Boutique Design - December 2019 - 54

2 0 19 G O L D K E Y AWA R D S

BEST HOTEL FOCUSED SERVICE
WINNER

MOXY CHELSEA
NEW YORK

THE DESIGN FIRMS: Yabu Pushelberg,

Toronto/New York; Rockwell Group,
New York
THE MUSE: Bring the greenery and the

artistic spirit of a creative neighborhood,
known for fashion and flowers, into a
newbuild, 349-key hotel. Find creative ways
to bring the "wow" within the price point at
which the sector-spanning brand sits.

THE MAVERICK MOVE: It's New York.
Nobody puts NYC in a corner, and that same
outsize mentality informs the design. Yes,
there is a living wall. It's three stories tall. The
Fleur Room, the hotel's buzzy rooftop venue
(as in, Lizzo had a party there, that kind of
hot list), takes inspiration from 17th-century
Dutch paintings of flowers, then repurposes
them as huge motifs on everything from rugs
to banquette backs. The compact guestrooms
offer a more laid-back take, but still rely on
large swaths of surfaces (vertical, natch) to
give them a spacious air. Cue light walls and
lots of fabric.
THE MESSAGE: Travel can be trippy.

Embracing that giddiness, whether in lights
that resemble giant petals or retractable
glass walls in the Fleur Room, makes for a
transportive experience, whether you're a
guest or a local.
54

boutiquedesign.com DECEMBER 2019

SOURCES
OWNER: The Lightstone Group, New York; OPERATORS: Marriott International, Bethesda, Maryland; TAO Group, Las Vegas; DESIGN FIRM: Yabu Pushelberg, Toronto/
New York: George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg, cofounders; Rockwell Group, New York: David Rockwell, founder and president; Greg Keffer, partner and studio leader; Brad
Zuger, project manager; Jenny Bukovec, Yulia Frumkin and Courtney Richardson; ARCHITECT: Stonehill Taylor, New York; GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Flintlock Construction
Services, LLC, New York DESIGN FIRM: Yabu Pushelberg, Toronto/New York: George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg, cofounders; ARCHITECT: Stonehill Taylor, New York;
PURCHASING FIRM: Purchasing Associates, Peekskill, New York; GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Flintlock Construction Services, LLC, New York; DESIGN CONSULTANTS:
Focus Lighting (lighting); Next Step Design (kitchen consultant); Seneca (interior contractor); ART & ACCESSORIES: Atta Inc.; Blackman Cruz; iWorks; Jane Millett Design;
Putnam & Putnam; RAREculture LLC; Tony Melici; Total Metal Resources; West NYC Home; BOCCE WALL: En Viu LLC; CARPETS & RUGS: Moooi/MCI Carpets BV; Sacco
Carpet; FABRICS: Créations Métaphores; Bernhardt Textiles; Bramson House; Donghia, Inc.; Holly Hunt; House of Hackney; Lee Jofa; Mokum Textiles; Kravet; Maharam;
Majilite Corporation; Onyx Upholstery; Opuzen; Osborne & Little; Pierre Frey; Samuel & Sons; Romo Group; Turning Star Inc.; United Fabrics Inc.; FURNITURE: 1stdibs;
Angela Brown; Blå Station; Dine Rite Seating Products Inc.; DWR; Jay Edward; John Houshmand; M.A.D. / Nuans Design; Munrod Custom Upholsterers; Naturtex; Prostoria;
Stellar Works; Stillfried Wien; Visual Elements; LEATHER: Cortina Leathers; Demar Leather; Edelman Leather; Elmo Leather; Tiger Leather; LIGHTING: Allied Maker; Bloom
Lighting; Compass Srl; CRW Lighting; DCW Editions; Jamie Harris; Kelly Wearstler; Roll & Hill; Suite NY; Venicem S.R.L

MICHAEL K LEINBERG FOR MOX Y CHEL SE A

THE MAGIC: As the first business to come
into the block of West 28th St. between 6th
and 7th Ave. in a few years, the pressure was
on the design teams (Yabu Pushelberg was
responsible for the entry check-in and the
guestrooms, while Rockwell Group handled
the lobby and F&B venues) to do more
with the storied surroundings than just lip
service. Traditionally dominated by floral
wholesalers (a welcome, organic change
from the concrete jungle of Manhattan), the
micro-locale gave both teams the inspiration for a just-shy-of-too-much interpretation. No surprise, this vision also includes
an actual florist, in this case Putnam &
Putnam's first retail outlet, one of the first
things guests see as they enter.
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Boutique Design - December 2019

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