THE NOMAD HOTEL,
NEW YORK
The NoMad Hotel
1170 Broadway, New York, NY 10001
(212) 796-1500
thenomadhotel.com
June 5, 2012 By: Kelsey Keith
One block away from the scene-making New York
outpost of the Ace Hotel, in a district mostly known for
its wholesale garment industry, is a Beaux Arts showstopper anchoring the corner of Broadway and 28th
Street. The recently-opened NoMad Hotel, distinct
from the exterior owing to its giant cupola, is not just
a coincidence but a companion property (and aesthetic foil) to the Ace. Both were developed by The
Sydell Group in partnership with GFI Development,
who hired Parisian designer Jacques Garcia to give
the NoMad a whiff of the grand dame. During its soft
opening this spring, we took a whirl around the hotel,
which pairs traditional, swank, and very French interior design moves with a decidedly modern, zeitgeist-y,
and still very New York feel.
(Top Left) The cupola of The Nomad Hotel at 1170 Broadway, in
all its glory.
(Top Right) A few of the hotel suites are situated in the building’s corner cupola.
(Bottom Right) On the ground floor, the hoteliers have made
space for a boutique, the first New York outpost of French clothier
Maison Kitsuné. The space was designed by a collaborative team
including label co-founder Masaya Kuroki, designer Anna Vignale,
and TBD Architecture & Design Studio.
Photo by: Clément Pascal
01
05
02
06
03
01 Graphic design studio be-pôles came up with the simple and
punchy NoMad logo. The firm also sourced all the artwork found
throughout the hotel (more on that momentarily!). At right, the
rather grand check-in desk.
02 This is the kind of over-the-top Parisian interior you almost
never see in New York hotels. But judging from all the velvet upholstery on view at this year’s Salone del Mobile, the fabric skews
a little more contemporary than you might think. The crowd at The
Nomad Hotel (thirties, tech-friendly, a mix of artfully deconstructed
dresses and nice suits sans tie) is a counterweight to the opulent
public spaces as well.
03 Here, the Library Bar, which is equally dark and richly textured,
a marked difference from the scruffy Garment District neighborhood right outside.
04
04 Even in the kitchen to dining room passthrough, the details are
just right: a La Marzocco espresso machine and a peek of vibrant
purple set inside a travertine windowbox.
05 We could not get over the array of artwork (and framing styles!)
shown on the guest room walls. The creative director of be-pôles
has been collecting vintage art books for over two decades, so
much of what is framed in The NoMad Hotel are reproductions
from those books: 19th-century correspondence, 20th-century
travel collectibles, and contemporary photography.
06 Here’s a larger view of a guest room, showing how the typical
room is structured like a self-contained studio apartment. Clawfoot tub included. The bathroom is hidden behind the upholstered
screens at right, which could easily be replicated with a more
modern fabric for a less traditional look.