Kit Kemp strikes again. Along with partner Tim, the enigmatic designer and co-founder of Firmdale Hotels has designed New York City’s second taste of the group’s unapologetically British style: The Whitby.
Featuring 86 bedrooms and suites scattered across 16 floors of a purpose built building, the new property is based in Manhattan’s upper midtown; an area that recalls New York in its full postcard glory, with central Park nearby and retail giants like Henri Bendel and Bergdorf’s just blocks away. Design-wise, The Whitby bears similarities to the group’s previous opening, London’s Ham Yard hotel, with a more mature take on Firmdale’s trademark bold colour schemes. Floor-to-ceiling windows are framed by patterned curtains and the now signature headboards mark focal points in each room with a joyful yet measured exploration of colour, texture and pattern.
If the drama of nearby Broadway is not enough (or, realistically, too much) the show-stopping Whitby Bar offers an exciting alternative. Amongst expansive warehouse-style windows and patterned banquettes, the elegant room hosts guests and locals alike for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner, while cocktails are served from an impressive 30-foot pewter bar that would make even the most seasoned Manhattan bar hopper nod in approval. It’s all presented underneath vaulted ceilings and a dramatic arrangement of hanging baskets from England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland — a cheeky wink to hotel’s British roots.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
18 West 56th Street
-
Sotheby’s is auctioning Mercedes Gleitze’s Channel-crossing RolexThe historic Rolex that started the sport-watch synergy is going under the hammer, amidst a contemporary boom in sporty-elegant timepieces
-
Cosy-up in a snowy Canadian cabin inspired by utilitarian farmhousesInspired by local farmhouses, Canadian cabin Timbertop is a minimalist shelter overlooking the woodland home of wild deer, porcupines and turkeys
-
Margaret Howell celebrates the ‘modern and grounded’ work of British weaver Peter Collingwood with a rare exhibition and calendarOne of the 20th century’s seminal weavers, the exhibition provides a serene respite from Frieze London, unfolding in Margaret Howell’s London store
-
A24 just opened a restaurant in New York, and it’s as cinematic as you’d expectHidden in the West Village, Wild Cherry pairs a moody, arthouse sensibility with a supper-style menu devised by the team behind Frenchette
-
Seven kitchens, one fire: inside LA’s hottest new food marketAt Maydan Market, chef Rose Previte turns global street food and layered design into a vibrant, fire-lit experience
-
The Viceroy Hotel Group wants you to get on your bikeAcross properties in Santa Monica, Chicago, Washington DC and the Algarve, Viceroy guests can experience curated cycling routes and community events
-
Big flavours and bold design define La Nena Cantina, Los Angeles's newest Mexican hotspotFrom handmade tortillas to 40-ingredient mole, this new Sunset Boulevard restaurant takes Mexican cuisine seriously
-
Aperitivo time is this Los Angeles bar’s ‘ragione di vita’Located in Echo Park, Bar Bacetti is a welcoming haunt celebrating the great Italian ‘art of snacking’
-
This boisterous cocktail bar in Denver was inspired by Le CorbusierA 1950s furniture showroom has been reborn as a modernist social hub in the city’s Sunnyside neighbourhood. Its cocktails? Semiprecious
-
In Los Angeles, Darling doesn’t want to be your average dinner spotVinyl, live-fire cooking, and California’s finest ingredients come together in this immersive new concept from a celebrated Southern chef
-
The best dinner party in San Francisco is thrown at this bistro and vinyl barA new chapter begins in Mission Creek as Side A opens in the former Universal Café space
