A 247-Acre Vision
The client arrived with a fully articulated program: a multi-zone luxury destination built around Sedona's red rocks, dark sky designation, and Spring Creek running through the property. The vision included five F&B venues, a stargazing observatory, glamping accommodations, and a wellness center — each with distinct spatial and experiential goals.
My role was to take that brief and make it visible — translating design intent into a pre-concept deck that let stakeholders see and feel the place before a single line was drawn.
"At sunset, service pauses. Guests rise. The red rocks ignite. This is the emotional core of Cathedral Prime."
Signature Moments First
The developer's brief included something unusual: a signature moment for each venue. Not just program requirements, but the emotional beat each space needed to deliver — the instant a guest would remember.
I used these moments as the organizing principle for all image research. For each venue, I combined curated reference photography with AI-directed imagery generated in Midjourney, selecting and refining visuals to convey specific spatial moods, material palettes, and guest experience sequences.
The result was a lookbook that didn't just describe the spaces — it let the team feel them before documentation began.
Five Distinct Destinations
Each venue received its own visual identity while reading as part of one coherent culinary narrative — tied together by Sedona's landscape, local materials, and the rhythm of the desert day.
Cathedral Prime
Rooftop steakhouse with 270° red rock views. Signature moment: sunset pause.
Terroir & Stone
Geology bar + cheese cave + micro-winery. Stone surfaces glow from within.
Creek House
All-day creek-side dining. Signature moment: First Light Breakfast at sunrise.
Constellation
Signature restaurant with retractable roof. Dine beneath the Milky Way.
The Observatory Bar
Craft cocktails meet desert night. Mineral-inspired surfaces, dark sky compliant lighting, telescope terrace.
The Cheese Cave
Terroir & Stone's subterranean tasting room. 80+ artisan cheeses in a European-style affinage cave.
Cocktail Menu Concept
Constellation-themed menu design for Observatory Bar. Each drink named after celestial bodies.
Where Earth Meets Cosmos
Sedona holds International Dark Sky designation. The client wanted an immersive experience that made astronomy accessible and awe-inspiring — not a science museum, but a journey.
I developed imagery for the full guest sequence: dimming corridors as eyes adjust, the gasp of the planetarium reveal, emergence onto the observation deck where the real sky mirrors what they just learned.
"They see Saturn's rings — actually see them. They're changed forever."
Stargazing Observatory
Planetarium, observation deck, telescope viewing. The emotional climax of the guest journey.
Pre-Concept Deck
The final lookbook translated the client's 30-page program into a visual narrative — 12 pages of curated reference and AI-directed imagery, organized by venue and experience zone. The deck became the foundation for schematic design conversations with architects and operators.