Client: Riverside Developers

Location: Brooklyn, NY, United States

Completion date: 2016

Project Team

Artist

Marela Zacarias

Interior Designer

Studio Munge

Overview

Located in the heart of lively Williamsburg, The William Vale is reshaping Brooklyn attracting travelers and locals alike with a refreshing combination of interactive hospitality programs and innovative design. This building had to represent a new generation of thinking inspired by Brooklyn’s individuality, its local art community and infused with the area’s industrial strength. In this new built, it meant creating an authentic design solution by breaking away from the exposed brickwork and distressed timber that has become mainstream.

Goals

By simplifying the colour palette to light and neutral tones, the bold art program is allowed to freely express itself. Beyond a hotel, it is an art-infused property
with hundreds of colourful pieces carefully placed throughout the suites, lobby and event spaces. In close coordination with the Brooklyn Arts Council,
the design team went through an extensive curation process before commissioning artwork produced in Brooklyn by Brooklyn artists. There lies the hotel’s
sense of place, through the integration of Brooklyn artists and craftsmen, an uncontrived community of free-thinkers.

Process

Respectful of our client’s commitment to maintaining Brooklyn’s identity, our designs integrated local artwork in each space. In close coordination with the Brooklyn Arts
Council, The William Vale design team went through an extensive curation process before selecting original artwork for the lobby before ultimately commissioning Mexico
native and Brooklyn based artist Marela Zacarias. Exclusive to The William Vale, her installation, Mannahatta, was chosen via an open competition calling for local artists to
express what the neighbourhood means to them. The 3D piece exudes colour and attitude, catching the eye in the otherwise neutral lobby palette. Interiors are gallery-like,
with clean welcoming tones leading to the installation as a focal point.It was vital to integrate local talent into the project as to capture the essence of Brooklyn’s urban art-centric identity.