Heart Of The Big Apple

Illustrious interior designers Jean-Louis Deniot and Pierre-Yves Rochon on their parts in revitalising an icon of New York

New York’s ‘unofficial palace’, the deliciously Art Deco Waldorf Astoria New York is being renovated. We meet the men spearheading the interiors of the project, which will see the block reborn as 375 condominium residences and the 375-key Waldorf Astoria New York hotel, with Rochon behind the hotel’s interiors and Deniot taking care of the residences.

Please tell us some background about the Waldorf Astoria New York project and how the partnership came about?

Pierre-Yves Rochon: I’ve loved this hotel for a long time, especially its size and proportions, the beautiful American 1930s design, and of course its location on Park Avenue. When my wife and I visited 35 years ago, I said to her that I would be very happy if one day I could work on the interiors of this project, and 35 years later, here I am.

The ownership group knew of our work on other iconic, historic hotels such as the Four Seasons George V Paris and the Savoy in London. They asked what our vision might be to re-imagine the hotel, and we participated in a design competition so they could visualise the potential. In the end, they felt inspired by our design, the sense of luxury and our visions for bringing the standards of the hotel to contemporary hospitality and design.

What were the challenges and opportunities with this project and renovation of historic spaces generally?