<< back to Media & Press headlines

EXCLUSIVE NEW ARIZONA LODGE APPOINTS LUXURY CABINS WITH HANDCRAFTED MOUNTAIN FURNISHINGS AND ART FROM AROUND THE WORLD

CONTACT: Denise D. Resnik or KayAnne Riley (602) 956-8834

SCOTTSDALE (August 12, 2002) Scottsdale-based developer Greenbrier Southwest Corporation has unveiled designs for the 10 luxury log cabins that will be available for guests at Hidden Meadow Ranch, an exclusive new hideaway in Arizona’s White Mountains that opens August 30.

"Our goal is to become one of the Southwest’s most exclusive getaways," said Kathryn "Casey" Bolinger, a Scottsdale developer who owns Hidden Meadow Ranch along with her husband and partner, Tim, and Gary and Jeanne Herberger of Paradise Valley. "For years we’d been thinking about a rustic resort concept. When we found this strikingly gorgeous property in the mountains, we knew it was the perfect place for the luxury hideaway we’d envisioned."

That vision included an expansive central Ranch House and 10 hand-peeled blue spruce log guest cabins, each with a unique, regionally appropriate design concept.

"The property already had beautiful log buildings with, as they say, 'great bones,’ but the furnishings were far from luxurious when Tim and I first saw them" said Bolinger, who has personally selected the new furnishings for each of the cabins. "But there was this sense that, underneath the pink bathtubs and propane stoves, there was something authentic – you could feel the touch of a craftsman in each log."

To bring out the best of that craftsmanship, each of the 10 cabins was completely stripped down, interior walls were removed and wood-burning fireplaces of native stone were built in order to produce the guest accommodations the partners wanted.

"Our concept was simple," said Bolinger. "We envisioned that this property was owned by a wealthy ranching family that traveled extensively, brought back wonderful art pieces to add to their collection, and enjoyed hosting friends from around the world who came to see this beautiful part of the country. Then we set out to create it with king-sized beds with pillowtop mattresses; queen-sized feather beds; Italian bed linens; hand-knotted wool rugs from Southern Russia; hand-crafted lighting and hand-carved wood furniture; and art and antiques from around the world."

Each luxuriously appointed log cabin holds up to four adults or two adults and three children. Most of the cabins have a king-sized master bedroom downstairs and a loft bedroom/sitting area offering a queen-sized bed, plus a twin sleeper-sofa upstairs. Bathrooms feature natural slate countertops with brushed nickel fixtures. Most cabins have custom-made, oversized soaking tubs with natural slate ledges perfect for a candle and a glass of wine.

Each cabin includes chandeliers and light fixtures handmade by local White Mountain craftsmen.

"We have had a real partnership with Trent Penrod, owner of The Burly Bear, a store in nearby Pinetop, Arizona," said Bolinger. "We would sit down in his shop after hours and brainstorm ideas for headboards, chandeliers and other cabin furnishings. An amazing craftsman himself, Trent personally made many of the fabulous pieces, including a headboard made of juniper tree branches in which hand-carved bears are perched for Bear’s Den, an asymmetrical red cedar headboard for Strawberry Canyon, and a hand-painted Apache bow and arrow chandelier for Fire Dance."

Penrod contracted with a number of other local craftsmen to produce such pieces as a hand-peeled aspen log headboard with a hand-painted laced rawhide panel for Spirit Horse, a stained pine headboard featuring vintage bamboo fly rods for Blue Quill, and hand-crafted metal and silver mica light sconces for the name of each cabin over the front door.

"I also could not have tackled this project without interior designer Sue Urban of Studio 4 Interiors in Phoenix," said Bolinger. "Sue’s tastes, like mine, run from contemporary to 'log cabin,’ and we’ve done both now – the contemporary in our Scottsdale development office and now Hidden Meadow Ranch, where we selected more than 250 different fabrics and leathers for the custom upholstered pieces in the guest cabins, the Welcome Cabin and the Ranch House. Sue and her resources have been invaluable in getting this project done."

Drawing from a variety of online sources, including eBay, Bolinger was able to acquire just the pieces she needed for each cabin’s design concept. A list of the cabins and their descriptions is attached.

"Because every cabin has a unique look, we faced some challenges in finding just the right furnishings and appointments," said Bolinger. "For instance, for our cabin called Bear’s Den, we were able to find antique wooden Black Forest bears from Germany that fit in with that cabin perfectly. We put a hand-carved wooden desk box from The Netherlands in the Strawberry Canyon cabin; the Blue Quill cabin features vintage fly-fishing creels from Maine; and the Elkhorn cabin includes antique engravings from Great Britain."

The central gathering place at Hidden Meadow is known as the Ranch House. Here, guests are served three gourmet meals a day, with two seatings offered for dinner: early for family dining and a later seating for adults. Evening children’s activities allow parents some time to have a romantic meal together.

The Ranch House, with its enormous log beams and 35-foot-tall granite fireplace flanked by 20-foot windows, provides plenty of room for guests to relax with friends in front of the fireplace or curl up in an over-sized lounge chair in the library with a good book and a glass of wine. And for those who can’t quite get away from it all, the Ranch House offers Internet access and a Sony 42" plasma flat screen television, which goes off promptly at 6:30 each evening to secure the romantic, candlelit ambiance of the dining room.

Rich colors and textures create a warm and comfortable environment at the Ranch House. Hair-on cowhide leather sofas, over-sized chairs, rockers and ottomans from Indiana-based Old Hickory Furniture, which has been building custom furnishings for more than a century, including all the furniture for the Yellowstone Lodge in Yellowstone National Park.

"The Hidden Meadow Ranch design team focused on every detail," said Bolinger. "From the furniture, to linens and artwork, to the votive candles and tiny antique glass bottles full of wildflowers in the cabins, we wanted everything just right for this one-of-a kind hideaway."
For more information on Hidden Meadow Ranch, call 928/333-1000 or toll-free 866/333-4080.