The Invisible Bespoke: Thornwillow at the St. Regis

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THORNWILLOW AT THE ST. REGIS

On blustery days like this one, we tend to want to curl up in one of our private library’s armchairs and while away the afternoon with a leather-bound book and a cup of tea (or a glass of whiskey). Normally, we’re hindered by the fact that our apartment has no private library—so it’s a welcome revelation to learn that the St. Regis has partnered with Thornwillow Press to create just that sort of atmosphere in the heart of the hotel.

Thornwillow Press is a bespoke stationer, publisher, and custom bookbinder; it’s the preferred stationer of Montblanc and Cartier, and fans include Carolina Herrera, Anya Hindmarch, Cindy Crawford and Kate Spade. With Thornwillow at the St. Regis, its first retail boutique, the brand has introduced a new kind of design concept: they’ve envisioned an “invisible store” curated by the brand’s founder, Luke Ives Pontifell. Objects on offer will include books, stationery, art, library accessories, and curios, all comfortably incorporated into a gorgeous collection of comfortable reading chairs, display cabinets, and writing desks, where guests can linger while the Thornwillow Librarian attends to them. (Tea and whiskey: both on offer, of course.)

What has us most enthused, though, is the boutique’s (or anti-boutique’s?) stationery bar, where clients can mix and match note cards, journals, and more to create a stationery wardrobe of sorts, with an option for every mood. For bringing Thornwillow to the city in such an elegant way, we’re rather inclined to send the St. Regis a brand-new thank-you note.

THORNWILLOW AT THE ST. REGIS IS LOCATED INSIDE THE ST. REGIS HOTEL AT 2 EAST 55th STREET IN NEW YORK.