This Quaint Hudson Hotel Is Our Virtual Travel For The Day
When an influential style icon flees New York City with his family for the Hudson Valley in search of more space to create and roam — and promptly opens a hotel there, you know it's going to be good.
The result is Taavo Somer's 43-room Hotel Kinsley, within a 19th century former bank building along Wall Street in downtown Kingston. The hotel opened last year. Somer is known for turning Freemans (a Colonial-tavern style eatery in Manhattan) into a lifestyle. Freemans now includes a barbershop and men's apparel line (both sporting and custom-made suits), so popular it spawned a location in Tokyo.
Robert McKinley, a former visual merchandiser for fashion brands that include Donna Karan and Giorgio Armani, was tasked with transforming a former bank into a hotel. "I wanted to move away from typical Upstate 'whistle-call' aesthetic — no antlers, no plaid-on-plaid and reclaimed wood," says McKinley.
1. Lobby
"One of my favorite details is the reception desk," says McKinley. "It's fun and quirky. You have to walk through the old vault itself."
2. Guest Room
Nicole Franzen
"The wall finishes by Farrow & Ball are done in warm statement colors," says McKinley, including in the guest rooms but also a plum hue in the hall, which was paired with red-checker carpeting.
3. Guest Room
Nicole Franzen
Little details in each guest room strive to make the space feel like a design corner but also a cozy nook, like the ivory Smeg mini refrigerator and red-checker covered desk chair.
4. Guest Room
Nicole Franzen
This guest room feels timeless thanks to a simple but thoughtful combo: a milk-glass globe light fixture, a whimsical chinoiserie-inspired headboard, plus a Persian area rug. Bed linens are by Frette.
5. Guest Suite
Nicole Franzen
The hotel's suite includes a sitting area full of rich orange and red hues.
6. Bath
Nicole Franzen
The all-white bath also incorporates timeless components like a wood-frame mirror and an industrial vanity.
7. Restaurant Kinsley
Nicole Franzen
No, this is not your father's favorite '70s bar — with bare light fixtures, low ceilings, tons of woodwork, and covered bar stools, this is a modern take on the decade.
8. Restaurant Kinsley
Nicole Franzen
Potted palms, red Persian area rugs, and timeless bistro chairs — like the ones that might have been in the area's restaurants and bars when the building functioned as a bank — adorn the hotel's Restaurant Kinsley.