New York hotel’s joyful design is the opposite of soulless ‘quiet luxury’

There’s a reason many previously all-white houses are now several shades of the year’s most on-trend colours, and it’s Kit Kemp. Or more precisely, it’s a stay at one of her 11 hotels in London or New York, where the personality-filled interiors often inspire guests to ring the changes at home too.

Kemp, the author of Design Secrets, with its chapter called “Colour Makes You Happy”, has long been inspired by the Bloomsbury Group, a set of early 20th-century artists “who believed in creativity, innovation and beauty”.

Her signature style – a harmonious riot of pattern and texture brought to life in embroidered bedheads, upholstered furniture, Persian rugs and hand-stitched cushions – is the loud and joyful opposite of those perfectly monochromatic (and occasionally soulless) design hotels that pride themselves on offering “quiet luxury”.

Kemp is the creative director and founder (with her husband Tim) of Firmdale Hotels, who have just opened their third NYC hotel, in downtown TriBeCa. Warren Street Hotel joins Crosby Street (SoHo) and The Whitby (Midtown), along with the group’s eight hotels in the British capital, which include the Soho Hotel and Ham Yard Hotel.

It’s no surprise that Warren Street’s exteriors are a beacon of bright blue among TriBeCa’s red-brick warehouses and cobblestoned streets. Inside, 69 rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows have been individually decorated, another Kemp signature that sees guests requesting the exact same room on repeat visits.

“Blue and green should never be seen?” How about throwing in orange, pink, red and yellow as well, with bold stripes, whimsical lighting, huge artworks and specially commissioned sculptures?

Kemp’s collaborations with other creatives are everywhere too, from the Spode bone-china tableware to textiles from Christopher Farr Cloth and wallpaper and fabrics from GP&J Baker.