he Bird Room is our only dressing room on the main level of the building and is just off the entry. Its often used by brides due to both its styling and its location at the head of the aisle, regardless of the ceremony layout chosen by the bride. But it's also used by musicians, speakers, committees, you name it.
Before
When we walked into what would become the Bird Room, it was a just white box. In 1957, storms weakened the church's bell tower, which was subsequently replaced with what was called the Benton Chapel. In 2017, it was a largely empty, carpeted room with an office tile ceiling.
Issues & Plan
The primary issue with the chapel was that it was a white box, a room without historic or architectural details. With the absence of any design inspiration, we focused on programatic components such as a restroom, hair and make up stations, and a food and beverage area.
We knew clients would be spending a significant amount of time in the room so we wanted to create seating areas and provide the amenities most required, including TV, WiFi, and client music control. It was important to bring us much natural light into the space for hair and makeup purposes but also for a cheery disposition. Occupants of the room now are able to look upon 48th Street below through one window and into the Brash Courtyard through the other. They have complete privacy, but also know what is happening outside of the room with respect to their event.
After
After stripping the room to the framing, we added the bathroom and the other elements. Half of the room has the namesake bird wallpaper (and, keeping the theme, the bathroom has our ostrich wallpaper). A blue wainscoting, along with a blue-grey slate tile, ties the room together. And, of course, we couldn't resist addicting the homage to Clementine.
Today, bridesmaids will often dress, bring in their hair and makeup artists, and eat lunch in the room, and generally make a day of it.
