Opening Shot is a column that peeks inside new hotels, restaurants, bars, and shops with dreamy interiors.
MODERNHAUS SOHO
Location: SoHo, New York
Designer: Melissa Bowers
On Offer: Housed in downtown’s former James Hotel, ModernHaus SoHo pays homage to Bauhaus movement’s pared-back style, simplistic colors, and organic forms. Marking the debut hospitality project from developer Thor Equities Group, owner Jack J. Sitt partnered with stylist and interior design consultant Melissa Bowers to bring the property to life. The 114 light-filled rooms are done up in floor-to-ceiling windows, low-slung chairs and sofas lined in royal blue velvet, and vibrant geometric artwork. Pulled from Sitt’s personal collection, the extensive contemporary art program of paintings and sculptures features notable names such as Kaws, Alexander Calder, Hans Hartung, Nicolas Party, Harland Miller, and more. The 11,000-square-feet of outdoor space, including a rooftop pool with sprawling views of Manhattan Bridge and the Freedom Tower, is a rarity for a Manhattan hotel. The profusion of considered touches, from the wellness program led by celebrity trainer Niko Algieri to the property’s custom scent by Parisian perfumer Lola James Harper, make all the difference.
Standout Features: Chef George Mendes brings Michelin star chops—winning one at his now-shutted Portuguese restaurant, Aldea, in the Flatiron District—to Veranda, a hearth–driven restaurant with a global point of view. House-baked sourdough loaves, Goan coconut curry, charcoal-grilled chicken in piri piri marinade—the menu is rich in flavors and served in a greenhouse-like space inspired by Philip Johnson’s Glass House and Europe’s atrium cafés (retractable roof; topiaries and rosemary herb plantings). Elsewhere, on the 18th floor, stalwart cocktail aerie Jimmy has been spruced and reinvigorated for another run. Meanwhile, Jumpin Jacks is a handsome café with hard-to-get Cometeer coffee blends by day, and a sleek lounge where guests sip creatively conceived cocktails informed by Sitt’s favorite artists by night.
