The Mercer hotel library by Dashwood Books is an analogue delight
The Mercer hotel in New York is embracing analogue pleasures, including a library curated by Dashwood Books
The old is always the new. And that iconic beacon of culture the Mercer Hotel in SoHo, New York knows this best. In a world where there are too many screens, too many digital moments, and endless impersonal emails, The Mercer is offering us old-world charm, not least in the form of its first-ever library, in collaboration with Dashwood Books.
As a property – in a landmark Romanesque revival building – the hotel is embracing little touches from the old world, and exploring what analogue looks like. The Mercer has opted to return to real room keys that have weight in the hand, and handwritten notes with fresh flowers to delight guests.
Most wondrously, there are no iPads and extra screens in the rooms complicating the simplest tasks. Even their iconic clock with hands, and their new bees on the hotel rooftop feel like a hankering for the wholesome and the more natural.
The Mercer hotel’s library curated by Dashwood Books
One of the hotel’s most incredible feats is its new private library, with floor-to-ceiling mahogany bookshelves curated by Dashwood Books and tended weekly. The choice of Dashwood Books was easy – a neighbourhood institution just three blocks away, it is known for equipping Gucci’s nearby 63 Wooster Street bookstore with some 2,000 titles, and curating many private collections.
‘I opened my specialty store 17 years ago now, inspired by the Japanese book culture, where they honour and respect books above all,’ says David Strettel, photographer and owner of Dashwood Books.
‘People respond to art books – they have a visceral reaction to the amalgam of good design and well thought-out content. I wanted to offer that to the guests of the hotel; they can peruse a carefully selected reference library in the lobby (or in the suites) and have a feeling of home away from home,’ Strettel adds.
He brings in a variety of books – ranging from vintage design and photography titles to rare books imported from Japan, and others by independent European publishers that just won’t sell elsewhere. You may find yourself enjoying a cup of tea and thumbing through Money by Prill Vieceli Cremers, Red Flower, The Women of Okinawa by Mao Ishikawa, or Annebella Pollen’s The Kindred of the Kibbo Kift.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Besides the highly specialised and unique books, the hotel is also buying up independent magazines, so that guests can sit, order a cocktail and page away – just another touch of tactile nostalgia. These crucial and beautiful analogue moments are for putting down the phone, sitting quietly and meditating on all this book beauty.
Daniel Scheffler is a storyteller for The New York Times and others. He has a travel podcast with iHeart Media called Everywhere and a Substack newsletter, Withoutmaps, where he shares all his wild ways. He lives in New York with his husband and their pup.
-
A new limited-edition Rhodes piano and Gibson doubleneck guitar aim for the stars
The new Rhodes Mk8 Earth Edition piano and Gibson Jimmy Page EDS-1275 Doubleneck guitar revisit classic instruments at a price
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
The new interior design trends we spotted at Salone del Mobile 2024
These are the interior design trends to look out for in 2024 and beyond, from soft upholstery to conversation pits and low dining
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Tiffany & Co nods to its theatrical history with a surreal new campaign
Tiffany & Co campaign ‘With Love, Since 1837’ sees Dan Tobin Smith and set designer Rachel Thomas create an offbeat set
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Inside the lavish, members-only Core Club New York
Core Club opens a new flagship in New York, boasting top-tier hospitality and entertainment, and a terrace with panoramic Manhattan views
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Warren Street Hotel is a colourful marvel in downtown Tribeca
The Warren Street Hotel boasts a distinct blue façade and eclectic interiors by Kit Kemp Design Studio
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
San Sabino offers mellow Italian-American dining in New York
San Sabino debuts in New York’s West Village, helmed by Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli, with interiors by GRT Architects
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Fried chicken fever? Coqodaq knows how to do it
Devoted disciples of Korean fried chicken can worship at Manhattan’s Coqodaq, designed by the Rockwell Group
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
New York restaurant The Wesley’s interiors reflect its plant-forward menu
At New York restaurant The Wesley, living walls, wheat stalks and pressed flora adorn a trio of starkly different spaces designed by Elmo Studios
By Dan Howarth Published
-
Bondst Hudson Yards promises intimate Japanese dining in NYC
Bondst inaugurates its second location, facing the Hudson River, following the success of its flagship location in NoHo
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Silencio New York opens with an enigmatic, Harry Nuriev-designed interior
Silencio New York is the new chapter of the original David Lynch-envisioned Parisian nightclub
By Adrian Madlener Published
-
Jac’s on Bond channels 1990s New York cool
Jac’s on Bond is a new NoHo bar boasting Gachot Studios interiors, Awake NY uniforms and Janette Beckman photographs
By Sofia de la Cruz Published