The Williamsburg Hotel

London-based architects Michaelis Boyd Associates have designed The Williamsburg Hotel, an eleven-storey, 150-room development located at the prime corner of Wythe Avenue and North 10th Street, Brooklyn, New York. The hotel is designed to be a destination centre of creativity, and local artists have been commissioned to create unique works for different areas within the building.

  The hotel has been designed as an after-dark hub with a restaurant, rooftop pool, the neighbourhood’s first grand ballroom, and three distinct bars, including one in a replica water tower built to pay homage to the block’s historic, now defunct, wooden water tower factory. In keeping with its neighbourhood, The Williamsburg Hotel has an industrial facade with a creative underbelly. Michaelis Boyd have designed a scheme that features a brick, glass and Corten steel exterior. The interiors feature double-height ceilings and natural finishes.

The hotel entrance leads guests from an external terrace into the cellar floor level, in the heart of the hotel. The terrace is heavily planted, with architectural lighting to highlight the organic shape of curved concrete banquettes, covered in soft bohemian cushions to create a vibrant and yet relaxed atmosphere for warm summer nights. Local artists were commissioned to provide colourful artwork on the brick walls surrounding the terrace.

The bar is flanked with cosy seating areas, luxurious banquettes and armchairs, and a large fireplace in one corner. The guestrooms start on the 2nd floor, each room having floor-to-ceiling windows framing views of Manhattan as well as Brooklyn and the East River. Many of the rooms feature private balconies and each room is unique, featuring a range of bespoke furniture designed by Michaelis Boyd in collaboration with the London-based Bill Amberg studio.

Opening later this year, an ornate ballroom has been designed with dramatic ceilings that can accommodate 400 guests. The 1,066 sqm space is surrounded by tall steel arched windows and distressed plastered walls with the idea to reflect the derelict buildings of Detroit, in a modern insertion. Moreover the entire roof will open up to reveal a 12 meters outdoor pool, landscaped roof garden, café and the Watertower Bar. The Watertower Bar is set to be an iconic bar overlooking Brooklyn’s skyline.

The Williamsburg Hotel, Brooklyn, New York
Program: hotel
Architects: Michaelis Boyd Associates
Custom made furniture: Bill Amberg studio and Michaelis Boyd Associates
Completion: 2017