Image courtesy of Simon Brown for Warren Street Hotel
There’s something magical about Firmdale Hotels. The brand’s co-owner and co-founder Kit Kemp imbues each of Firmdale’s 11 properties across London and New York with a tasteful vibrancy. And New York’s Warren Street Hotel, a TriBeCa gem with a glistening blue façade, is her latest masterpiece.
Kit’s approach is rooted in collaborations — with artisans, craftspeople, designers, bespoke brands. As a result, each of her hotels is unique, with a distinct personality and a strong sense of place. This is especially true of Warren Street.
Read on to learn more about what makes Warren Street Hotel so special. Then, connect with me to plan and book your stay.
Warren Street Hotel is a study in exceptional design
Images courtesy of Simon Brown for Warren Street Hotel
Kit wants her guests to really feel like they’ve arrived. The Warren Street Hotel evokes a sense of whimsy and wonder. Bold oranges, yellows, blues and greens greet you upon arrival, as does a slate of meticulously selected modern sculptures and paintings. Each piece of art, whether it’s the lobby’s white crescent-shaped chandelier or its exquisite Christopher Kurtz-designed wooden table, is perfectly placed — and perfectly complemented by the bold yet masterfully curated color scheme. There’s a stylish sense of play wherever you look.
Kit is especially inspired by texture. Organic textiles and shapes, threads and craft fabrics adorn every space, but especially the hotel’s 69 spacious rooms. (Even the entry-level accommodations feel sprawling.) Natural sunlight floods through floor-to-ceiling windows (which block out all outside noise, contributing to each room’s refreshing serenity). Plush patterned couches, vases of fresh flowers and colorful paintings add a tasteful cheerfulness. In one suite, there’s a delightful white armoire that resembles an oversized dollhouse. Kit’s signature oversized headboards — each one with a unique pattern and color scheme — steal the show.
Even the hallways, lined with brightly patterned commissioned wallpaper, are beautiful. And the elevators themselves are works of art. Inside, additional vibrant wallpaper serves as the backdrop for whimsical shadow boxes displaying, say, a collection of bow ties or a series of figurines.
The hotel feels more in line with an intimate, effortlessly cool gallery or private home — and that’s exactly the point. Kit never wanted her hotels to feel stale or stuffy. She didn’t really want them to feel like hotels at all. Kit is, impressively, entirely self-taught when it comes to interior design. But this has been a gift; what she lacks in technical training gives her space to play.
Afternoon tea, live jazz & downtown’s chicest brasserie
Image courtesy of Simon Brown for Warren Street Hotel
The playful, artistic, bold aesthetic carries over to Warren Street Hotel’s dining outlets. There’s a glass-roofed space for Firmdale’s signature afternoon tea. Sip on ice-cold Champagne and savor elevated takes on classics like cucumber-and-butter sandwiches, or crumbly scones served with clotted cream and preserves. Small orange cubbies, each of which houses a white clay vase detailed with the outline of various types of mushrooms, line one wall. Overhead hangs an oversized white chandelier.
The Warren Street Bar & Restaurant is an all-day brasserie with a contemporary, quintessential Kit-Kemp flair. Guests sit in patterned, upholstered booths and chairs. Eclectic wallpaper coats the walls, as do numerous paintings and multimedia works of various sizes. It’s the perfect setting for a posh but laid-back lunch of comforting gourmet soups, salads, sandwiches and plated entrées. On the menu, you’ll find English pea soup with crème fraîche, a spring vegetable salad with beets and mizuna, a grass-fed burger with caramelized onions. In the evening, the restaurant is a haunt for savvy locals craving something delicious and refined but decidedly unstuffy. Savor seasonal pastas, fresh fish, a curated selection of appetizers and exquisite desserts that themselves resemble works of art.
If you’re not hungry, at least grab a seat at the 30-foot bar. Nurse a craft cocktail as you admire the surrounding artwork and patterns. Warren Street Hotel quietly boasts prime people-watching territory. Thursdays are an especially ideal day to linger, when the local Sam Taylor Trio fills the space with live jazz.