Eco-friendly updates for California’s Bancroft Hotel

Located in Berkeley, California, boutique property The Bancroft Hotel has partnered with environmentally safe furniture refinishing company The Refinishing Touch to update furniture in a very green way as part of a large-scale renovation project.

Originally built in 1928, the 22-guestroom Bancroft Hotel is a National Registered Landmark known for its historic charm, personalized service and eco-friendly practices. The hotel sits directly across the street from the University of California at Berkeley and next door to the Berkeley Art Museum.

“The Bancroft Hotel has a rich history,” said Daryl Ross, owner of the Bancroft Hotel. “It’s vital that we protect this heritage, and that includes the preservation of historically accurate furniture pieces that were previously custom-made for the hotel. The Refinishing Touch’s experience in wood preservation techniques and its skills in armoire conversion are vital to meeting our goals of preserving as much of the Bancroft’s history as possible while also keeping up with the expectations of today’s hotel guests.”

Sustainable history preservation

For Ross, it was essential that the project was as eco-friendly as possible.

“As part of our green commitment, I meticulously researched everything. With expert insight from David Gottfried, the founder of the US Green Building council, and green design advice from Kelly LaPlante and Dan Smith, I knew we had a great team. That’s why I was especially thrilled to discover the Refinishing Touch – plus they did all the work on-site, which saved greatly in shipping costs and limiting the ‘carbon footprint’ of the project.”

After multiple structural renovations in the early 1990s in preparation for Bay Area seismic activity, the hotel began this new project – focusing on sustainably preserving the history of the property; utlizing such “green” elements as organic cotton sheets and bamboo towels in each of its bedrooms as well as cork flooring, recycled carpet tiles, nontoxic paints and earth-friendly cleaning solutions throughout the property.

The hotel has been outfitted with custom made furniture pieces that are based on the architect’s original 1928 drawings of furniture (all of which were never actually made). The designs have been drawn to cater to the needs of the hotel’s 21st-century guests and to ensure space was maximized in each guest room.

The Refinishing Touch was selected to fulfill this role and convert historically accurate armoires into desks. In line with the Bancroft’s sustainability goals, the tops of the armoires will be re-used as material for new countertops.

The Refinishing Touch is a leader in environmentally safe furniture refinishing, fabric design and re-upholstering, armoire modifications, and customized granite. It has clients across the hospitality, college and government sectors and has saved the equivalent of 500,000 hardwood trees from destruction.

“We’re proud and honored to be part of this important project and to play a small part in the history of this landmark hotel,” said Mario Insenga, CEO and founder of The Refinishing Touch. “We have developed a unique process for the Bancroft that will preserve the carvings, character and style of its unique and valuable furniture while modernizing the pieces to ensure they remain useful for many years to come.”