Project Name: Camp Sarika by Amangiri
Architecture: Amangiri + Luxury Frontiers
Lead Architect, Principal And Managing Director: Graeme Labe
Lead Architect, Director Of Architecture & Interior Design: Anomien Smith
Main Areas: Selldorf Architects
Interior Design: Idalina Silva
Contractors: Crowther Contracting LLC
Engineering: Tom Avant
Engineering Team: Iron Rock Group
Landscape Architecture: Vita Planning & Landspace
Location: Southern Utah, United States
Area: 2185 m²
Year: 2020
Photo Credits: Aman
Luxury Frontiers, the San Francisco and Johannesburg-based international design and development firm, has conceived and designed exclusive luxury accommodation for Camp Sarika by Amangiri in Southern Utah. This first-ever North American all-weather, year-round camp is home to 10 luxury tents nestled at the foot of Utah’s mighty mesas.
Luxury Frontiers’ design is a contextual tribute, captivating the senses while creating intimacy within the vast landscape. Given the Sanskrit name for “open space” and “sky,” Camp Sarika is surrounded by 600 acres of expansive wilderness. Not only does the camp offer carefully curated vistas of rocky outcrops and flat-topped mesas, but it also grants guests access to five National Parks, numerous National Monuments, the Navajo Nation Reservation, and the amenities of the nearby Amangiri.
Luxury Frontiers’ concept is driven by contextual design. This is evident in the effortless unfolding of the architecture into the landscape. The tented pavilions bow toward monumental sandstone formations and welcome guests inside with the soft intimacy of a natural canvas tent. The design thrives on both an aesthetic and performance level. In keeping with its natural setting, Luxury Frontiers has designed the tents to withstand the potentially harsh environmental elements of the site, such as temperatures varying from 20° to 105° F.
Thoughtfully positioned for unobstructed views of eastern mesas or glorious western sunsets, the iconic tents allow for an unforgettable experience with nature. Evenly divided between one- and two-bedrooms, the 10 units are each equipped with a living area, dining area, wet and dry bar, as well as private bathrooms with a bathtub, indoor and outdoor showers.
While the one-bedroom tents are approximately 1,900 square feet, two-bedroom tents offer over 2,800 square feet of canvas-covered bliss. In keeping with the design ethos of Amangiri, all tents are comfortably spacious, with clean lines and natural color schemes. In addition, the refined camp’s details reflect the local region through textures and natural materials inspired by the undulating surfaces of the desert.
Inside, Luxury Frontiers’ camp-style custom walnut desks are outfitted with drawers, slung with leather side pouches for magazines and information packs, and completed with a bespoke campaign chair with a sophisticated leather finish. Etched timber headboards on the king and twin beds reference the carved surrounding landscape and are finished with soft cushions suspended from leather straps. Additional furniture brands featured in the tented pavilions include Nanimarquina, Annie Selke, Christian Liagre, My Home Collection, Marset, Dedon, COR, and River Wood Mills to name a few.
The outdoor areas of the tented units are equally beautiful. With access via Douglas Fir sliding doors, guests are invited to relax in a private heated plunge pool, stretch out on a deck arrayed with comfortable loungers, or gather around a campfire complete with fireside furniture. The deck is thoughtfully shaded from the harsh Utah sun by a highly engineered extended canvas overhang allowing for seamless integration between the indoor and outdoor spaces.
