By: Stephanie Andrews
Last weekend I went to New York City to meet up with my oldest friend, Lara. Lara and I have been close friends since we were 7 years old. (I don’t take this for granted a mere 50 years later!) Lara booked us a suite at the Hotel Chelsea, complete with a kitchen, living room, bedroom, and bathroom. This space was glorious-more about that in a second.
If you do not know the Chelsea Hotel, like I did not, it has quite a fascinating story. It was built in 1883 in a Victorian Gothic style, with red brick and layers of wrought iron balconies. Its architect, Philip Huber, and the developers wanted to build an apartment community for artists, writers, musicians, and creatives. The philosophy of what they were creating was loosely based on the writings of a French Marxist philosopher, Henri Lefebre.
A view of the Chelsea Hotel from the street. Those balconies!
This storied hotel was home to many famous artists, musicians, and writers over the years. The long list includes Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Arthur Miller, Frida Kahlo, and Andy Warhol, just to name a few of my favorites. Legend has it that the Museum of Modern Art was conceived at this place so that more recent artists could have a place to show their work.
I am sharing all of this history because there was a palpable energy when I stepped into the lobby. Over the years, the building fell into disrepair and even had some infamous murders-think Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen. In 2022, the Hotel Chelsea finished a complete overhaul, redoing the Cafe Chelsea, the lobby, and every room. The results are breathtakingly considered. Our keys to each room even had a brass bell and a red tassel! It looks as if it could be the 70s or 80s with tons of art everywhere, an older style of furniture that has been reupholstered in sumptuous colorful fabrics, yet the Victorian millwork and lighting are still showcased.
My room in the morning while writing this blog.
I will give you an even better description by walking you through the photos of our space. From the moment that I walked into the heavy, tall, carved doors with brass handles, I knew that this renovation considered every detail. Our piano black lacquer cabinets in the kitchen even had a large black gas stove. Of course, the fridge was stocked with champagne, wine, and beverages and the snacks included remedies for any hangovers. We did not need these-but it was nice to know that they were there! They even included some Rockers Love Kits, but I will leave that description out of this article!
The dining room included a bottle of wine for us!
Our living room was perfect- blush pink walls, aubergine reupholstered sofa, coral velvet chairs, and cheetah print dining chairs around a black tulip table. The Nepali-style rug and the layered window treatments that opened up to our balconies completed the space. Instead of sheers, they used a cream fabric with intentional holes throughout that gave the effect of glitter from the stained glass windows.
The interior design was headed up by Kara Mann from Chicago. Her sexy style mixed masculine and feminine and nothing looked like it came from a modern-day store. There was acquired art in each room, some framed, most not, but all capturing the spirit of the space.
Ok-so the kitchen was a bit nicer than the one I have at home…
Perhaps the description from the hotel’s website sums it up best: “Solid and sumptuous, eccentric yet beautiful, the Chelsea is a world unto itself: a decadent palace of peculiarity.” If you get a chance to go, I encourage you to check out the magic of marrying history with thoughtful design.
Lara and I standing outside the hotel. (See Leonard Cohen joining us?)
This long weekend excursion gave me so many design ideas and reinforced my longing to design a boutique hotel. I thought I would selfishly share this desire with you, our readers, just in case you have one that you would like to see with some Balance Design inspiration. We promise to consider all of the details to make it a once in a lifetime experience. Enough of my plug-let the manifesting begin!
