New York-based Stonehill & Taylor will lead the architecture and interior design of Manhattan’s first NYLO Hotel. Set to open in the Upper West Side, NYLO will also mark the first hospitality lifestyle brand to enter the neighborhood.
“We took our cues for the design of the lobby level areas from the energy, colors, and fashions of New York’s Jazz era, and the music clubs and speakeasies prevalent around the hotel and in Harlem at that time,” says Michael Suomi, principal and VP of interior design at Stonehill & Taylor. “We wanted to bring the dynamism and elegance of that era, creating an entertaining space that’s both for the neighborhood and for out-of-towners.”
With that in mind, the designers used heavily carved wood paneling in the piano room, created a speakeasy in the bar thanks to bistro chairs, wood tables, and a counter made of zinc, dotted eclectic seating throughout the lobby⎯⎯including tufted chesterfield-style sofas and metal finishes-and incorporated yellow accents throughout, a nod to a popular color in ladies’ fashion in the 1920s. And in restoring the historic property, they kept historic details uncovered during the renovation, including a fireplace in the library and a ceiling pattern from the original 20th-century residential space.
Inspired by local historic apothecaries, the reception area boasts period appropriate shelving, artifacts, and elements. The red lacquer reception desk recalls a chest of drawers that pharmacies at the time used to store materials, while an elevator structure from a 1920s French apartment building has also been transformed into the ADA elevator.
At the same time, NYLO’s signature industrial feel is created through concrete floors, exposed ceiling beams and brick, and a metal wall and ceiling lamps throughout the lobby area, as well as details like chicken wire glass used as an encasement of liquor bottles at the bar.
As the new design adds exterior space, the hotel will boast sidewalk dining for its three restaurants and bar service via a large steel garage door system.
