Eating may be a daily routine for all of us, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be imbued with a touch of magic.
It’s something that the Wegman Design Group (WDG) has managed repeatedly in its work with Moorings Park Communities. Most recently, WDG won a Silver Award from Environments For Aging in their 2023 Dining Competition for the three exquisite dining areas WDG designed at Moorings Park Grande Lake.
Zest, a poolside cafe on the ground level, uses rich wood tones and handmade pottery accents to convey a “a feeling of heart, hand and soul,” says Lori Wegman, President of WDG.
Savor26 and Bluestone share a floor on an upper level of the community’s Clubhouse.
“Savor26 was designed with a more grill-room-inspired vibe, with an open kitchen, wine displays, and S-curve banquette seating,” Lori explains. The open kitchen, busy staff, and adjoining bar infuse the area with a happy energy, she points out.
The bar separates Savor26 from Bluestone, which provides a more sumptuous and intimate dining experience.
“In Bluestone, you have a beautiful fireplace set in a marble-looking stone,” Lori says. “It has more space between the dining room tables, and music is piped into the background. You don’t hear the hustle-bustle of the kitchen or the bar. You’re looking out over the lake and you’re having a nice, quiet, more elegant special occasion or dinner.”
The Environments For Aging award is not the first award WDG has banked from its work with Moorings Park Communities. The two industry leaders have enjoyed a long-standing partnership which has lasted more than 17 years and produced more than 20 awards from projects at all three Moorings Park Communities.
Indeed, the latest award isn’t even the first dining space award bestowed on WDG for its work at Moorings Park Communities. At the Moorings Park flagship community, the expert designers previously earned awards from the American Society for Interior Designers for Trio Restaurant and from Lee Building Industry Association for Moorings Park Grill.
WDG’s creativity and passionate attention to detail shine in its many projects at Moorings Park Communities.
“We have a philosophy that you can’t have a dining room that’s just filled with tables,” Lori explains. “The idea is to create different experiences so that you want to come back time and time again.
“There’s a reason for the layouts and we look at all the dining tables and try to make sure that every single one is good for some kind of unique experience,” she continues. “Even within the same restaurant, you might find a completely different experience because now you’re sitting in the table with the wine displays, and that’s a whole lot different than sitting against the window overlooking the lake and a glorious sunset.”
Though the awards are gratifying, Lori and her team at WDG love the challenge of producing extraordinary environments for the nation’s finest boomer and senior communities.
“Moorings Park Communities is a world class organization,” she points out. “That gives lots of opportunities for breakthrough, high quality, exciting award-winning projects. This is the best of the best.
“The most fun part of my job is having the opportunity of doing something new and fresh,” she adds. “Moorings Park Communities is always seeking to do the best. They’re always very excited to see the newest and latest designs, especially if they offer a heightened resident experience. They want us to push the envelope. It’s very fun.”
The challenges don’t stop once a community is built. Neither WDG nor Moorings Park Communities are content to rest on their laurels. To keep its interior environments fresh and exciting, Moorings Park Communities engaged WDG to work on a number of remodeling projects at its flagship campus, Moorings Park.
Unsurprisingly, those projects yielded a handful of awards, including a Silver Aurora Award from the Southeast Building Conference, a Sand Dollar Award from the Collier Building Industry Association, and a pair of awards from the Lee Building Industry Association.
“Our partnership with Wegman Design Group has been tremendously rewarding for everyone involved … especially our residents,” says Tom Mann, Vice President of Moorings Park Communities. “And while everyone is justifiably proud of the awards produced by the work they’ve done for us, I think the most important thing is how they help us get the word out. They prove that when we say we’re ‘simply the best,’ we’re not just mouthing a slogan.”
“Of course, the adventurous elegance of our interiors are only a very small part of what makes life at a Moorings Park Community so fulfilling,” Tom continues. “I invite people to join me for a talk I’ll be giving at our flagship campus, Moorings Park, on Thursday, August 3rd, at 2:30 p.m.
“Attendees can enjoy some tasty treats served up by our master chef, and ask questions about life at these beautiful communities,” he adds. “I’ll talk about how the communities are devoted to helping residents lead their best and healthiest lives, and the ‘unreasonable hospitality’ residents enjoy from staff and fellow residents alike. I’ll also touch on the financial aspects and the important health care resources that are available to residents, should they need them.”
Unable to join us? Interested boomers and seniors may also want to learn more by enjoying a webinar, which will be held on Friday, August 4th at 10:30 a.m.
To register for either of these educational events, please visit MooringsPark.org/Events, or call 239-232-3903.