One certainly wouldn’t accuse designers Robert and Cortney Novogratz of holding anything back for this renovation of the W Hoboken hotel‘s bar and lounge. LULU’S – formerly the Chandelier Room – is not a shy and retiring place, as the choice of Mario Testino’s portrait of the equally unabashed Kate Moss announces as you enter. In fact, this LULU is a bit of an animal. Albert Watson’s feline Mick Jagger is on the prowl here, and the bold black and white striped walls call to mind the hide of a zebra, but could also represent bars of a human zoo cage.

LULU’S has made the most of some incredible views of New Jersey – a game of pool has surely never enjoyed such a panoramic backdrop – and inside the walls are festooned with art that you can pretend to be looking at while doing a bit of discrete people watching. There is still a place for a flamboyant Murano chandelier or two, and a couple of British artists have chipped in – metallic-clad columns by Richard Woods and banquette upholstery fabric by Sarah Morris.

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