5 Hotels Sporting Midcentury-Modern Design
Mad Men may be over, but the midcentury-modern design trend is still going strong. And why not? There’s plenty to admire, such as the stark lines, bold colors, angular furniture, and dramatic lighting that hark back to an age of economic prosperity, social progress, and evolving taste. This was the jet-set era, when architects and designers were breaking the mold of traditionalism and creating bold structures like Tokyo’s harmonious Hotel Okura and Eero Saarinen’s TWA Terminal at JFK Airport, which is slated to become a hotel . Across the U.S., hotels originally built in the 1950s and ’60s are being restored as boutique properties where you can feel you’ve stepped back in time, all the while enjoying the modern conveniences you expect. These five hotels are shining examples of midcentury-modern design updated for the 21st century.
1/5L’Horizon, Palm Springs, California
If there’s a mecca for midcentury-modern design, Palm Springs is it. There’s certainly no shortage of hotels, but L’Horizon is the most jaw-dropping of the pack. In Hollywood’s heyday, stars like Marilyn Monroe and Betty Grable flocked to the property, designed in 1952 by famed Desert Modern architect William F. Cody. Now the iconic hotel has been reborn, with 25 private bungalows outfitted in bespoke and vintage furnishings, Frette linens, marble baths, and Le Labo bath products. As if that weren’t enough, Giacomo Pettinari, who cut his teeth at El Bulli, helms the stylish alfresco restaurant. From $605/night; lhorizonpalmsprings.com
2/5The Watergate Hotel, Washington, D.C.
Rather than try to hide its scandalous past, D.C.’s famed Watergate Hotel is embracing its history with a $125 million redesign that harks back to its midcentury roots. Originally designed in 1961 by Italian architect Luigi Moretti, the building features sweeping curves and dramatic lighting meant to create intrigue. Situated in Foggy Bottom, the Watergate is set to reopen in April with 336 rooms and suites (many of which will have a balcony overlooking the Potomac River), a whiskey bar, several restaurants, and a rooftop terrace. The hotel’s staff will wear uniforms by Janie Bryant, costume designer for Mad Men. From $425/night thewatergatehotel.com
3/5The Durham, Durham, North Carolina
Durham finally has a destination-worthy hotel. Tasked with designing the Durham, Los Angeles–based firm Commune drew inspiration from the building’s previous life as the Home Savings Bank, the nearby Black Mountain College in Asheville, and midcentury designers such as Charles Eames, Albert Frey, and Arne Jacobsen. Inside, boldly colored rooms and suites are furnished with custom-designed furniture and blankets by Raleigh Denim, while the restaurant, led by award-winning chef Andrea Reusing, features soaring ceilings and hanging lights designed as a nod to Yoshiro Taniguchi’s chandeliers in Tokyo’s Hotel Okura. From $199/night; thedurham.com
4/5Nautilus, a Sixty Hotel, Miami Beach
Launched in tandem with Art Basel in December 2015, Nautilus, now run by Sixty Hotels, is a revamp of the original hotel of the same name built in the 1950s. Morris Lapidus, the architect famed for South Beach’s most extravagant accommodations, such as the Fontainebleau, is responsible for the circular lobby and wide cylindrical columns—both left intact in the redesign. The lobby bar and Driftwood Room restaurant, helmed by celebrity chef Alex Guarnaschelli, channel a beachy midcentury aesthetic. Palm-frond-print wallpaper by Christian Lacroix lends a chic, tropical vibe to the restaurant’s interior, while ipe wood banquettes anchor the breezy terrace overlooking the pool and cabanas. From $195/night; sixtyhotels.com
5/5The Time New York
The Dream Hotel Group tapped the Rockwell Group to refresh the Time Hotel New York, a 193-room property in Manhattan’s Times Square, including the sexy LeGrande cocktail lounge and the restaurant Serafina, which features a bold palette of yellow and orange. “The lighter finishes in the lobby and day lounge and the darker, moodier hues in LeGrande were drawn from a midcentury material palette,” says Greg Keffer, Rockwell Group principal and studio leader. From $279/night thetimehotels.com
