Comfortable bench seating was custom made to fit the
L-shaped half wall in the upstairs Dress Circle Lounge. Notice
the accent tables reflect the circular motif of the architecture.
Decker Ross decided to feature the work
of Safety Harbor artist Holly Apperson of
GinHol Mosaics, who married vivid stained
glass and shiny metal to defunct instruments
to give them new life as wall jewelry.
Apperson’s colorful upcycled creations
become beautifully intricate mosaic musical
instruments and can be seen in various
locations throughout Ruth Eckerd Hall’s
newly renovated Grand Lobby and Dress
Circle Lounge.
Decker Ross and senior designer Marci Tempesta worked closely with
the Ruth Eckerd Hall board of directors and Susan Crockett, its president
and CEO, to re-envision the overall design concept, color palette, flooring
and surface finishes, and to add new upscale furnishings and artistic
custom pieces featuring the work of local artisans.
“My creative vision incorporates a sophisticated, elegant, timeless
design aesthetic, which includes an art deco inspired colorful glass art
suspended donor wall,” Decker Ross said. “Following many sleepless
nights of 3 a.m. inspirations, I knew I had to find just the right person to
bring my creative vision to life.” I collaborated with Kathleen Bromley and
Kara Ramdas of Katglass Studio because of their forty-year professional
reputation as a premier studio specializing in custom stained, leaded,
Tiffany and fused glass creations as well as their historical repair and
restoration throughout the Southeast.”
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020 | TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE 101
PHOTO: COURTESY GINHOL MOSAICS