A New Kind of Hybrid Hotel and Hostel:Freehand ChicagoTaking a magnifying glass to the intimate and luxe spaces designed by Ro-man and Williams

The Freehand Miami made waves when it first opened in 2012. The laid-back boutique hostel stuck out in the South Beach hotel scene, saturated with extravagant but oftentimes uniform options. This is the sort of thing we’ve come to expect from the developer Andrew Zob1ler of Sydell Group (the mastermind behind stylish, vibrant hotels with strong personalities like NYC’s NoMad and The Line Hotel in Koreatown, Los Angeles) who is

continually evolving to meet the needs of today’s traveler.

The brand’s debut made the case that afford-ability didn’t mean sacrificing luxury, personal comforts or beautiful design, and they’re proving it again in their second locale, this time in Chi-cago. The Freehand Chicago takes up residence in a fully restored 1920s Art Deco building in the urban River North neighborhood (just a block

The Broom HotelFrederik Molenschot at HuysThe Dutch lighting designer’s public exhibition in a private residence in NYC

by David Graver

At the Huys (pronounced “house”) residence in New York City, presently in devel-opment by the Netherlands’ Kroonenberg Groep, you’ll find a new, unified showcase of Dutch contemporary de-sign. Situated in an exhibition space, the lobby and beside every door, sculptural lighting designer Frederik-Molenschot has unveiled an imaginative public art exhibition and more. Among the work of the High Line’s landscape architect Piet Oudolf and world-class interior designer Piet Boon, Molen-schot’s sculptures—some commissioned directly for Huys and some spanning further back in his career—provide a shimmering yet sturdy handcrafted artistry within the 1917, neoclassical building.

Molenschot is best known for his cast bronze light-ing structures, which he hand-shapes into detailed formations to channel and direct light. The founder of Amsterdam-based Studio Molen, he is also a featured artist within Carpenters Workshop Gallery. His initial artistic explorations began as sculptures, but a shift in focus regarding the use of art brought him to lighting design. As he notes, lighting provided “an opportunity to tell a story behind what I make.” Inspired by both city lights and the night sky, his work embodies both

natural and artificial structures as he foresees them in light of urban futurism. Stemming from his working relationship with Piet Boon, which began more than three years ago, Molenschot was brought on board at Huys in multiple capacities.

While he has designed a monumental chandelier for display at Huys, he has also installed a scaled version of it within the building’s public exhibition space—visible to any passerby or those seeking out his work. Surrounding the scaled chandelier, the entire space is furnished with Molenschot’s “ginger root” like art. The lobby also features a very large root-like bench. Each piece bears the attributes of “being left over by nature,” the artist explains. They each appear to be organic growths; something Molenschot was drawn to. The

OCTOBER 21, 2013

CitizenM Times Square HotelThe brand’s first American outpost for the mobile citizen continues to shake up the outdated hotel industry

by Nara Shin in Travel | April 2014

When citizenM announced they were opening their first Amer-ican outpost in Times Square, we were a bit skeptical. After a stay, however, we were happily proven wrong—they’ve created an oasis in the middle of one of the most chaotic places in the world. From the futuristic-looking rooms to the Google Earth-printed carpet, the free Wi-Fi throughout the entire hotel to the artwork-covered living room (their term for the lobby), it’s clear that this is no cookie-cutter luxury hotel. We spoke with Chief Marketing Officer Robin Chadha (whose father Rattan founded the Amsterdam-based hotel group in 2008) about how the Dutch brand is disrupting the outdated hotel industry and reinventing the travel experience.

Chadha’s father was the founder of the global fashion company Mexx (sold off in 2001 to Liz Claibourne). “Mexx had a very strict policy when it came to expenses; they were only allowed to spend €100-150 a night on a hotel, which is impossible,” Chadha tells CH. “So all of these designers would come back very frustrated—they went to Paris Fashion Week but stayed at a crappy hotel outside the city. So that’s when the lightbulb went off in his head. How come there’s nothing hybrid in the world of hotels? How come there’s

nothing which offers style, great location but at an affordable price?”“The original name was ‘One Star is Born,’” says Chada. “It was

our code name, because we didn’t believe in the star rating system, which is very old-fashioned. It’s not about the actual amenities and more about the service and experience that you get.” Star ratings shouldn’t be based on checking things off a checklist, he argues, but focusing on the quality. More isn’t better when the bathrobes are scratchy and the shower is dirty. “We really set out to start a trans-formational brand. Let’s challenge the status quo, let’s challenge the traditional hospitality industry. Yes, there’s been design hotels in every shape, size and form, but the thinking behind them has been very traditional in how they’re operated, distributed, marketed, etc.”

