ForrestPerkins captures the energy of Times Square with its inspiring renovation of the iconic New York Marriott Marquis. The international architecture and design firm designed more than 1,900 guest rooms and suites, the corridors, the Broadway Lounge, the Broadway Ballroom, the Sixth and Seventh Floor Prefunction Areas, and the new Crossroads restaurant and lounge.
“Manhattan's stimulating pace, verve and vitality inspired our custom-designed furnishings and finishes,” said Deborah Forrest, FASID, principal and co-founder of ForrestPerkins.
“The interior architecture and design we created for the New York Marriott Marquis is designed to reflect the energy and excitement of Times Square,” says Stephen Perkins, AIA, ISHC, principal and co-founder of ForrestPerkins.
Fidel Ortega, AIA, Senior Associate of ForrestPerkins, designed the interior architecture for the renovations, including the dazzling 21'-high Mirrored Spiral structure that is the centerpiece of Crossroads, the new restaurant and bar on the eighth floor. This monumental sculpture integrates a 20-seat bar and features 132 black mirrors, 11 of which are mirror/TVs that look like mirrors when they're off and work as TVs when they're on. ForrestPerkins' unique design concept of the Mirrored Spiral includes a "halo" of color-changing kinetic lights on the top that shine down onto the bar. The lights also look terrific from the guest floors above. The mesmerizing sculpture was engineered, manufactured and installed by Eventscape of Toronto, Canada.
An exciting melange of colors - red, white, green and purple - energize the furnishings throughout Crossroads, including distinctive sofas, some with an extension on the back that provides overflow seating. ForrestPerkins repurposed existing waterfall features, adding soft new cushions for seating and double-sided, etched glass surrounds to preclude splashing, which makes seating around the water features more accessible.
Crossroads restaurant features innovative sliding screens that roll on tracks to provide flexibility for the ebb and flow of various events. The 66 randomly-perforated panels can be rotated, stacked and stored in the four corners of the restaurant. Ceiling-mounted light fixtures in the restaurant are rectangular polished chrome boxes with clear acrylic tubes varying in length that resemble illuminated crystal rods. The restaurant has a linear feel, almost like a cityscape grid pattern if you were to view it from a skyscraper, that provides a counterpoint to the many curves in the Mirrored Spiral nexus and Broadway Lounge.
The Broadway Lounge provides more than just a great place to relax and rejuvenate. It also offers a tremendous view of Times Square. ForrestPerkins crowned this captivating view with six sparkling spherical chandeliers that remind you of the giant ball that drops on New Year's Eve just outside the window. The multi-level lounge focuses on the spectacular view. The designers purposely provided flexibility for this lounge with furniture that can be moved easily for various functions. Turquoise, petrol blue, dark ginger and khaki color the carpet, which features a circular, fluid motif that complements the curves throughout the lounge.
The two-story tall Broadway Ballroom projects glamour, sparkle and a New York edge. ForrestPerkins' Associate Toby Bishop custom-designed eight magnificent chandeliers that look like giant crystal geodes sliced down the center with rough edges around the outside and glistening, faceted 24" long crystal shards on the inside. The programmable chandeliers feature color-changing LED technology and weigh almost 2,500 pounds each, appearing to float against the black ceiling that masks multiple event light sources. They glisten against the dark ceiling above. Finishes throughout the space have a luminous quality, including iridescent merlot red draperies and pleated wallcoverings with shots of metallic threading. The carpet design evokes the feeling of a New Year's Eve party with its champagne bubbles and streamers laced throughout. All of these design features elevate this ballroom, which seats 2,400.
The New York Marriott Marquis sports some of the largest guest rooms in Manhattan. Upon completion of the renovation, 1,943 guest rooms will have a clean-lined look designed by ForrestPerkins' Senior Associate Melissa Dosier Lewis, ASID, LEED AP. Half of the guest rooms have been fully renovated so far and the remainder will be completed in Spring 2012. Oversized headboards made of Macassar ebony feature an inlaid nickel, city-street inspired grid design that provides a backdrop for the bed and night tables. Contemporary sconces mounted to the headboard incorporate reading lights. The bed throw frames the bedding and adds a soft, champagne shimmer with red squares that echo city blocks. Other furnishings include a handsome accent chair, a comfortable red sleeper sofa, a modern oval side table, a modular TV unit that includes an upholstered bench, a Macassar ebony dresser and a large desk with a pivoting work surface. A geometric cream pattern accents cocoa-brown carpet. Streamlined window treatments frame amazing views of the Manhattan skyline and the dramatic energy of Times Square.
Outside the guest rooms, Bishop and Lewis designed the corridor carpet to celebrate the cityscape, energy and excitement. The striking design features an abstract representation of city buildings and windows with a stippling texture to evoke the idea of confetti. Blue curves that mimic an existing adjacent rail design suggest streamers and starbursts suggest fireworks and celebration. The captivating spaces that ForrestPerkins renovated echo the energy that surrounds them, which feels just right for the city that never sleeps.
