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Sound Up, Lights Low
The Chelsea Hotel Has Been Home to the Famous, Including Its Latest Resident — Star Lounge
Sid Vicious supposedly stabbed and killed Nancy Spungen
there. Leonard Cohen named one his most recognizable songs after it,
and Andy Warhol directed a film within its walls.
The Chelsea Hotel has been a nexus of artistic vision for decades
in America. The hotel has garnered a reputation all its own, and a new
space for future generations to create and deviate, in the form of the
Star Lounge, has replaced the previous venue Serena in the Chelsea
basement.
“The Chelsea Hotel is a big part of what this business is,” says
Star Lounge Owner Charles Ferri. “It is a legendary hotel with a lot of
history, so we wanted to maintain the integrity of where we are and who
we are.”
Low Lighting
With three distinct environments under one roof, Star Lounge was
designed, in both lighting and sound, to elevate or subdue the senses
as patrons move through the space.
The lighting, overall, Ferri opted to keep natural and low, since
his guest list is America’s elite, and his space is somewhat of a
hidden gem for the highly esteemed.
“Being that we are in a basement,” he says, “we wanted to have a
darker, more refined look. So it was always important to use warm
colors. There are deeper reds, burgundy curtains, some oranges. The
colors bring out a good feeling and make guests feel like they can open
up more.”
For lighting design, Ferri turned to Zero Lux, who worked
hand-in-hand with the designer Richardson Sadeki. The men chose
candlelight and silk-screen chandeliers, and Ferri says that the extra
chore of special fire permits was justified in the effect.
“It has an ‘I-am-warm-and-want-to-stay-here’ feeling,” he says.
“Candles bring something that no light can do. To me, it is worth every
dollar.”
Most of the candles are beneath the sanded plexi-glass tables,
which creates a sexy ambiance as well as cutting down on fire hazard.
For the ambiance of a gentlemen’s club meets a swank speakeasy,
flickering candles are old-fashioned, sure-fire mood enhancers.
Certain parts of Star Lounge –– like in the VIP space Room 100,
named after the famed hotel suite where Sid purportedly stabbed Nancy —
are aligned for Manhattan’s wealthy to carry on privately. Others, like
the Center Room, are built for dancing and DJ focus.
Serious Sound
“Everything has to flow together — the lighting, sound and decor,”
Ferri says of the 150-person capacity space. “We have the same music
running throughout, and each room has its own leveler.”
Joe Lodi is the man responsible for the audio inside Star Lounge,
and he positioned each sound component with special consideration.
There are only two subs in Room 100, but there are four in the Center
Room. DJs perform each evening in the Center Room, with Tuesday
karaoke, New Wave Hip Hop on Thursdays and Rock on Fridays. Sound is as
crucial to the environment as the lighting for Ferri’s group.
“I want to have crisp, solid sound where people can enjoy
themselves,” he says. “When I see patrons coming back two or three
times a week, I know I am doing something right.” NCB
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