Wythe Hotel, Williamsburg >> A Contemporary Space, Inspired By It’s History…

This time last week I was breakfasting at Reynard, the Wythe Hotel‘s resident restaurant. Glugging my first New York drip coffee and chomping away on my granola, not a pancake in sight, I was here at last. Not sure whether I was happy about that in my jet lagged state, (my love for pancakes will never fade). I landed at JFK late the night before and crashed with my friend at her apartment in Green Point before heading to the Wythe the following morning.

I’d been waiting to get here for months. Absolutely at the top of my list there was a reason this place was first on my list. The giant red-brick waterfront factory is just a block from one of the stops where you can catch the ferry over to Manhattan, so ask for a room high enough and the views are killer. Exactly what you want during your first day in the city.

80 Wythe started it’s life in 1901 as a factory that makes casks and barrels. Decades on much of the internal structure has remained (you have architect superstars Morris Adjmi to thank for this), giant mechanical pulleys and cast iron beams are still in place reminding you of the years past. With super high ceilings in all the spaces, even  in the rooms on the lower floors you still experience the space and light of the building. With 72 rooms there are plenty of rooms with that iconic view.

Spot the Hans J. Wegner Teddy Bear chairs in the lobby, our first hint at the design detail here.

The hotel was conceived by business partners Peter Lawrence and Andrew Tarlow (with the injection of a cool $32 million). It’s Tarlow who has been lauded with hauling the masses to an already hipster infused side of the city. With four restaurants to his name, Tarlow is also responsible for Marlow & Sons, the canteen just under the Williamsburg Bridge, and Roman’s in Greenpoint (where I had dinner the night before). All have a very similar connection. You can tell when you’re in one of his places. The ambience, aesthetic, and certainly the style of menu. A farm to table kind of vibe, sustainable, seasonal, local where is possible, and they take their flavours seriously. The staff are also pretty fantastic. That’s New York for you though isn’t it.

>> Breakfast <<

Drip Coffee & Grapefruit Juice

Yogurt, Toasted Granola & Fruit

Reynard at Wythe

The Hotel Library, which this month is a pop-up shop selling designs available in the bedrooms.

As you progress higher up through the building, the rooms get lighter and brighter. With a bespoke design wallpaper by Flavor Paper, and Thonet chairs in all the rooms. Concrete floors are standard in all the rooms, but with the added underfloor heating you’ll never feel a chill. Marlow & Sons have supplied a pretty solid mini bar. Full of all the snacks you’d feel like, including my favourite Mast Brothers chocolate.

“Part of the excitement of being in this neighborhood is that it’s a creative centre, not just in New York these days but internationally,” says Peter Lawrence. “The level of talent that’s available nearby was too exciting.” Much of the furniture was made from wood salvaged during the renovation, with beds and desks repurposed by local craftsman Dave Hollier. Steve Powers, commonly known as “ESPO,”

The Wythe Penthouse, featuring Ochre’s Arctic Pear pendants

The Ides Bar on the roof

With rates starting at $179 it’s a genuinely affordable design hotel. There are so many little streets to walk around in the area. So next time you visit NYC, spend a couple of nights on this side of the Hudson, you won’t regret it. I wish I could have stayed longer.

With thanks to the Wythe and M18 PR. Photography ℅ Wythe Hotel, LWSY & Adrian Gaut

80 Wythe Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11249

LWSY