Hospitality Design - May/June 2010 - 78

perspectives

places: new york

The James New York
The James, a property well known in Chicago, will make its way to New York this summer. The 114-room hotel, designed by Ofﬁce for Design & Architecture (ODA) in collaboration with Perkins Eastman and the James design team, will offer three things not easily found in New York: spacious rooms, green areas, and ﬂoor-toceiling glass walls. “The 20-story building anchors three major neighborhoods: Soho, Tribeca, and the West Village,” says ODA’s Eran Chen. “While bold in its sculptural shape and use of material, its graceful composition of spaces illustrates the juncture between the artistry of Soho and the industrial qualities of Canal Street.” For instance, the Sky Lobby, a glass-walled welcome and reception area on the third ﬂoor is accessible by a glass elevator and offers views of a neighboring sculpture garden, and the second ﬂoor has an urban garden and a boardroom that converts into a modern indoor-outdoor meeting space. Rooms include corner rooms with wrap-around views, 10-foot-high lofty ceilings, and a panel covered by a motorized rolldown art print separating the bathroom from the bedroom. And environmentally friendly details abound, like reclaimed wood, concrete, glass, stone, and rugs made from natural ﬁbers to match the brown and blue color scheme and nature-inspired artwork. “The natural textures with the background of broad city views provide a comfortable yet invigorating haven,” Chen says.

Left: A rendering of the James New York’s striking façade.

The Mark
The Upper East Side’s Mark hotel has just emerged from a major overhaul, courtesy of French designer Jacques Grange. “I selected materials that are very sophisticated,” says Grange. The hotel was redesigned with some stylish downtown ﬂair with elements that also make it comfortable and intimate for guests. “The ﬁnishing is very ﬁne—it’s couture,” adds Grange. The rooms evoke Parisian luxury in the 1930s, and feature artwork by Karl Lagerfeld and furniture from the likes of Ron Arad and Piero Lissoni. In the lobby, a bold black and white striped ﬂoor prevails, and Grange commissioned 12 designers to deliver unique creations like Rod Arad’s whimsical chandelier spiraling over a black and white table. These pieces continue in the bar and restaurant as well. The 160-seat Mark Restaurant, a Jean-Georges Vongerichten eatery, has a visual tone similar to the hotel where elegance takes the lead. A balanced sense of color and texture prevails along with furnishings by Mattia Bonetti and a bronze and glass ceiling by Eric Schmitt. And the avant-garde Mark Bar boasts pieces by French painter and sculptor Guy de Rougemont and furniture by Vladimir Kagan.

Above and left: Bold patterns and colors and custom art pieces make up the Mark’s bar and lobby.

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Hospitality Design - May/June 2010