Miraval’s interior and exterior design mirrors the natural splendor of the Berkshires
Clodagh, the woman behind the breathtaking interior design of the new Miraval Berkshires Resort & Spa (miravalberkshires.com), won’t dare tell me what her favorite space is. “There’s an old saying—never ask a mother which is her favorite child,” she says. Clodagh’s logic makes sense, especially here, the third property for the luxe brand in the country and the first on the East Coast. Each space is a picture of bliss.
Lodging rooms and every public area present a master class on blending the rich natural elements of the Berkshires with the tactile comforts of home. Clodagh says her firm (clodagh.com) drew from the essence of New England: “its colors, cranberry and navy, and its textures, like the woven wattle fences, that dot the landscape. There’s a certain restrained luxury in New England that we wished to evoke.”
Each lodge room ushers the outdoors in, with shirting plaids, woven wools, mattress ticking and cozy throws colored in ambers, navies and warm reds. There’s also a play of light and shadow, which Clodagh notes was inspired by hurried clouds, dancing sunlight and the soft shadows found in these ancient mountains. The understated luxury parallels the contentment felt from a cable-knit sweater paired with warm blue jeans. “There’s a focus on comfort and simplicity, as well as curating everything that goes into a room—so that you have everything you need and nothing more than what you need,” says Clodagh. “In the bedrooms, you can put everything away in 10 minutes. There’s a real focus on invisible storage and decluttering. Clutter creates a cluttered brain. We want people to leave Miraval Berkshires with a clean body, mind and spirit.”
Guests can enjoy many physical pursuits, including swimming.
The award-winning spa’s design will leave guests wondering how they can incorporate elements into their own home—writ small. As visitors walk from the spa’s gate to its front door, a path to wellness emerges, with words of affirmation inset on the ground: mindful, wellness, sustainability and balance. Once inside, guests see gorgeous details—a cairn filled with stones, skylights that mirror organic forms, a giant metal mandala designed by energy healer Alberto Amura—that establish new boundaries of peace. The minimalist Harvest Moon dining room features lots of reclaimed wood timbers and metal. Light installations convey the sense of summer fireflies flickering in a tree canopy. The Shaker simplicity of the space feels like dining in a glass pavilion, as floor-to-ceiling windows deliver the kind of light unique to life at 2,500 feet above sea level.
In addition to the spa and exceptional dining, the resort presents 380 acres of wellness possibilities, including hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and equine pursuits during the winter months; each activity is curated and customized for guests. The resort’s Life in Balance Culinary Kitchen also hosts hands-on workshops— including gluten-free baking and the art of plant-based barbecues—to learn alongside Miraval’s chefs as they reveal their secrets for adding flavor and texture when creating healthy meals. “We wanted to design a life-enhancing resort with a focus on simplicity, well-being and contextuality, where people could create their own experience and come away refreshed and happy,” says Clodagh. From $1,338 per night, 55 Lee Road, Lenox, Mass.,413.881.1234, miravalberkshires.com
Photography by: Courtesy of Miraval Berkshires
