THE NOMAD LOS ANGELES OPENS IN DOWNTOWN L.A. AND IT’S STUNNING

By: Christian Stan

The NoMad Los Angeles takes a page from the New York flagship by claiming a historic landmark— in Downtown Los Angeles, it’s Giannini Place, a building formerly known as the original Bank of Italy.

Downtown Los Angeles has been undergoing a renaissance for years. From new galleries and museums to a trove of fresh hotels, over-the-top residential towers, and hot restaurants, the once-at-the-fringes neighborhood is thriving. So big has the DTLA boom become that even the East Coast can’t ignore it: In January, the Sydell Group opened an outpost of its acclaimed Manhattan hotel, the NoMad, on a historic corner of Olive Street.

Much of the building’s Neoclassical style (Doric columns, ornate coffered golden ceilings, and exquisite marble floors are just a few of the highlights) have been preserved and incorporated into the new design.

The new look is the brainchild of brilliant French architect and designer Jacques Garcia, who also created the original NoMad. In each of the the 241 rooms, Garcia has given subtle nods to both Italy (an homage to the building’s beginnings) and Southern California’s classic contemporary style. A gold-and-blue Italianate ceiling in the lobby provides the inspiration for the rooms’ vibrant color palette, where embossed leather headboards, custom-dyed Persian rugs, and original artwork make for spaces brimming with eye candy. Some rooms also feature freestanding pedestal bathtubs.

Of course, cuisine is a shining star at the new NoMad, thanks to award-winning chef Daniel Humm and restaurateur Will Guidara of New York’s Eleven Madison Park. There is a casually elegant lobby restaurant with plush velvet seating; a cozy but chic library; an all-day Italian-inspired café that morphs into a wine bar at night; the sophisticated cocktail destination Giannini Bar; and the Mezzanine, a formal dining room. The Coffee Bar is modeled after the iconic 300-year-old Caffè Florian in Venice, Italy, while the Library mirrors it counterpart in New York. And when you run out of dining options on-site, booming DTLA—and its revitalized dining scene—is right outside the NoMad’s ornate front door.