TWA Hotel

Stonehill Taylor was the exclusive interior designer for the guestrooms, Sunken Lounge, Connie cocktail lounge, and other public spaces for the iconic TWA Hotel at New York’s JFK Airport.

The design team was inspired by the year 1962 — it’s the year the Flight Center opened and the first time an American was able to orbit the Earth. At this time, aviation was the promise of the future, and so in many ways, this year signifies the beginning of an era of American strength, optimism and innovation. By offering a modern refuge with a thoughtful, strong sense of design and space, the rooms are meant to make guests feel the same appreciation and excitement for aviation that travelers once felt during the rise of the industry.

Set back on either side of Eero Saarinen’s iconic TWA Flight Center, two newly built wings designed by architects Beyer Blinder Belle and Lubrano Ciavarra, house the 512 guestrooms. Sixties-inspired elements include select Saarinen-designed Knoll furnishings, a martini bar, vintage rotary phone and gleaming terrazzo tiles in the bathroom with Hollywood-style vanities. The rooms have a crisp white palette accented with warm walnut elements and brushed brass. Custom furnishings and lighting, like the wood trim, which follows along the ceiling edge and softly illuminates the room, referencing midcentury design. In many of the rooms, beds are positioned to let guests enjoy the exciting rhythm of the runway or the glory of Saarinen’s TWA Flight Center.

Stonehill Taylor adopted the vintage Lockheed Constellation “Connie” L-1649A Starliner into a glamorous cocktail lounge for the enjoyment of hotel guests, featuring refurbished vintage airplane seats, comfortable banquette seating, and a “reveal” moment, where guests can see the plane’s original interior frame encased in glass. Guests are also invited to enter the cockpit, which has been restored with authentic controls and switches.

Designed by INC Architecture & Design, the 50,000 sf event and ballroom space has been developed as a state-of-the-art gathering space, imbued with the glamour of the period in American history when the Jet Age turned the world into a global village for the first time.