Background

This historic club, a member of the Great Clubs of the South, has an enviable level of legacy membership due in large part to the highest standards of service and an enviable reputation. Idle Hour instituted a nationwide search for a firm capable of assisting in the process of restoring the historic clubhouse, helping them embrace the national club trend toward family orientation, and in envisioning a needed expansion of the athletic facilities without diminishing the historic flavor of the site. The club was also restoring their Donald Ross course.

Our Approach

Chambers' Master Plan for Idle Hour addressed the stated challenges as well as those that interviews with the distinguished board members and the select planning committee uncovered. The club uses its extensive outdoor facilities during much of the year; however, during cold weather, "We want to have the energy of the outside inside" stated members of the committee. Chambers looked at areas of deferred maintenance, advised on how the kitchen could better serve all the dining areas, and addressed the various concerns of the club board, committee, and members.

Results

Chambers greatly improved kitchen service to all areas where food could be served, enlivened dining rooms and dining spaces, and helped to dissolve the borders between inside and outside through architecture, interior design, purchasing and installation. Chambers restored the clubhouse using the highest standards of historic restoration, completed a historically sensitive athletic addition, and, throughout the process, engaged membership to the point that the work was enthusiastically supported by a vast majority of the members.