The Ludlow Hotel: Downtown NYC's Most Glamorous New Clubhouse - Remodelista
The Ludlow Hotel is the latest in Sean MacPherson’s portfolio of boutique NYC properties, and an amalgamation of the lessons he’s learned along the way: It has the brick walls and industrial windows of the Bowery Hotel... ...the compact guest rooms of the Maritime, the super sound system of the Jane, the Parisian sconces and brass bathroom fixtures of the Marlton. What started as a standard concrete-slab high-rise on the Lower East Side has matured into a grand hotel via the layering of materials. In the lobby, parged brick walls–brick that’s been skimmed with a layer of cement to soften the surface–set off classic wood paneling and a graphic, diamond-patterned front desk custom-made of mahogany. With its Brutalist light fixtures and vintage SeDede Non-Stop sofas that curve around a brick pier, the lounge has a magnetic pull. For instant atmosphere, the limestone hearth comes to life at the flick of a switch. Above the limestone mantel, a painting by Robert Loughlin is flanked by Apparatus Studio’s Horse Hair Sconces. The Torrisi team along with cocktail wizard Thomas Waugh is behind the drinks list at the zinc-topped bar tucked in a corner of the lounge. Hot pink poultry roosting above the windows are one tip-off that the menu at Dirty French, though Gallic, is not exactly reverential. The scene at Dirty French can be viewed in soft focus through a wall of factory windows separating the restaurant from the lobby hallway. Details such as whitewashed beams, wide-board floors, and brass air registers lend character to the new high-rise. Queen loft rooms come with a rain shower and separate soaking tub with panoramic views. Brass fittings and classic vanity light bars add dazzle to a white, black, and gray bath kitted out in a materials palette of tile and marble. A four-poster bed custom-made in Portugal is the centerpiece of each room. The Ludlow is at 180 Ludlow Street (catercorner to landmark deli Katz’s of When Harry Met Sally fame).