5 minute read
CHECKING IN
Noteworthy hoteliers and restaurateurs pushing the proverbial design envelope.
By RACHEL GALLAHER
PARIS
J. K. Place Paris
“We want guests to wake up in the morning, look around their room, and really feel like they are in Paris!” says Ori Kafri, cofounder of luxury boutique hotel group J. K. Place, of the latest addition to the company’s portfolio. It is also its first outside Italy. “Paris is the capital of Europe in terms of fashion, art, and luxury, so it was the logical next step for us.” Located on the Left Bank in a renovated former European consulate just steps from the Musée d’Orsay, the 30-room hotel was designed by Florence-based architect Michele Bönan with bespoke Italian furniture as well as objets d’art and antiques sourced from storied Paris flea markets such as the Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen. Each room is uniquely decorated, but J. K. Place upholds its dedication to timeless luxury with a layered, sumptuous aesthetic more akin to that of a lavish home than a hotel. Amenities include an indoor pool, Sisley spa, and the third location of the Casa Tua restaurant. Très bon, indeed.
NEW YORK
TWA Hotel
The golden age of commercial air travel is decades in the past, but its glamour and decadence live on in the recently opened TWA Hotel at New York’s JFK Airport. Housed in the Eero Saarinen–designed TWA Flight Center, the 512-room hotel echoes the building’s midcentury architecture and includes a poppy-red sunken lounge, a rooftop swimming pool, and a cocktail lounge in a repurposed Lockheed Constellation L-1649A airplane. “Our concept was based on the year 1962,” the year the Flight Center opened, says Sara Duffy, senior interiors associate at New York hospitality firm Stonehill Taylor, one of the firms that worked on the project. “It was an extraordinary time of hopefulness and style. We wanted to capture that sense of nostalgia.” Each guest room has a bit of Mad Men–esque appeal, with a luxurious walnut tambour bar and bright Saarinen Womb chairs and Tulip tables. Multipane soundproof floor-to-ceiling windows allow for a close-up look at departing planes, but earplugs aren’t required for a quiet night’s sleep.
COUPEVILLE, WA Captain Whidbey Inn
Several years after opening the successful Pioneertown Motel just outside California’s Joshua Tree National Park, brothers Matt and Mike French turned their sights northward for their next hospitality venture. Following a visit to the historic Captain Whidbey Inn, the Frenches, along with their business partner, architect Eric Cheong, purchased the property, which sits on the shore of Washington’s Whidbey Island near Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve. Each member of the trio has a deep connection to the region—the brothers grew up in Portland, and Cheong currently lives there—and wanted to honor the legacy of the 1907 lodge, a hideaway that has served generations of Northwesterners seeking time away from the city. “The inn had everything on our list: history, character,” says Matt. “And it’s surrounded by nature.” Much as they’d done with Pioneertown, the three opted to preserve the original building, making limited structural changes and even keeping the original layout of the bar and restaurant.
In addition to the 26-room main hotel, three cabins onsite, dating back to the 1960s, have been redesigned by notable Northwest creatives. Holly and David Price, who own the independent shop Edit. Whidbey, say they went for an “aesthetic that reflects the mood of an island in the Salish Sea” in their cabin. It’s painted in Benjamin Moore’s China White, and they added details from local artisans, including an abstract quilt on the wall by fabric designer Marcia Derse and a firewood holder by Whidbey artist Scott Alexander. Forest Eckley and Andy Whitcomb of Seattle’s Glasswing boutique made a connection between the interior and exterior of their cabin a top priority. In addition to custom furnishings— the pair also own the contemporary handmade furniture company Brackish—they created a trilevel seating area outside: hammocks sway near the shore, a soaking tub is sunk into the deck, and outdoor seating is positioned just above it. Vancouver-based designer Kyla Ray drew from her childhood on Vancouver Island to create a laid-back, textured aesthetic in the third cabin, which includes pieces from Canadian designers Union Wood Co., New Format Studio, and Greenstems. No matter which room you stay in, the mystique of the region pervades the entire property. “We had this vision of the main lodge as an old ship run aground,” Cheong says, “and imagined the characters spilling out.” All are welcome to join this crew. »
HONG KONG St. Regis Hong Kong
An elegant refuge from the busy streets of Hong Kong, the recently opened St. Regis was designed to recall its namesake New York hotel while embracing the culture and heritage of the mammoth Chinese city. “I wanted to go deeper than the stereotypical concept of lanterns, junk [boats], and temples and tap into my own memories of the city,” says Hong Kong–born designer André Fu, founder of AFSO and head of design for the 129-room hotel. With the idea of a “curated mansion” in mind, Fu made extensive use of solid gray marble and bronze, adding a palette of sage greens, emerald, and burnt orange for a sophisticated residential feel. From the sculptural marble staircase that spirals up to the third floor to the soaring ceiling of the Great Room, details throughout the property were selected to signal refinement and grandeur.
The Standard Hotel has made the jump across the pond, opening its first international outpost in London in July 2019. Taking over Camden Town Hall Annex, a Brutalist civic building noted for its rows of futuristic oblong windows, the Standard London represents the latest big push in the revitalization of the Kings Cross neighborhood. The 266-room property, with interiors by Shawn Hausman Design, is chock-full of bright décor that nods to the youthquake culture of the 1960s, but the sophisticated execution steers well clear of kitsch. An external lift, painted in the Standard’s signature red, recalls both London’s beloved double-decker buses and classic British phone booths.
Thoughtfully merging modern construction with historic Spanish architecture, the Santa Monica Proper is the first high-end lifestyle hotel to open in its namesake city in more than two decades. Under the guiding hand of interior designer Kelly Wearstler, the circa-1928 Arthur E. Harvey–designed Santa Monica Professional Building and its six-story addition are harmonized through a natural, organic palette rich in texture (think stone, wood, and plaster with metal accents) and furnishings that evoke a casual evening on the California coast. The addition rounds things out with a rooftop deck and pool, restaurant, and beachy indoor-outdoor bar. h
LONDON The Standard
