Decorating & Design
January 5, 2022
Why We’re Daydreaming About New York’s Arty Gansevoort Hotel
Right now we’re mentally booking ourselves into art-filled hotels with rooftop pools and sipping imaginary cocktails. All of these dreams are a reality at New York’s Gansevoort Meatpacking NYC hotel and if you’ve ever wanted to breakfast with Banksy, this is the place to do it. The street artist’s 2003 Flying Copper is set into a custom built-in unit that overlooks the hotel’s lobby and Coffee + Cocktails restaurant so you can eat a croissant while contemplating a lineup of designer [email protected] — an homage to the artists who lived and worked in the city, including Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Scroll down to see the swoon-worthy NYC hotel we’re fantasizing about for our next weekend break!
The 186-room Gansevoort hotel (which opened in 2004 but underwent a multi-million dollar facelift in 2020) is located in NYC’s Meatpacking District. Belgian Block cobblestones still line the streets, and the area’s industrial roots are being reinvented with luxe shops and tech headquarters. Bordered by Chelsea and the West Village, the trendy neighborhood is home to the Whitney Museum of American Art, The High Line, and NYC’s newest park, Little Island, a floating green space on the Hudson River. The ladies of Sex and the City famously spent most of their time in this district (Samantha swapped her stuffy Upper East Side building for the hipper vibe of the Meatpacking District).
The 1,700-square-foot lobby pairs warm wood finishes and brass with a porcelain-tiled floor designed to mimic the neighborhood’s iconic cobblestone streets.
Gansevoort owner and founder Michael Achenbaum borrowed from his own art collection for the hotel, which includes Banksy’s Flying Copper (seen top left). The C+C patio is set with bistro chairs, where celebs like Andy Samberg can be spotted walking their dogs.
A blue and grey ombré wallpaper in a guest suite reflects the waterways of the Hudson River just outside the window, and a backlit walnut headboard is inspired by the High Line, a five-minute walk away.
The design of the bathrooms are a throwback to the area’s industrial roots. Black fixtures and accents contrasted by white honeycomb tiles form a gritty, urban palette of black and white that’s perfectly suited to New York.
The Gansevoort’s duplex penthouse is the first U.S. hotel suite to be entirely designed by Italian furniture firm Poliform. The 1,700-square-foot suite houses a Mondrian sofa, Stanford lounge chairs and coffee table by French designer Jean Marie Massaud. Works by Fabio Mesa (flanking the fireplace) and Daniel Mazzone (right) add color to the concrete-parged walls, a reflection of the artists’ studios once housed in the area’s old factories.
In the penthouse principal bedroom, a black and white photo by Mick Rock captures Mick Jagger and Andy Warhol in NYC in 1978 and establishes the room’s gallery-like look.
The Gansevoort’s views of the Hudson are completely unobstructed since the building towers over neighbors like Soho House and the Chelsea Market. The penthouse’s 20-foot ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows amplify the waterfront views.
Glass doors give the penthouse bathrooms a wet-room feel.
A sculptural tub is framed by dramatic marble striations.
The Gansevoort Rooftop is a famed downtown destination with unobstructed 360-degree views of Manhattan.
Airy Wishbone-style chairs and plenty of plants make the rooftop balcony feel like an airy garden patio, far away from the city’s bustling streets below.
The Hotel Gansevoort’s famous rooftop lounge was a must-visit when it launched in the 2000s, attracting seasoned club kids to soak up the arty, boho vibe of The Meatpacking District. Renovated in 2021, the lounge is now decidedly more upscale, serving Wagyu sliders and cocktails like Smoke + Mirrors (Volcan Cristalino, muddled citrus bitters, rosemary-infused simple syrup, Ardbeg spray) on curvy sofas.
Saishin at the Gansevoort Rooftop has a 16-seat omakase bar, where delicacies like sea urchin are topped by shaved truffles.
The 45-foot heated rooftop pool is open 365 days a year.
David Mitchell