Sara Duffy

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The Empire Hotel, across the street from Lincoln Center is one of Goodman Charlton’s newest designs for the Empire Hotel Group. It is quite lovely. The guest is greeted by an simple entry which leads into a double height elegant sitting room. This room is flanked by a bar, the reception desk, and the elevator bank. It is not a huge space which is nice. It felt warm, comfortable, and inviting. My friend Jen Morris (a designer at Zeff Design) made a good point in saying the space feels like a touch of old Hollywood. The room is luxurious with layers of fabrics, textures, woods, and a terrific floor pattern in stone. The combination of the dramatic double height drapes, zebra patterned accent chairs, and high backed velvet banquettes really brings back the sense of another era. The space is filled with textures and patterns (perhaps a few too many) but one that I love is the dark venitian plaster in an alligator print at the stair case. It’s gorgeous. The Mezzanine is only on one side of the double height sitting room. The designers, very smartly, echoed the metal bannister detail opposite the mezzanine. They put mirror behind the banister to give the alusion the mezzanine continued all around.

Goodman Charlton used the Empire Hotel logo throughout the space. This can often be cheesy but they did it really well. The metal door pull as you enter and the carpet pattern going up the stairs both incorporate the two E’s of the logo. The only thing I wish they had done differently were the bathrooms. The attention to detail that is exhibited in the main space is lost here. The partition doors do not close properly and there are a miriad of fixture finishes.

I didn’t have a chance to see the rooms or to sit at the bar so I can’t really comment on those.

It’s worth a visit and they had a very nice Spanish Cava.

My husband and I went to a fabulous new restaurant this weekend. We didn’t eat there (except for desert and the $16 kir royal). We did, however, sit at the bar and ooh and ah over the gorgeous interior. Bar Blanc is a beautiful small restaurant on west 10th street. It’s owned by a charming French man (didn’t get his name) and was designed by Meyer Davis. It’s a jewel. It’s simplicity is its strength. The interior is a simple white with punches of super shiny lacquer black. The original brick walls were laboriously covered with numerous layers of plaster creating a watery movement that is original and sensuous. There are spectacular mirror finish pendants and chandeliers hanging in the space that juxtapose the white walls and furniture. The bar stools and chairs are gorgeous. They must be custom and how daring to be white! The bar is a beautiful white marble with a touch of brown, warming the space but also adding a luxury that feels great. The staff was charming and excited to be there, which for me, makes the experience that much more pleasant. In addition to loving the dining room, the bathrooms (a pet peeve of mine) are lovely. A spectacularly shiny custom plaster finish greets you and continues into the toilet stalls. I love to pee in splendor!

Go to Bar Blanc - even just for a drink - it’s worth it.