Patterns, Prints and Panache Define New York’s Warren Street Hotel

For much of the 19th and early 20th centuries, the borough of Tribeca in Manhattan’s south-west was a bustling hub of the textiles industry. This was foremost in the mind of Kit Kemp, founder and creative director of Firmdale Hotels, when she began brainstorming the company’s latest property, the Warren Street Hotel, which takes fabric almost as seriously as it does afternoon tea (Kemp is English).

The hotel’s façade of cerulean-blue steel makes for a dazzling contrast to the area’s many brick-fronted loft buildings. But the true spectacle is inside, where nearly every surface of the lobby and 69 guestrooms and suites is covered with intricately woven textiles, many of them created by Kemp herself.

Bright and bold –  think wooden sculptures by fellow Brit and artist Henry Wood and colourful cut flowers in every available space – this vibrant hotel is the work of a designer at the height of her considerable powers.  

Many of the rooms, like the two- or three-bedroom Songbird Suites, have astonishingly full libraries – heaven, if your idea of a good time is sinking down on a Chesterfield with a biography of Sylvia Plath or Susan Sontag (both signed by the authors). There are also Pro-Ject turntables and collections of vinyl for something a little more lively. Hoping to fit in a workout? While there’s no on-site gym, this turns out to be a good thing: the property offers guest passes to NEXUS, an elite private club just around the corner that’s usually locked behind a US$20,000 membership fee.

Many New York hotels have excellent bars but Warren Street’s namesake offering on the ground floor is one of the very best. Order the tequila, kumquat and saffron-driven Daisy Clementine, then grab a table for dinner (consider the Dover sole meunière and a slice of pineapple cake) in The Orangery. The adjoining private guest lounge with its cosy fireplace is a welcome sanctuary in the heart of a busy city, where a late-night game of chess on the antique board beckons.

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