ModernHaus Hotel
New York, United States

Photo credit: Pavel Bendov
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PROJECT DETAILS:
Project Name: ModernHaus Hotel
Location: 27 Grand Street, New York, NY
Client: Thor Equities
Architecture Firm: Palette Architecture
Typology: Hotel / Hospitality
Project Start: November 2018
Project Completed: May 2021
Total area: 67,000 SF
Budget: $3.5MM
Photographer credits: Pavel Bendov
Team credits
Managing Partner(s): John Sunwoo
Project Designer: Anna Kueck
Contractors: Hidden Hill Hospitality
MEP Engineer: Kohler Ronan
Structural Engineer: DeSimone Consulting Engineers
Interior Designer: Wilson Associates
Creative Direction: MA Bowers, Inc
Interior Design collaborator: Jack J. Sitt, director of Thor Equities
Landscape Architect: HM White
Lighting Designer: Dot Dash
Materials & Suppliers
Glass supplier: Vitro Architectural Glass
Storefront and Entrance Systems: CR Laurence, Assa Abbloy
Doors: Ceco Door
Door Hardware: DormaKaba, Hafele
Lighting fixtures: Trov, Modulightor, Aldabra, Elemental, Tech Lighting, Bold Lighting
Bathroom fixtures: Watermark, Kohler, Moen
Architectural Software: Autodesk Revit
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Palette Architecture is proud to unveil its contemporary refurbishment of ModernHaus SoHo, a luxurious 114-room boutique hotel formerly known as The James New York. Situated in New York City’s vibrant SoHo district., the property was acquired by the current owners in 2017, and the hotel has changed ownership twice since its original construction in 2010. The client’s vision was to rebrand the hotel in a more contemporary style, breathing new life into the prominent structure and softening the rough material palette of its original design.



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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The team identified a variety of underutilized and outdated spaces that could be repurposed.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.