Illya Castillo Becktold has been a member at The West Side Tennis Club since 2012. She joined with her husband and two young daughters, drawn in by the pool, a summer routine, and something to look forward to outside of work. Over time, The Club became family.
Today, she serves on the Board of Governors and chairs the house committee—the group overseeing the renovation of The Club's bar and lounge and dining room, set to open in late summer ahead of the U.S. Open.
The project has been years in the making. "We wanted to honor the heritage," she explains. The distinction between a refresh and a redesign matters to her and to the members who've called this clubhouse home for a long time.
There are many reasons why members love The Club: the courts, the community, the pool, the concerts. The indoor spaces have always been part of the picture, and as the membership has grown, the clubhouse should grow with it.
The committee listened. Members wanted a space they felt proud of, one that matched the warmth and quality of the rest of their experience at The Club. The goal was always to honor what was already there and make it better. Illya says, "we wanted to have some elements that went back to that Tudor style and overall make the space into a really moody club environment."
The committee partnered with C2 Design, a firm that specializes in private club interiors, and the process started with a conversation about how each room gets used.
"We had a fun time designing the bar and lounge area into something that really is warmer, that's meant for the winter, fall, and early spring months," Illya says. "Kind of give that cozy feeling, fireside chat kind of moments."
The dining room, however, got a different treatment. It stays active through spring and summer with views over the grass courts, so the design there is lighter and refreshed—distinct from the lounge but cohesive with it.
New lighting, updated materials, and additional seating throughout give both rooms more personality.
The committee is about ten members strong. "The team is really proud of what we put together and happy and supportive of what we're going to put forth," she says. Every decision, from materials, lighting, or long-term maintenance, was made with expertise alongside member perspective.
When The Club shared watercolor renderings earlier this year, members who wanted to preserve the Tudor character were reassured to see it honored throughout.
A typical Saturday evening at West Side looks like: groups coming off the courts and meeting at the bar. Some are dressed for dinner; others are still in tennis clothes. Illya describes how she expects the night to unfold in the new space:
"The night transitions into a little bit more of a club environment, a little bit chattier, some people coming to have a little bit of fun, have some cocktails—and then you have the people having dinner, and then they come out and maybe meet for an after-dinner drink by the fireplace."
The renovation reinforces this feeling and gives it a better backdrop. What Illya hopes members feel, more than anything, is a pull toward the space, a reason to choose it.
"I'm excited to feel pride when I'm in there," she says. "To feel that this was a place that I chose to go into to have a drink, as opposed to going there just because it's my club."
She wants it to always feel like her place, but better.