An Englishman in New York: Original BTC

Original BTC scored a considerable coup when Firmdale Hotels, co-founded by Kit and Tim Kemp, sought a bespoke version of its Pillar Light for the hotel group’s Whitby Hotel in New York and some of its other boutique hotels. This glamorous Art Deco-inspired light now graces The Whitby’s bathrooms. ‘We customised it so that it’s in proportion with the rooms’ mirrors and ceiling height,’ says Original BTC director Charlie Bowles. The streamlined Pillar Lights complement the pared-down yet luxurious style of the bathrooms featuring walls and floors lined in granite or marble.

The Whitby is in upper midtown Manhattan, has 86 bedrooms and suites, a bar, restaurant, drawing room and outdoor terrace. As with all of Firmdale’s 10 hotels — there are eight in London and two in New York — The Whitby’s interiors were masterminded by Kit, the group’s award-winning creative director renowned for her audaciously flamboyant style. Firmdale’s hotels are known for their eclectic, colourful interiors, bold, jazzy patterns on upholstery and walls and eye-catching, one-off artworks. At The Whitby, for example, there are arresting pieces by pop artist Joe Tilson and avant-garde Dutch designer Maarten Baas.

Firmdale’s hotels are also fun, entertaining spaces: London’s Ham Yard Hotel, to name another, boasts a cinema and bowling alley.

In 2008, Kit was named the Andrew Martin International Interior Designer of the Year and has gone on to garner many more accolades. Firmdale Hotels was awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise 2018 in recognition of its outstanding achievements in the International Trade category, while Original BTC itself won a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade in 2015.

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