This Manhattan project is the latest from the British designer Kit Kemp, who is known for her fanciful interiors.
Despite being one of the most coveted residential neighborhoods in Manhattan, TriBeCa has long had a dearth of beautiful places to stay. That changed this month when the London-based Firmdale Hotels opened its third New York property, the 57-room Warren Street Hotel. However, unlike the red brick structures that surround it, this building is painted a bright cerulean. TriBeCa offers just the right mix of “artists, designers, families and a sprinkling of Hollywood glamour,” says Kit Kemp, Firmdale’s co-founder and creative director, whose interior design studio also has its own furniture and accessories line. “We wanted to build something that contributes to this narrative in a bold and exciting way.”
Inside, Kemp’s signature aesthetic — all colorful, mismatched patterns, whimsical Pierre Frey wallpaper and dramatic sculptures (a monumental 21-foot-long steel, bronze and plaster piece by the British artist Gareth Devonald Smith looms above the bar) — defines the public areas, along with pieces by some of her other favorite artists and craftspeople. A tapestry made from recycled paper beads by the Ugandan mixed-media artist Sanaa Gateja hangs near the main entrance, and the Argentine designer Cristián Mohaded’s sculptural basket towers appear throughout the lobby.
A ground-floor restaurant will serve dishes such as heirloom carrots with pistachio gremolata in a Thai coconut curry, and a sunchoke risotto with chanterelles, as well as afternoon tea. Outdoors, the Brooklyn-based Brook Landscape has designed meadowlike vistas on the terraces of some suites, with a variety of grasses, cherry trees and ferns. For Kemp, bringing nature into an urban environment was perhaps the most rewarding aspect of the project: “You can sit in the drawing room of a suite overlooking a garden, or even in the bath, watching the flowers grow.” Rooms from $925 a night, firmdalehotels.com.
Source: Elections - nytimes.com
