It’s not just the cocktails that give Chicago’s hottest new hotel bar its deliciously slinky appeal. Try luxe leather, bright brass and one seriously dapper gent.
The breakdown:
Dark floors and trim and deep leather sofas work with the architecture atop the vintage Raffaello Hotel to set a clubby tone.
Designers avoided a period piece by using modern lighting that’s an elegant-yet-industrial twist on brass fixtures. One drop of color — and only one — is a louche absinthe green.
A knowing welcome from a host who’s dressed with an eye for detail (in this case, nightlife legend Mr. Lono Brazil) can make or break any space’s first impression.
Clubby swagger:
A new age version of the classic Chesterfield is the Kensington leather Chair, $2120, at Restoration Hardware, restorationhardware.com.
Chic modernism:
Add a splash of industrial modern style with Apparatus Studio’s Highwire, $3100 (large), at apparatusstudio.com.
Graphic punch:
Get a colorful table-cum-stool with the Martini Side Table, $129, at West Elm, westelm.com.