Opening Shot is a column that peeks inside new hotels, restaurants, bars, and shops with dreamy interiors.
THE MORROW HOTEL
Location: Washington, D.C.
Designer: Shalom Baranes Associates, INC Architecture & Design, Rottet Studio
On Offer: The former Central Armature Works, a century-old electrical manufacturing hub, powers back up as one of the latest entries in Hilton’s Curio Collection of one-of-a-kind hotels. Pristine new exteriors courtesy of Shalom Baranes Associates announce the arrival in the heart of the city’s tree-lined NoMa neighborhood, a stone’s throw from Union Market and H Street. INC realized the soaring lobby in relaxing tones—the cool blues of a wraparound sofa, earth-toned leather armchairs, travertine floors—set to ambient music that transitions with harmonic lighting and flashes of sunlight throughout the day. There, patrons can indulge in house-made kombucha and fresh juices from the lobby beverage cart while writing emails or taking meetings in the morning. (Champagne and cocktails are served at night.) Rottet Studio, meanwhile, transformed functional spaces including an outdoor veranda and vast, configurable ballroom into events in their own right.
Standout Features: Rottet designed the 203 guest rooms and suites as calm refuges from all the city’s nonstop business, stocked with Italian linens and Le Labo bath and beauty products. The Morrow’s true draw, however, is a quartet of dining options helmed by Michelin-starred Executive Chef Nicholas Stefanelli of Masseria, Philotimo, and Officina fame. INC lends each space its own flavor: Le Clou’s chandeliers and wraparound marble bar establishes itself as French fine-dining at its most sumptuous—an ideal spot for steak frites after an aperitif among the nearby Lobby Bar’s oak columns. Upstairs, the intimate 11th-floor Vesper offers cocktails and caviar service. Further up still, the rooftop Upstairs at the Morrow brings DJ sets and beverage director Joseph Kocjan’s list of playful shots like the Gummy Bear and Yellow Submarine.
