design et al are are delighted to announce that Firmdale Hotels have been shortlisted for Hotel Suite – Americas & Caribbean Award in The International Hotel & Property Awards 2019
The Whitby Hotel’s spacious top floor is dedicated to the spectacular Whitby Suite, with two master bedrooms, spacious drawing room and floor to ceiling windows. Doors lead onto two furnished terraces with views looking far and wide over New York.
Firmdales Hotels concept of The Whitby Suite was to create something special, where the furniture and fittings were made especially for the space, to create a tailor-made experience both inside and out. Spacious yet intimate, it had to have plenty of colour and detail and be a happy escape from Manhattan’s busy streets, a place you would want to return to time and time again, and never tire of easily.
The Interior Designer, Kit Kemp, believes that in every room there should be one strong piece, and in The Whitby Suite it’s an 18th century cupboard in the drawing room. A folk art piece from Scandinavia, this hand-painted chest-on-chest in blues and reds looks as if it’s falling apart, but looking at it from down the hallway and through the room it’s a wonderful, strong piece that adds weight and style to the room with colours that can’t be reproduced.
All the furniture in The Whitby Suite has been hand-upholstered and individually embellished and many items have been customised for the room. It is a seamless blend of colour, art and craft that celebrates a passion for work by artisans.
As part of the design of The Whitby Hotel, Firmdale Hotels felt it was important that the hotel building enhanced the local area while respecting the existing architectural fabric. The Whitby Hotel has a quiet, understated architecture that fits seamlessly with the neighbourhood, but the generously sized windows and numerous terraces offer glimpses of the activity and life within. With the opening of The Whitby Hotel, Co-owner & Creative Director, Kit Kemp brought an oasis of colour, curiosity and calm to Manhattan’s upper Midtown district.