“So we started off with a completely blank piece of paper, and started with who is the consumer that we’re targeting?” continues Chadha. “That’s where the M came from: these kind of mobile cit-izens, people who are coming in and out of cities. They’re traveling to London, Milan, Paris, New York; they’re smart enough to have hand luggage and know they don’t need to bring their big shampoos because they know they’re going to be taken away. They’re very, very

MAY 21, 2015

By NARA SHIN

away from the relatively new and gigantic Eataly), with a mix of shared rooms with bunk-beds and private rooms—including two very special duplex penthouses—as well as food and beverage of-ferings that are standalone destinations on their own. In an exclusive preview of the property, we spoke with Zobler and regular collaborators Roman and Williams (the design duo behind the Ace Hotel New York, the Standard Highline and the Freehand Miami) to get a thorough look at the intricate, multi-layered design.

“Miami was a real learning process for us,” Zobler tells CH. “We knew instinctually that there was something really exciting about the communal spirit that you find in a hostel and we wanted to combine that with elevated design and great food and drink.” The first Freehand doubled as an experiment to find out how many people would want private versus shared rooms. “We learned that many people really wanted the communal atmosphere, but also wanted their comforts,” says Zobler. “Many wanted to socialize on property but to retreat to their own room at night, so in Chicago we have many more privates than in Miami and we have added more luxuries to all the rooms. I think the bathrooms in our rooms in Chicago (both private and shared) are, for example, pretty special with detailed mill-work and custom tiles. I think they are really as good or better as you will find in many luxury hotels. So, basically, we tried to take our game up a notch.”

I wanted Freehand Chicago, like all of our projects at Sydell, to have a strong sense of place.

Zobler has worked with husband-and-wife team Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch on various projects for 10 years, and their close rela-tionship has made for a stronger, unified concept. “I wanted Freehand Chicago, like all of our proj-ects at Sydell, to have a strong sense of place,” says Zobler. “The idea was to create a place that had the same communal sprit as Miami with great food and drink, but that felt Chicago, and would be comfortable for a business traveler. We started by using local architectural and craft references and collaborated with some great Chicagoans.”

Having grown up in Wisconsin, Alesch brought in a personal touch: “One of my memo-ries of the Midwest was the ‘den’ of my relatives,” he tells CH. “I have nice memories of warm, cozy and fun spaces where, as kids, we played endless games and parents never seemed to bother us. Dens never feel right in sunny South-ern California or Miami where all one wants to be is outside—so here in Chicago it felt natural to embrace the tradition.” The mix and match of textiles, wood and leather in the lobby area makes it especially inviting for guests to hang out and refuel, instead of making it simply a space to wait.

Roman and Williams thoroughly considered the different neighborhood, region, climate as well as guest demands to strengthen the afore-mentioned sense of place. “We embraced a very residential experience in Miami, as though you went from someone’s tropical bungalow to their backyard. At Freehand Chicago, we approached the design from a more deliberate architectural tactic, inspired by the rich history of architec-

ture in Chicago,” Alesch says, noting the hidden order and comforting geometry found in the public spaces throughout the latter, which took inspiration from arts and crafts and Frank Lloyd Wright. “In Miami, the bunk-beds were painted bright, glossy colors and inspired by lifeguard stands, while at Freehand Chicago, we were inspired by woodworking and honest craftsman-ship,” he continues. “The palette, materials and some of the motifs are different, but the DNA is the same.”

About 75% of the furniture, lighting and objects you’ll encounter have been custom-de-signed by Roman and Williams; they also com-missioned and collaborated with contemporary artists for new pieces as well—adding a human touch to every nook and cranny. “Early on we came across this great, shaggy, very tactile pil-low—verging on macramé; it’s a pillow that almost seems to hug you back,” recalls Standefer. “This oversized piece became an important refer-ence for a family of textiles that would eventually inhabit Freehand Chicago. We were fortunate to discover Dee Clements [of Herron Clothier], an exceptional local weaver and textile artist, who shared our enthusiasm for the texture of this ob-ject and created a collection of elaborate pillows that are in every room of the hotel.”

The remaining pieces are vintage finds sourced from as close as the Midwest and as far as Mar-rakech—from Navajo rugs to Berber carpets to antique pine tree wallpaper from the 1940s on the walls of the bar. “The story of all of it was to evoke a sense of the nomadic and the spirit of travel the Freehand embodies,” explains Stande-fer.”

A hotel public space should be a living, breath-ing organism.

“Depending on location and the people, hotels have different needs for how the public spaces will breathe and function,” finishes Standefer. “A hotel public space should be a living, breathing organism. The through line in all of our projects is that we try to create a narrative that directly in-forms the design, to give people a certain feeling in the space. We want our spaces to feel familiar,

cozy and comfortable, yet still fresh.”Freehand Chicago is currently in soft open-

ing and makes its official debut on 1 June 2015; beds start from $35 per night and private rooms from $159. Reservations can be booked online at Freehand Chicago. Keep an eye out for the spe-cialty cocktail bar The Broken Shaker (its second outpost; their first in the Freehand Miami was nominated for two James Beard awards) and Café Integral, serving Central American comfort food and Nicaraguan coffee.