Boro Hotel, NY

Stroll into this modern hotel that’s equal parts industrial and urban chic

Just when we thought we’d had our share of industrial décor, we bumped into this striking space. Located in Queens, New York, this boutique hotel is a far cry from the several cookie-cutter hotel chains dotting the city. Boro Hotel now occupies a large 14-storey building that used to be incomplete and unoccupied. 

It’s industrial from the outside in, even the edifice looks like a giant scaffolding with grills and railing. Local architectural firm Grzywinski+Pons decided to hold onto several unfinished elements like concrete wall and columns. We cannot stop ogling at the beautiful use of breezeblocks in the lobby as a decorative wall surface. All the newer additions like the scraped white wood flooring were finished to match the rawness of the space.

With an industrial style at its core, Boro Hotel is also very chic and ultra modern. The informal lobby does away with a dull check-in counter. Instead, it’s replaced with a long community table shared by guests and staff. Leather furniture, metallic lights and bar stools as well as bright coloured high chairs, a contemporary fireplace and one graffiti “No Smoking” art make quite the first impression. 

The rooms are minimally designed and include floor-to-ceiling windows with a view of Manhattan. Clean-lined contemporary furniture made by the architecture firm shares space with Jasper Morrison’s Cork Family stool for Vitra and the iconic Plumen bulbs. The 108 clutter-free rooms and suites create a calm environment where the skyline does most of the talking.