Cool Hunting

Since the sleek hotel's debut in NYC's formerly grimy Lower East Side in 2004, there's been a lot of talk about The Hotel on Rivington. Opinions mellowed to a simmer over time and a recent stay allowed us to take a second look, experiencing how a few key design details put the hotel a notch above the bevy of generically overdone boutique hotels out there.

It can't be stated enough that the best architectural feature dreamed up by the team behind the building, Grzywinski+Pons, are the floor-to-ceiling windows wrapping most rooms, including the bathroom. The dizzying views have the effect of making it feel like the city is on your doorstep, at your toes, ready for the taking. Watching hoola-hoopers on neighboring rooftops and the exhibitionist thrill (or paralysis) of showering provide hours of entertainment.

Lounging around the room can be fun too, especially with groovy furniture like a plum-colored footstool covered in shaggy Alpaca by Parisian designer India Mondavi (who's responsible for the rooms interior design). It's the kind of furniture that's as fun to play with as it is to sit on and the hippie vibe nicely offsets the vamping of the rest.

One of our favorite hotel pastimes of course is room service, an indulgence that the Hotel on Rivington pulls off well. Propped up in the Tempurpedic bed covered in Frette linens and sipping coffee from their tea service (pictured above left, we're looking into the designer now the stainless steel cozy is felt-lined and the work of Guy Degrenne) has all the luxury expected from a hotel with the modern trappings of 21st century NYC.

To book, visit Mr and Mrs Smith.

The Hotel on Rivington
107 Rivington Street
New York, NY 10001 map
tel. +1 212 475 2600