“We are just complicated animals.”Â  This, according to an ethereal neon art piece floating on the ceiling overhead, is a titillating thought while exploring 11 Howard ”“ Soho’s sleek new boutique hotel.

The neon artwork, by West Coast artist Dan Attoe, is one of many provocative pieces found throughout the hotel and marks the entrance to The Blond, 11 Howard’s bar-cum-nighclub and Soho’s newest place-to-be-seen.

The latest venture of Aby Rosen, New York’s property mogul and art collector, 11 Howard aims higher than the over-done ”˜art hotel’ genre, with an understated and elegant interior showcasing a unique and thoughtfully curated collection of artwork. Designed in collaboration between SPACE Copenhagen and New York-based Anda Andrei, 11 Howard’s interior spaces are a serene oasis of desaturated, high-contrast Scandinavian design, with subtle nods to the historic cast-iron fabric of Soho’s industrial past. Walk up the monolithic steel spiral stair and breeze past spectacular long-exposure photographs by Hiroshi Sugimoto, Holly Fowler paintings, and the monumental Calder hanging in the lobby.

But, back to The Blond. The velvet banquets and seductive lighting hint at decadence, but it’s the art collection that turns the dial up to debauchery. Provocative photography by Araki Nobuyoshi and masquerade-masked busts by British artist Charming Baker foster a bacchanalian, Eyes Wide Shut vibe. Complicated animals? Maybe, but the team behind 11 Howard make it easy.

http://www.11howard.com/

11 Howard NYC
11 Howard Street, New York, NY
+1 (212) 235-1111

Benedikt is Melting Butter’s NYC-based design editor. He’s also a freelance architect, designer and writer with work that’s grounded in a strong multi-disciplinary focus, encompassing architecture, interiors, product design, curation and visual communication. Right now, Benedikt’s creative projects include an illustrated book, a site-specific art installation in the Manhattan streetscape, and several ongoing creative collaborations.

(All photos courtesy of 11 Howard NYC)

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