Freehand — Chicago, USA

Having established a reputation for boutique accommodation with a remarkable devotion to site-specific detail, the Sydell Group – whose properties include New York’s NoMad hotel – have now turned their attention to the Windy City. Working with long-time collaborators, design firm Roman and Williams, the newly opened Freehand Chicago – the second in the company’s hip hostel series after Miami – celebrates the city’s Midwestern heritage with a string of evocative communal spaces and rooms located in a restored 1920s Art Deco building, set among the high-rises of the downtown River North neighbourhood. The designers imbued the interior with a layered feel, using a combination of textiles, leather and wood to create a cosy, lived-in atmosphere, as well as using a mixture of vintage and custom-designed pieces inspired by regional craftwork traditions. In addition to the inviting private and shared rooms, the property plays host to a second location of acclaimed craft cocktail bar Broken Shaker, as well as an outpost of artisanal coffee purveyors Café Integral.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
19 East Ohio Street
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
Boathouse Zaka is the radical renovation of an ageing structure into a light-filled workspace
OFIS Architects turns a traditional boathouse into a lakeside laboratory on one of Slovenia’s best-loved bodies of water
-
Mercedes streamlines the CLA Shooting Brake to create an aerodynamic electric load lugger
The new CLA Shooting Brake is the first ever electric estate car from Mercedes-Benz, a tour-de-force of quiet technology and elegant lines
-
Willy Chavarria: ‘We’re still so stuck in fashion‘s old guard’
As part of the August 2025 ‘Made in America’ issue of Wallpaper*, we invited three creative powerhouses to comment on the state of the States. Here, award-winning American fashion designer Willy Chavarria speaks on creative resilience, uniting with activist groups, and shaking up fashion’s old guard
-
Beloved sushi restaurant Sōgo Roll Bar comes to Highland Park
The sushi hangout begins a new chapter in its second location, becoming the perfect spot for a quick grab-and-go or a relaxed tasting experience in east LA
-
Los Angeles’ best bars for craft cocktails and A-list design
From glamorous old Hollywood haunts to trend-setting neighbourhood hangouts, these hotspots serve excellent drinks in an atmosphere unlike anywhere else
-
A local architect’s guide to Joshua Tree
Mirtilla Alliata di Montereale shares her favourite things to do to slow down, look closely, and discover Joshua Tree through a more intentional lens
-
Meet artist Michael McGregor, using hotel stationery as his canvas
Michael McGregor unveils an exclusive postcard set made with notepads from The Luxury Collection properties in Minneapolis, San Francisco and Savannah
-
Home is where Beethoven Market is – a joyful Italian restaurant in LA’s Mar Vista
In Mar Vista, a historic space is reborn as a modern-day gathering spot, an Italian-infused restaurant where rotisserie chicken, handmade pasta and tableside tiramisu welcome you like family
-
Aman New York unveils exclusive US Open-themed experience
Aman’s ‘Season of Champions’ pairs Grand Slam action with personalised recovery and performance treatments designed by Novak Djokovic and Maria Sharapova
-
Caribbean cool meets mid-century glamour at this new LA hotspot
From golden mirrored chambers to jerk-spiced tomahawk steaks, Lucia reimagines Afro-Caribbean dining and design
-
Classic New York restaurants for delicious food and inspired design
From Michelin-starred fine dining to reimagined retro diners, these are the most emblematic (and easy-on-the-eye) places to eat in the Big Apple