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.
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