Wallpaper* Bespoke: New York Lock In

For the third instalment of the Wallpaper* and SodaStream party series, there was no better setting than the city that never sleeps: New York. Perfectly timed to coincide with its design week, which included the inaugural citywide event NYCxDesign, ICFF’s 25th outing and the hip NoHo Design district fair, the heat was on for us to capture and bottle that distinctive Big Apple magic.

We found our dream venue in the two-storey rooftop of the Hôtel Americano. The youngest, super-stylish child of the Grupo Habita, as well as the design crowd’s hotel of choice, it pairs pared-back interiors with high-octane New York glamour. With its panoramic views of the Empire State Building and the surrounding Chelsea neighbourhood, the rooftop patio and pool were also perfect complements to the SodaStream bar modules that have become a visual signature to these events. Like the newly designed ‘Source’ soda machines – sleekly finished in black, red, white and blue (see the latter colourways in situ, right) – the eco-conscious cardboard bar modules were also designed by Yves Béhar.

Our sexy shindig drew 500 design savvy names, and then some – for most of the evening, a queue of people snaked down the block. Guests included Béhar, Tom Dixon, Jaime Hayon, Dror Benshetrit, Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance and Gaye Çevikel, with Brazilian DJ Elle Dee on the decks. As a colourful army of SodaStream machines fizzed up water to make cocktails including a lemon and vodka Cucumber Heat, and a Camparibased grapefruit medley named Summer’s Girl, our modern pool party was truly a night to remember.