WHERE TO STAY - THE FIFTH AVENUE HOTEL USA

An eclectic palette and worldly flourishes fill this 19thcentury mansion turned hotel in New York.

- Arati Menon , Chloe Sachdev , Noo Saro-Wiwa , Arundhati Ail

From the moment I step into The F Fifth Avenue Hotel, there is a sense of entering a giant cabinet of curiosities. The vaulted lobby sets the tone-dressed up in jewel tones and ornate wall panels, with decorative flourishes tucked into its nooks. Corridors are bedecked in vivid wallpaper with oversized flora and animals, real and mythical, and the hotel's art collection that meets my eye around every corner is a go-for-broke assemblage of everything-from old-world oils to 20thcentury American photography.

Ensconced in a 19th-century mansion exterior, this exuberantly designed hotel in New York's NoMad occupies a distinct position. The original building was part of socialite Charlotte Goodridge's estate, and has been redesigned by Stockholmborn Martin Brudnizki who took his cues from its Gilded Age provenance and owner Alex Ohebshalom's travels.

The rainbow-hued crystal chandeliers, painted columns, and bone-inlaid tables prompt memories of trips of your own: to Italy, Marrakech, Rajasthan, and beyond.

While public spaces are in the main mansion, rooms and suites are contained within the glass tower next door. The Mansion suites-one of which I had the pleasure of staying in-are richly detailed with hand-moulded stucco and crown detailing.

Tiger-striped rugs pleated headboards, and lavish cushions compete for your attention. It's the bold palette Brudnizki's known and loved for: a dreamlike patchwork of influences that would've been chaos in the hands of a less practised hand. Modernity hasn't been sacrificed at the altar of whimsy either-all controls in my room are centrally organised on a personal tablet.