ModernHaus Hotel

A collaborative contemporization
From the onset, the project was a collaborative effort between multiple stakeholders, including the building’s owners, interior design firms, Wilson Associates and M. A. Bowers, Inc., and the hotel’s various food and beverage (F&B) operators. With Palette at the helm, the project focused on a plan to give the rebranded property a fresh start.

The team identified a variety of underutilized and outdated spaces that could be repurposed. With a goal of preserving much of the original building, the firm focused on highlighting its original precast concrete, steel, and weathered finishes. The team then embarked on a process of infusing consistency and character into the property, developing links to the SoHo neighborhood through the introduction of elements such as patterned motifs and selected artworks alluding to the district’s rich history of art and culture.

Rooms with a view
Beginning with the lobby and hotel entrances, dated finishes were upgraded through the timeless use of natural materials. The designers introduced contrasts to the light-colored interior, including dark woods and metals that provide the space’s walls, doors, and railings with a contemporary facelift. In guestroom corridors, the use of Calder-esque carpeting, and the strategic placement of pop art, helps establish seamless connections to the SoHo vibe. The layout of the rooms themselves remained largely intact, with thoughtful contemporary touches of furnishings upholstered in soft, bold-colored fabrics.

The Presidential Suite, however, was a perpetual work in progress, and already had a history of renovations and material upgrades. In order to take advantage of the suite’s size and grandeur, the team created more of an inward focus conducive to intimacy against the backdrop of its panoramic city views. Brass, rich woods, bold colors, and strategic lighting combined to achieve that goal, all within the embrace of panoramic external views.