New York City
Andres Escobar & Associe

At the New York City nightclub Duvet, evocative lighting complements sybaritic interiors by Andres Escobar

Photo © Jerry Ruotol

By William Weathersby, Jr.

I’ll admit I had some initial doubts about Duvet. The new Manhattan nightspot’s motto, “Upscale dining while reclining,” put me in mind of a post–Sex in the City scenario in which patrons in pajamas passed around hors d’oeuvres in bed, Hugh Hefner–style. In a club trend that seems to have migrated northward to New York City from Miami, Duvet joins another new Chelsea district venue, Bed, as the latest restaurant and lounge where guests take the term “laid-back” literally.

What might have become merely a one-note, over-the-top theme, however, has been orchestrated at Duvet with flair by interior designer Andres Escobar. A Colombian designer who emigrated to Montreal, he has introduced an imaginative viewpoint to this Manhattan nightlife landscape. With Venetian plaster walls, silver-leaf ceiling details, and art-glass fixtures, the 20,000-square-foot, two-level club is stylishly sybaritic. The standout element in the cocktail-hour mix is sophisticated, color-changing lighting that seems to infuse every surface.

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the People Interior and (conceptual) lighting designer Andres Escobar & Associe Principal: Andres Escobar Architect RIP Construction Consultant Consultant(s) Lighting: XS Lighting & Sound—Dougie Lazer www.xsck.com Photographer(s) Jerry Ruotol

the Products Lighting LED lighting and controls: Color Kinetics www.colorkinetics.com Custom lighting fittings: XS Lighting & Sound www.xsck.com Automated luminaires: Elation; High End Systems www.highend.com Glass: Think Glass by Mailhot Ceiling: Lycra www.lycra.com