apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

This looks kinda cool, but combined with that ghastly pink building, I am SO OVER Julian Schnabel. Bleh.

At the risk of being accused of being negative, this looks like a cartoon of "Old World" to me. It is unrefined and painfully self-aware.

On a more positive note, I really like the unadorned ceiling fixtures, even though they use very NOT GREEN incadescent bulbs.

Has this particular hotel managed to avoid being infested with bed bugs?

I think these rooms look like paintings. They are velvety and dark.

Mr. Schnabel made one of my top 10 movies ever - Before Night Falls - so I'll always be grateful to him.

I woundn't want to live there but I would adore staying there - I think its fascinating.

On a hot early summer day, these rooms hold *tremendously* little appeal to me.

Ask me again on a snowy afternoon in January.

"At the risk of being accused of being negative..."
So you DO have a sense of humor!

I'm one of those anti-color neutral lovers. But these pics make me want to redo my entire place. Or move into the GPH. Tomorrow.

from a theater design point of view, I like these rooms. Their stylization and limited color palette appeal to me.

That said, I have to agree with patrick (the other one) about it clashing with hot NYC weather. I'm also not so into that rug in the lobby-- too busy and the style is just wrong in that space.

These rooms are stunning! Rooms aren't designed for weather, but for year round living. Masterfully done, I wouldn't expect these rooms to appeal to the "me-too-mid-century" crowd this blog attracts....But they will be current long after the fifteen minutes of mid-century are up.
Bravo Schnabel

Best colortherapy post ever! I love all the detailed description given and the pictures used. Boutique hotels are fantasy–and this one is not a place anyone would ever live in, but to stay? Oh yes! We all need a little fantasy to escape to now and then.

The green in the Jade Bar IS very interesting. Thanks for such a great post and preview of the hotel.

hdtex--

I have outrageously eclectic taste, but grew up in Miami, and yes, indeedy, rooms *are* designed for weather.

And please don't lump all us ATer into one big Eames-idolizing heap if we dare to criticize something you find appealing.

It's possible to compliment without slamming.

But, um, I seriously doubt this look will *not* "date". Most hotel design dates, pretty much.

It already looks dated. Especially the carpet.

I agree that it looks cartoonish, and too wintery. I'd like to see it in person and maybe stay there, but it's too over the top for a home. However, the concept is good and I think it's inspirational.

Though not something I would (or could) do, this scheme seems a wonderful departure from the norm, and a well-needed foray into "boutique hotel "escapism.

At least MrGreen once again galvanises against pedagoguery and his penchant for useless comments -- "a cartoon of Old World"... is that supposed to be negative? what's the point? Should Old World revivalism only be authentic? and serious? or do you simply dislike cartoons?

patrick (too) - "At the risk of being accused" is simply a heavy-stick weilding curmudgeon's pre-emptive attack on all such accusers. There's no sense of humour there.
The only thing "unrefined and painfully self-aware" being Mr Green himself.

Wouldn't it be a shame if arrogance posing as environmentalism turns us all off the Green cause!

this is sensual & sexy. thank you Julian

i heart kirk lenard

kirk, meet me at the hummer dealership. and leave the AC on when you go.

Although I can appreciate the artistry behind the design, my overwhelming thought when lookinng at the pictures was "suffocating." As others have noted, maybe that wouldn't be so if it wasn't hot as blazes. I would, however, like to have a nice cool drink in that fab bar!

"Looking," not "lookinng." Must one day learn to type properly...or at least proofread better.

can you name on period of design or style that has not become somehow 'dated'-styles may come in and out of fashion but anything ever built, every wallcovering ever chosen ,every paint chip picked will show it's age as other 'new' styles and ideas emerge ( even if the new is a re-hashing of the old) Like the present penchant for mid mod tastes ;it will soon fade from popularity to be replaced and then re-discovered iagain n another 20 years or so.
What Julien has done is re-invent a style, making it fresh by virtue of it's contrast to what has been the norm of decor in the boutique hotel industry-wenge wood,white ceramic tiles and lots of chrome; this was once the fresh and exciting decor theme that swept the nation;but it ,like everything else,has had it's five minutes of fame...next!!

Pesonally I think Julien borrows more from the over the top and styalized sets of period movie musicals from the 1950's- then from true period decoration-this echoed the neo baroque decor of the 50's that was high contrast to the more severe 'modernism' that was quickly becoming commonplace in public art/architecture- a little fantasy never hurt anyone!!

I think Schnabel is "taking the piss out," as the British say, and privately laughing at everyone who praises this piffle.

I do like the colors individually, but not combined as they are here......Looks kind of "dungeon-y" to me.....

open your mind to something new...I know it's scary but we can all do it together,OK; one, two three THINK!!!

I don't think any single color "dates" or ages-- it is color combinations (frequently because they are overused when they become trendy) that evoke specific time periods, like the deep blues, reds, golds, and greens in this hotel do. I find the richness of these colors and fabrics very sexy for a get-away-- it does make me imagine cooler temperatures, which is a delight when it's so hot outside. This decor creates a whimsical leap into a painting, something almost out of a children's book. What a dreamy, fantastic post-- thanks for sharing with those of us too far away to visit!

stunning use of colour!
everyone is entitled to an opinion so we should agree to disagree... I find his use of those colors to be very fresh and modern and would love to spend a night in that hotel. That does not mean that I would necessarily transform my humble abode into a copy of it... it's a hotel after all. the point of the decor is to cause a visceral response the moment you step in from the hectic rhythm of The City; it's a foil to modern city life and the hustle and bustle. hotels such as this need to make an instant impression in order to register on the guests' minds as a unique experience worth paying for... guests who seek these hotels want just that... people who couldn't care less for the "experience" stay at a Ramada or a Holiday Inn..

I love most of it. I just wish it weren't so insanely overpriced to stay or drink there.

PS. As for the lighting...Ramada has loads of lovely, earth-friendly compact flourescent bulbs to set the mood... cause no light is as flattering for human skin as the soft glow of a flourescent bulb for that sexy bus station bathroom at 4 in the morning where's my crack pipe look.
aside-if trendy bars were lit with compacts, honey, NO ONE would get laid... gawd knows the mistakes I could have avoided if the bars I was in had been better lit!

while it's definitely not my style, I think this is brilliant and opulent in a very playful way. I love the reds and the way the over-the-top glam chandelier plays with the unadorned and distressed ceilings. But it does look hot & I could definitely understand why people would shy away from it in the summer. Would love to stay here in fall and winter. just beautiful & while I don't like all of Schnabel's art, I think he is deliberately provocative & intelligent. His movies are pretty damn good too!

totally inspiring to me

Marvelous post! Delicious eye-candy!

I find everything here actually pretty unreassuring. Renaissance buildings in Florence or Sienna or Venice don't frighten me like this, at least not in most rooms ... I could just imagine this as the set for some gruesome dracula movie, or a remake of the Rocky horror picture shnow....

It reminds me of the overstuffed hotels I have studiously avoided for years- with a funky color palette. Blues and reds instead of pastels and patterns.

Really wouldn't make my list of desirable NYC hotels.

Its like Palazzo Chupi, only with furniture. I am not sure how I feel about it, but suspect we will see a lot more of this look in the near future.