“Really, we are all are makers, but artists, craftsman, writers – and particularly art and design makers drove our inspiration.“
Lev Glazman
THC: What inspired The Maker?
LG: The Maker is inspired by the celebration of art, design and makers all over the world. Really, we are all are makers, but artists, craftsman, writers – and particularly art and design makers drove our inspiration, and how they bring objects to life.
THC: How crucial was the location to the backstory of The Maker?
LG: The location was very important because there are a lot of creative people who live in Hudson and the surrounding Hudson Valley. We found a lot of people here with a very high level of craftsmanship. They specialize in restorative arts to decorative painting to stained glass. This gave us the opportunity to collaborate in a major way with many local artisans.
THC: Design, craftsmanship and sourcing have been so crucial to the story of The Maker, what drove this decision?
LG: I was inspired by the celebration of all makers and how it could relate to hospitality. We felt most properties were missing a high level of curation, so we saw an opportunity to create something memorable and inspiring- that’s really what drove the concept.
THC: Provenance is so key to your story – does that apply to all aspects of the hotel – from the team’s background in amenities to restaurant menu creation?
LG: The Maker is a storyteller in so many ways. In every room, a story is told through the highly refined curation and collaboration with masterful makers. Where meticulous detail and considerate service provides an emotional escape. For example, we celebrate design by fusing different periods such as La Belle Epoque, mid-century Modern and Art Deco. We also see our team as makers, with everyone having a story to tell. Each member of our team brings their talents to the forefront and our spaces to life.
THC: In addition to craft, has wider culture also played a role in the creation of The Maker? Be that culture of place or travel.
LG: Yes! Alina and I travelled extensively throughout the world and we experienced a lot of different properties and interacted with many cultures. This gave us many points of inspiration. Our signature bohemian sensibility is partly inspired by what we’ve experienced around the world. We wanted to bring the best parts of travel that resonated with us and captured our emotions to The Maker.
THC: Lighting is important to any experience, but particularly attention has been paid to this at The Maker, are you able to elaborate on why?
LG: I think one of the most important aspects to designing a space is lighting. When you go through the process of curating every object and want the room to tell the story – without the proper lighting, it doesn’t come to life. Lighting plays a huge role to complete the design – it’s like jewellery. It’s the final accent that ties the space together and creates an atmosphere. You also want to make sure people look good with lighting and provides intimacy. They shouldn’t feel too exposed. We’ve spent a lot of time developing lighting for the property – with over 1000 different lighting fixtures, looking all over the world for special pieces that we’ve reclaimed, restored and redesigned.
Photo credit: Francine Zaslow
