Boutique Design - May/June 2010 - (Page 28)

Q & A The Trump SoHo: Tall, I N T E R V I E W E D B Y W Edmond Bakos ith a touch of controversy and much aplomb, the ponderous hotel-condo Trump SoHo has opened its gates onto the streets of New York, featuring 391 rooms and the visionary Rockwell Plays into SoHo’s ‘Urban Verticality’ elebrating a youthful exuberance, Edmond Bakos, a principal at Rockwell, explained that Trump SoHo consciously echoes the surrounding streets and glittering skyline, highlighting an urban sense of “verticality.” With accolades from the 2008 National Design Award by Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt, a lifetime achievement award from Interiors magazine, and a Presidential Design award for the Grand Central Station renovation, it's no surprise that Trump selected Rockwell as the firm for its newest New York icon. Celebrating a cross-disciplinary design motto, where boundaries collapse between art, design, theater and architecture, Rockwell insists that all 150 members of the firm also pursue additional endeavors (including playwriting, set design and opera singing) that consistently inform their work. C BD: What was Trump’s vision/concept for the new SoHo property when the company approached you? EB: They were looking to create something different from what had been built before under the Trump brand — a space that would exude a youthful luxury that would tie into SoHo’s sensibility. BD: The new property is a hotel and a condominium — and a new build. Can you talk about some of the challenges you faced? EB: The property is a “condo-hotel,” which means that there will be some extended stay guests, so creating spaces that repeat visitors would find engaging and memorable was really important. We looked to create smaller spaces and capture intimate seating areas within the lobby and combine that with other public space amenities like the library that floats over the lobby and peeks out onto Varick Street as a way to offer guests more of a personal experience. 28 • boutique DESIGN may/june 2010 Many of the rooms are in suite configurations that really celebrate the views. The rooms are also outfitted with amenities that are welcoming and personal, such as the “hearth” — the sliding door to the bedroom that reveals a mirror and an illuminated niche with glass artifacts and creates a sense of transformation and discovery. We designed glass floor lamps and patterned wood and leather credenzas that were intended to merge into the pattern of the skyline. BD: How did you choose the palette and the overall “look” of the design? How would you describe it in your own words? EB: We wanted the design to be a play between scale, craft and material that would cre- ate a dynamic dialogue with the surrounding neighborhood. The palette is simple but rich and was really chosen to highlight the larger design gestures. The walnut lobby screen creates a warm interior wrapper — but it also is about reflection and refraction and it mod- A one bedroom suite

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

Boutique Design - May/June 2010
Contents
BD Launches ScanLife Technology
The Rocco Forte Collection
Kimpton Open Another Hotel Palomar
Steve Wynn Unveils Encore
NEWH Members Tour NYC’s Newly-Renovated Surrey Hotel
Novo Arts Hotels S.A.S. Studio Night to Benefit the Give Your Art Foundation
BDNY Advisory Board Meets to Tour New Building and Discuss Trade Show Launch
Business Sense
On the Boards: Sephen Jacobs and Andi Pepper Introduce the Upcoming Gansevoort Park
Q&A with Ed Bakos and Anthony DiGuiseppe
We Proudly Present the 2010 Boutique 18 - Read Their Story in Pictures
In Reflection
World by DESIGN
DREAMbook
Bath and Spa
Amsterdam Film, UXUS Design, Transforms Napa Valley Garage Winery into Majestic Upscale Tasting Den, Merus
Calendar/Advertisers' Index

Boutique Design - May/June 2010