Architect Dana Tang returns to Enchantment Resort after 20 years for a unique renovation, and fills us in on her exciting new projects ahead.
Casitas against Red Rock at Enchantment Resort. PHOTO COURTESY OF ENCHANTMENT RESORT
Outside the Trail House. PHOTO COURTESY OF ENCHANTMENT RESORT
How does it feel coming back to Mii amo for a renovation 20 years after the initial project was completed? It’s both exciting and a bit daunting. Mii amo was my first hospitality project, and the design was very personal and instinctual. The architecture was well received from the beginning, and Mii amo has a dedicated loyal following. There’s pressure to live up to the high expectations that have already been set—that can be a little daunting.
What makes these renovations on Mii amo and the building of Trail House unique? Both buildings are designed to fit in and frame the larger landscape. The materials and finishes are simple and natural—earth-colored concrete, adobe brick, wood and stucco the color of the red rock canyon walls. Both buildings capture outdoor spaces for gathering, socializing or meditating.
The centerpiece of Trail House is the Map Room, a tall skylit space dedicated to introducing guests to the region’s dramatic trails and geology, flora and fauna, and culture and history. We designed the space to be like an art gallery, where the art is the canyon and trails.
At Mii amo, there are several new standout features, including a relaxation space with a curved wood ceiling and a wall of glass facing directly onto the red rock canyon wall. There’s a sensory garden with a reflexology path and fragrant native plantings. The living room is flanked by skylit and windowed daybeds, and it includes a sunken seating area where one is embraced by the earth.
The Map Room inside. PHOTO COURTESY OF ENCHANTMENT RESORT
“We designed the space to be like an art gallery, where the art is the canyon and trails.”–DANA TANG ON THE MAP ROOM IN THE TRAIL HOUSE
What do you hope guests will appreciate about the Trail House and Mii amo? The architecture is very much experiential and it’s about heightening the awareness of the place, with rooms that open to the landscape, sensory garden with earth and stone under your feet, skylights bringing unique Arizona light into the spaces.
What do you love most about your work in architecture and design? I love to immerse myself in the particularities of a place and to think about how to enhance and enrich the experience of a place. Architecture is all about how one feels in a place.
What project are you currently looking forward to? We are currently in the design phase of a spa for the Tides Inn—also a part of Enchantment Group—in the Northern Neck of Virginia, which offers a whole new landscape for inspiration.
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