Throughout the hotel, Despont has redistributed preexisting elements—wooden double doors featuring a distinctive barrel-lid motif, a handcrafted mantelpiece, the memorial commemorating members lost in the two World Wars—which, like sudden memories, take visitors by surprise. Elsewhere—as with the vintage subway signage in the guest rooms—newly added urban artifacts achieve a similar effect. Marc Kristal’s Saves from The Chatwal Hotel

Marc Kristal’s Saves

Throughout the hotel, Despont has redistributed preexisting elements—wooden double doors featuring a distinctive barrel-lid motif, a handcrafted mantelpiece, the memorial commemorating members lost in the two World Wars—which, like sudden memories, take visitors by surprise. Elsewhere—as with the vintage subway signage in the guest rooms—newly added urban artifacts achieve a similar effect.