Instead of focusing on an ultra-cool, inaccessible ideal for the redesign of the Smyth, a Thompson Hotel, Christine Gachot, co-founder of Gachot Studios, wanted the public spaces of the 5-year-old hotel to be more welcoming—intimate yet communal. The Tribeca-area hotel’s relaunch offered a fresh take on the public spaces, including the lobby and two locally inspired dining spaces that aim to bring people together.
Commune Hotels + Resorts, owner of the property, created Smyth as a lifestyle hotspot for the area. “Its name, Smyth, is a reference to anonymity; one could go by the pseudonym and indulge in an anonymous stay, fling, or evening,” says Commune’s vice president of design Audra Tuskes. Indeed, the previous public area had a more formal appeal with enclaves for “secret rendezvous,” she adds.
“But people want to exist more publicly now, whether it’s taking a meeting in a common space or being alone in the company of others,” Tuskes says, so she called upon New York-based Gachot Studios to create a warm, inviting lobby space that would make guests feel at home while also becoming the local watering hole for locals—including the property’s owners who live in the neighborhood. “That’s how I had the idea of creating the Tribeca dream loft,” Gachot says.
Divided into four sections, the Living Room, Den, Library, and Evening Bar, the lobby mixes Scandinavian and American mid-century furniture with a neutral color palette and local art, books, and photography. Textiles and furnishings normally used in residential projects create a cozy space while oiled, white oak floors and locally sourced materials echo New York’s atmosphere. For example, the Den’s fireplace clad in Guastavino tile recalls the terracotta material used on the vaulted ceiling in Grand Central Terminal and Carnegie Hall. “You know you are in New York, and more specifically Tribeca, when you are here,” she adds.
Tribeca’s roots also come into play with the art displayed in Evening Bar. Designed by Brooklyn-based artist Matthew Benedict, the highlight of the bar is a four-panel frieze mural depicting archetypal scenes from the neighborhood’s history. “The mural combined with Hervé Descottes’ magical lighting has turned Evening Bar into a place of discovery,” says Gachot. “It’s quite seductive.” Against a palette of rich cognac and blue, low-slung sofas, mid-century Il Kofod-Larsen chairs, and vintage settees are arranged into an intimate setting. A backlit, eight-seat mahogany cocktail bar with navy leather paneling illuminates the space.
The focus on locality continues in Little Park, a seasonal restaurant that sources its ingredients from nearby farmers, anglers, and ranchers. White marble mosaic tiles are hand-laid in a fan pattern across the floor complementing the whitewashed wood ceiling. Oak dining tables with inlaid burnished brass details pair with dark Josef Hoffmann chairs fitted with felt cushions.
“When creating a restaurant that lives in a hotel, we have to consider the fact that it needs to be open from the first thing in the morning to very late at night,” Gachot explains. Hanging plants and a neutral palette help support these daily transitions. “In the morning, they catch the sunlight and create a sense of calm in the New York hustle and bustle, and in the evening the sconces give the plants a warm glow, and the space closes in like a paper lantern,” she says.
