the DuPont Co. until 2015 when it moved its headquarters to its Chestnut Run site. Chemours, a spinoff company from DuPont, then assumed ownership. 

Chemours is now leasing parts of the DuPont Building through a 17-year lease with Buccini/Pollin that runs through 2034.

Katherine Kies, corporate director of food and beverage for the PM Hotel Group, which operates the Hotel du Pont, said Platt has designed other properties for Buccini/Pollin.

She said hotel guests have been so excited by the new look, they were sitting on furniture while employees were still unwrapping it.

Interior designer Platt works on residential and commercial properties, including boutique hotels. He is known for his clean and simple designs that are highlighted with dollops of color. 

"The Hotel du Pont enjoys a unique place in American hotel design heritage. It was the
oldest single family owned hotel in America until recently when purchased by the Buccini
Pollin Group," he said.

Platt said his refurbishments to the lobby and Green Room bar were "gentle."

"It was extremely important to retain and build upon the former grandeur of the travertine stone, beautiful moldings and unique architectural characteristics," he said.

Platt said he has "softened the light" while creating new lighting scenes.

The furnishings, he said, represent "a gentle blend of modern textured tables balanced with more classical furniture shapes and many randomly organized seating arrangements to create an asymmetrical assembly of intimate personal entertaining and workspaces."

For the Green Room bar, Platt said it was key to make the cozy room feel much larger and offer relaxed low seating. He designed custom banquettes and low sofas.

Platt kept the existing molding, but also added antiqued mirrors and modern sconces with reflective, jewel-like fixtures.

New artwork now lines the walls of the lobby and the bar. 

MORE: Hotel du Pont Grille closed, bake sales to continue

MORE: Review: Hotel du Pont Café offers relaxed dining

In 2017, The DuPont Co. donated original paintings by artists N.C., Andrew and Jamie Wyeth, Frank Schoonover and Ed Loper that were part of its vast hotel art collection to three area museums, the Brandywine River Museum of Art, Delaware Art Museum and Hagley Museum & Library. 

Hundreds of other works in the hotel's collection were given to the United Way of Delaware to sell as a fundraiser.

Platt said the new artwork at the Hotel honors the previous collection. The lobby and Green Room bar now include art from local artists such as Peter Sculthorpe that represent the Brandywine School tradition. Prints by Maxfield Parrish, N.C.Wyeth and Howard Pyle hang in the bar.

Platt also mixed in complimentary photography and prints "that echo the historical importance of the hotel while moving the aesthetic gently into the modern era."

Kies said the recent changes are meant "to bring life back into the hotel." She said hotel guests can now get beverage service and snacks in the lobby. 

Other recent changes at the Hotel du Pont include extended hours and new menus for The Cafe, formerly called the Lobby Lounge, and new menus for the Green Room.

The casual Grille eatery, the cafeteria on the hotel's lower level closed since this past June, will not reopen. 

Kies said even more refurbishments could be coming soon.

"We do have future plans for the Green Room," she said. Kies said it is not yet known if Platt will redesign the 97-seat dining room. 

 The Green Room last received a face-lift in 2004. At that time, Washington, D.C.-based design firm Leo A. Daly, a prime architect of the National World War II Memorial, replaced chairs, tables, linens and window treatments.

Hotel officials said the renovations were part of ongoing rejuvenation efforts to stem the declining tide of Hotel du Pont diners.

Kies did not give a timeline on when a refurbishment of the Green Room could take place.

"We have been thoughtful about each step to the hotel. We want to honor the integrity of the building," she said.

A new food hall known as DE.CO is expected to open at the end of this year in the DuPont Building. The 12,000-square-foot site at the corner of 10th and Oranges streets will feature eight chef-led kitchens and a bar. 

Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 or ptalorico@delawareonline.com and on Twitter @pattytalorico