A spiral staircase ascends through three stories of the Raffles Boston Back Bay Hotel’s Sky Lobby, its copper-accented herringbone floors below mirroring the city’s historic cobbled streets. Framed by fluted columns, the staircase becomes more than mere vertical circulation, but rather a material manifesto of how Stonehill Taylor’s design for North America’s first Raffles property unveils Boston’s cultural heritage.
What distinguishes Stonehill Taylor’s approach, led by president Paul Taylor and principal Sara Duffy, was their excavation of place-specific narratives. The design team put together three distinct Bostonian touchstones – the pioneering botanical gardens, the Arnold Arboretum’s vast plant collection, and Paul Revere’s revolutionary copper works – into a cohesive material manual that permeates throughout every space.
The journey of the 33-story tower at 40 Trinity Place begins at street level where dark stone tiles and a hand-blown glass petal chandelier establishes the botanical motif that unfolds throughout the building. The architects placed the main reception area on the 17th floor, creating a threshold that separates street-level noise from the elevated sanctuary. The grand staircase maximizes sight lines while minimizing structural footprint, allowing the surrounding iron and glass atrium to capture unobstructed city views.
The Writers Bar opens directly from reception, creating a seamless transition between check-in and relaxation, while the special occasion restaurant occupies a double-height volume visible from multiple vantage points. The speakeasy, in contrast, requires guests to navigate a deliberate sequence of thresholds: ascending to the 18th floor via the grand stair, walking down a corridor overlooking the restaurant, and entering through a discrete door.
In the guestrooms and suites, Stonehill Taylor demonstrated both restraint and precision in translating the hotel’s botanical narrative into intimate spaces. The 147 guestrooms, including 29 suites, achieve a delicate balance between Raffles’ global design language and Boston’s specific cultural context. White marble flooring with mosaic accents establish a refined material palette, while the bathroom’s hand-painted wallcoverings bring the botanical theme into the more private spaces. The headboards, adorned with subtle leaf illustrations, incorporate Asian influences that acknowledge Raffles’ Singaporean heritage.
Visit Raffles Boston Back Bay Hotel’s website for more information.
Photography by Brandon Barre.