Thomas Jefferson's Cutting-Edge Color Choice, Monticello Yellow Dazzles at Wyndham Virginia Crossings Hotel & Conference Center

GLEN ALLEN, VA, JULY 2012----It's a color almost as old as our country and as fresh as the brilliant flowers that bloom at Monticello.  Nearly 200 years since Thomas Jefferson painted his Monticello dining room a dazzling chrome yellow, this vibrant hue is making a major design statement in some of America's most striking interiors. Dubbed Monticello Yellow by its creators,Ralph Lauren Paints, the color returns to its rightful place at Monticello and has brought the grace and grandeur of America's Federal Period to The Wyndham Virginia Crossings Hotel & Conference Center . 

  
Design experts point out that Monticello Yellow can work in a variety of rooms and enhance both traditional and modern decors. Much of the furniture in the Jefferson Lobby is contemporary, but melds perfectly with the brilliant walls, marbled reception area and sweeping staircase.

  
Although built in the 1980s as headquarters for Figgie International, Inc., the hotel's Jefferson Building recalls Thomas Jefferson's legendary home.  A recent $3 million renovation of the property's three buildings and exterior and interior spaces, brings more Jeffersonian influence to bear. The charming new Jefferson Garden is modeled after those at Monticello, and the walls of the elegant Jefferson Sitting Room now glow with the golden intensity of Monticello Yellow.  

     President, statesman, linguist, writer, musician inventor, architect and horticulturist, Thomas Jefferson also had a keen interest in interior design and an eye for color. In 1815, he chose to paint the dining room at Monticello in an intense yellow hue. In later years, it was painted and papered over, most recently in a Wedgwood blue. But in 2008, the original yellow was discovered and in 2010, Ralph Lauren Paints, a sponsor of Monticello's restoration, unveiled the dining room, painted in Monticello Yellow. 

     "The shade is as modern today as it was when Jefferson introduced it," says Wyndham Virginia Crossings General Manager, Bob Nelson.  "Jefferson understood how color impacts the people in a room," Nelson explains. "He chose this striking hue for its effect on those dining there."  The color would be invigorating by day and, bathed in candlelight, warm, glowing and beguiling by night. 

      It's an especially good choice for a hotel and conference center, Bob Nelson asserts. "In addition to our ballrooms and boardrooms, Wyndham Virginia Crossings provides a variety of spaces where guests can gather for breakout meetings, quiet reflection or intimate receptions.  The color creates the ambiance and in this respect, Monticello Yellow is proving to be quite versatile."


Additional links

.Noted interior designer Carlton Varney discusses Thomas Jefferson, style leader, in The Wall Street Journal.

  Elle Decor on Monticello's Bright Past.

Nestled on a three-building campus that reflects the grace and charm of Old Virginia, the recently renovated Wyndham Virginia Crossings Hotel & Conference Center features 183 deluxe guest rooms, two restaurants, a fitness center, outdoor pool and The Crossings Golf Club.

Located at the interchange of Interstates 95 and 295, the hotel is 12 miles north of the City of Richmond, 20 miles north of Richmond International Airport, and 90 miles south of Washington, D.C.

Among its accolades, the hotel has gained recognition by a range of media and prominent hospitality industry organizations, including seven consecutive years of receiving AAA's prestigious Four Diamond Award - one of only four Richmond area hotels to receive the honor. Other awards include being voted among Virginia's top Wedding Venues by readers of The Knot, one of the nation's most popular wedding resource magazines. The hotel is a member of the International Association of Conference Centers.

        Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, LLC, a subsidiary of Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: WYN), is the world's largest hotel company offering upscale hotel and resort accommodations throughout the United States, Europe, Canada, Mexico, China and the Caribbean. All Wyndham® hotels are either franchised by the company or managed by Wyndham Hotel Management, Inc., one of its affiliates or through a joint-venture partner. Additional information and reservations for all Wyndham hotels are available by calling (800) WYNDHAM - (800) 996-3426 - or visiting www.wyndham.com.

CONTACT:

Paul Brown

Director, Sales and Marketing

Wyndham Virginia Crossings Hotel & Conference Center

Phone: 804-727-1411

E-mail: pbrown@wyndham.com 

Anne Sweeney

Anne Sweeney Public Relations

Phone: 732-329-6629

E-Mail: aspubrel@aol.com