Our firm was asked to redesign the Pierre Hotel’s ballroom, stripping away the accumulated results of prior renovations and refashioning the room as a dramatic and architecturally unified space, returning it to its original, smaller volume. We pursued an 18th-century French neoclassical design, referring to the powerful architectural ideas and features of the hotel’s French neoclassical 1930s exterior by Schultze & Weaver and honoring the great New York beaux-arts buildings of the period.
The irregular column grid was resolved for symmetry by removing one structural column and adding two non-structural columns. New fluted Ionic piers, cast-plaster paneling, monumental French doors, and marble Louis XVI-style fireplaces with trumeau mirrors were introduced, while the original Murano chandeliers were restored and paired with custom sconces. Functional updates, including code-required egress, storage, and a new elevator, were discreetly integrated, and the room was completed with a marble floor of Silver Light and Clarissa.