Once a Gilded Age boarding house for ‘respectable’ young ladies, a New York landmark is reborn as a sophisticated hotel

During the Gilded Age, young, single women flocked to New York to seek their fortunes as factory workers, secretaries and shop workers. There was just one problem: where this emerging class of career women might find affordable and – more importantly – ‘respectable’ lodging.

Enter heiress and philanthropist Margaret Louisa Vanderbilt Shepard, who, along with the Young Women’s Christian Association, constructed a ladies-only Romanesque Revival revival boarding house just off Union Square in 1891. As a Progressive Era periodical noted at the time, ‘Professional and business women earning good salaries are naturally the chief patrons of this home.’

One hundred and 35 years on, the Margaret Louisa Home is still hosting guests. Only now, it welcomes visitors of all stripes as The Twenty Two. Just like its mother property, a tony Grosvenor Square address of the same name in London, The Twenty Two New York is a unique hybrid concept that merges a hotel, dining destination and members’ club under one roof. Unlike its English counterpart, however, the Manhattan version – with sophisticated interiors by celebrated London practice Child Studio – was built for a New York minute. Here’s what to expect from your stay.

Wallpaper* checks in at The Twenty Two New York

What’s on your doorstep?

The Twenty Two is located on 16th Street, just steps away from Union Square Park, the verdant urban respite at the convergence of ‘Uptown’ and ‘Downtown’. In addition to being a welcome slice of green and hosting one of the city’s most famous farmers’ markets, Union Square Park conceals a public transit hub, allowing you to zip seamlessly through the borough. But The Twenty Two offers plenty of sightseeing accessible on foot, too. Head uptown along Broadway, and you’ll be standing in the shadow of New York’s landmark Daniel Burnham-designed Flatiron Building in minutes. Walk south along Fifth Avenue for ten minutes, and you’ll be beneath the Washington Square Arch, where shopping, dining and people watching in charming Greenwich Village awaits.

Who is behind the design?

The hotel’s gracious interiors were designed by Alexy Kos and Che Huang of Child Studio. They had worked with clients Navid Mirtorabi, Jamie Reuben and Michael Chetrit before, but the Twenty Two was a much larger project, some five years in the making. Fortunately for Kos and Huang, the historic building offered plenty of inspiration: ‘It has a fascinating history,’ Kos says. ‘We work within historic contexts a lot and we think about how to respond to it in a subtle and understated way without going into replica or pastiche.’ The duo pored over period photos of the Margaret Louisa Home and its diminutive yet comfortable rooms. ‘That quiet domesticity is something we wanted to translate into the interiors,’ Kos says.

That feeling is apparent as soon as you are warmly greeted by a porter in the hotel’s entry. The snug lobby features Gilded Age-inspired touches – the concierge desk, framed by velvet curtains, has the feeling of a Victorian dry-goods counter – but retains a modern feel thanks to lofty ceilings, a muted palette and archways. ‘Arches was one of the elements we discovered in the archival photos,’ Huang adds.

There are nods to The Twenty Two’s London outpost (you’ll pass by photographs of Mick Jagger and Queen Elizabeth II in a vestibule and both members’ clubs feature leopard print carpet), the interiors here are more subdued – an interlude from the hustle and bustle outside.

The room to book

There are 78 rooms and suites at the hotel. And just like its original incarnation as the women’s hotel, the rooms exude a delightfully cosy feel. Unlike those quarters (which set patrons back 50 cents a day), the present rooms are anything but spartan. Visitors can choose from four varieties of rooms (deluxe, standard, nook and classic) and while some are more snug than others, all feel gracious thanks to high ceilings, natural light and handsome, glossy mouldings, 19th-century inspired custom furnishings and plush herringbone-patterned carpets (a nod to the London location).

Drama and hue are amped up across The Twenty Two’s 19 suites. ‘Colour was introduced gradually as the project evolved,’ Kos explains. ‘Colours come through in the textiles – there are a lot of very lush fabrics and deep tones.’ The hotel’s crowning glory – literally – is the dramatic penthouse Twenty Two Suite, which features a soaring pitched ceiling, a dedicated sitting room (equipped with a fully stocked bar) and two bedrooms. The creation of this suite was one of the project’s most complex elements; in keeping with original 19th-century drawings, the design team opted to set a period-appropriate gable roof atop the building.

For the interiors, Child Studio looked to the neighbourhood’s nearby green spaces – including Union Square park and the ultra-exclusive Gramercy Park. Therefore, the soaring sitting area is wrapped in a beautiful scenic wallpaper depicting images of wind-swept trees and shrubs. ‘The idea was a fantasy version of the park,’ Huang explains.

Staying for drinks and dinner?

The surrounding area has plenty of dining options, but The Twenty Two’s ground-floor restaurant, Café Zaffri, is by far the most atmospheric. The eatery comes courtesy of Jennifer and Nicole Vitagliano, the sister duo behind the popular Noho restaurant Raf’s. Instead of Italian and French cuisine, Café Zaffri (known as Zaf’s) offers elevated reinterpretations of Mediterranean dishes. The sprawling setting, which includes a light-filled atrium for more casual meals as well as a more formal, wood-clad dining room, was designed by Brooklyn-based firm Post Company.

As with the rest of the hotel, the spaces draw from old world restaurants, as seen in details like stained glass, embroidered wallcoverings, mosaic tile floors and plush curtains. After sleeping in, have a breakfast of labneh and pistachio granola or shakshuka beneath the dramatic skylight. Or, in advance of a night on the town, head back to the sexier dining room for lamb Wellington, saffron-scented spaghetti, or short rib glazed in Lebanese spices.

Where to switch off

If you musn't skip Leg Day, The Twenty Two has a small-yet-stylish gym, outfitted with chequerboard cork floors and state-of-the-art Technogym equipment. Guests can also opt to set up personal training sessions courtesy of ​​S10 Training, a luxury gym nearby.

For an added layer of exclusivity, you could also opt to enroll in The Twenty Two’s members-only club (annual dues are around $3,000 a year), which occupies the hotel’s upper levels and includes a private restaurant, Living Room salon and a roof terrace. While these spaces are largely off-limits to hotel guests (though this journalist cracked open her laptop and had a spot of tea in the Living Room), the Victoriana vibes carry through. ‘It’s a bit Gothic, bringing a bit of Old World Europe to these spaces,’ Huang explains.

The Living Room, for instance, is anchored by a 19th-century stone fireplace and, like many of The Twenty Two’s spaces, is swaddled in drapes and velvet upholstery. But leopard-print carpet – inspired by legendary tastemaker Madeleine Castaing’s Paris salon – adds a touch of cheek. Go up another floor and you’ll encounter an exclusive nightclub, wrapped in a fabric inspired by Renzo Mongiardino’s tented rooms. But the space is party-ready, thanks to a constellation of Fortuny lanterns and a central disco ball. What are such evenings like? You’ll have to join to find out.

The verdict

Hotels are, by definition, for hosting out-of-towners. But The Twenty Two offers something for locals, too – whether you opt to have a croissant and a coffee in the airy café, or splash out for a membership at the club. If you’re just passing through New York, The Twenty Two also offers that special something, from the well-appointed quarters and the warm service to the basket of clementines on a side table – respectability that Margaret Louisa herself would surely approve of.

The Twenty Two New York is located at 16 E 16th St, New York, NY 10003