Design has always been central to the Spencer’s experience. With the opening of the new second floor at the SoHo flagship, founder Ryan McCarthy expands that vision through a space dedicated to facials and couples treatments, shaped by mood, materiality, and a sense of calm. Created in collaboration with interior designer Jessica Blumberg of Dale Blumberg Interiors, the floor reflects a shared approach to design as an essential part of the guest experience.

Photos by Sean Davidson.

The Creative Partnership

What aligned you creatively from the start?

Ryan: What is special about Jess is that she has a very adaptive point of view. She has an excellent eye, an attention to detail that transcends stylistic genres. I knew when I gave her the brief for this location that she would be able to translate into the physical world. We also speak the same language in terms of how we go about the process: pace, organization, yes yes no no mentalities! 

Jess: Ryan’s creative inspiration is endless, so when we sat down and started paging through his copiously earmarked Parish Hadley and Vogue Living 1990s/early 2000’s coffee table books, his ever-evolving vision, this time for the 2^nd floor expansion, was clear and very exciting to me.  We were instantly on the same page and knew we would be putting our own Spencer’s twist on this classic design style.

How would you describe the dynamic between you when shaping a space like this?

Ryan: Totally in step. Designing a space together is meant to be thrilling, challenging, satisfying, and creative. Jess gave so much more in this process than I could have imagined. She is totally and utterly committed to the success of the project and the happiness of her partners. Even after pulling a 24hr day, leaving the install, she was texting options for bits and pieces at 5am to purchase that day. She is a force. 

Jess: A total collaboration. It was my job to take Ryan’s inventive ideas and make them work functionally while also looking and feeling amazing. We’re both extremely decisive and trust each other’s aesthetic sense, so with an organized system of checks and balances in place, we were able to have a ton of fun sourcing.  We both were extremely creatively stimulated during the design process, which made it so enjoyable. 

What shared priorities or philosophies guided the way you worked together on this project?

Ryan: We knew we wanted the design to be warm, comfortable, and classic. We wanted to achieve the ‘wow’ moment through a feeling we would evoke, not by curating any one piece individually. It’s something well observed in my favorite 90’s interiors: It was always the combinations in the room popped. I feel we kept very true to this philosophy as we worked room by room, very cognisant of the feeling we wanted to evoke for the guest in totality. 

Jess: We wanted to maintain that feeling of surprise when walking into the Spencer’s spaces. Where you walk through reception and open the door to a space that is unique unto itself, that draws your eyes to all different special corners of the room. 

Influence & Inspiration

Which design references or philosophies influenced the direction of the space?

Ryan: 1990’s Ralph Lauren and Parish Hadley, mixed with 90’s Ryokan influences were the images we kept referring back to. I love the simplicity, non aversion to color, and the plushness of the furniture. 

Jess: 1990’s/ Early 2000’s Parish Hadley eclectic Soho townhouse.  Collected, global, luxurious.  

How do your personal design influences, whether from travel, architecture, hospitality, or beyond, show up in this project?

Ryan: I feel this space is true to the current evolution of my taste: Comfort and fullness, paired with a minimalism in design that affords each room an opportunity to feel calm, well composed, and special. Japanese interiors have a unique way of setting the stage. The rooms often quietly point you toward focal points that shift depending on your vantage point. It’s a sexy and dramatic approach to decorating. 

Jess: My design is heavily influenced by my travels and upbringing.  Whether it’s from the yearly trips to visit my family living in South Africa or soaking in the architecture, design, and hospitality in Europe over the years, these experiences are a constant inspiration that I refer back to. This shows up in small details, whether it’s a cotton velvet sourced from an Italian mill or a beautiful carved African nupe stool, I’m a believer in design having a global perspective. 

Design Intent

When you envisioned the new floor, what was the emotional or sensory experience you wanted guests to have?

Ryan: I wanted our guests to feel loved and cared for, welcomed by a person you knew had all the ‘good stuff’. Like seeking a warm fireplace in winter, it was intended to feel like a place you’d want to come and sit for hours before your treatment and read a book. We invite our guests to do so. As you walk through the space, each corner and corridor offers an element of delight and discovery. This was important: it also gives more privacy.

Jess: We wanted the space to feel calming and luxurious. Where the guests could come in, sit on a plush velvet slipper chair or sink into a down-filled sofa, soak in the beautiful light streaming in through the enormous parlor floor windows and just breathe. All while taking in the curiosities around each corner.

In what ways does this space extend or evolve Spencer’s existing design language?

Ryan: I’d like to think each of our spaces are part of an extended family. Perhaps they are cousins at the most different, parents or children at the most interconnected. Zooming out, you should be able to see similarities in color palettes, certain detail choices, motifs through pieces like sculptures and art.

Jess: Ryan and I spoke about the concept of each of the Spencer’s locations being part of a family. It reminds me of  the concept behind one of my favorite winemakers Gut Oggau from Austria. Each wine is labeled as a different family member, with their own name, story and personalities, often made with the same grape, but the end result is always unique because of the differing winemaking processes and experimentation.  The 2^nd floor expansion feels like the 4^th floor’s mature older sister. 

Materiality & Space

What materials, textures, or architectural choices became foundational to the design?

Ryan: We did a lot of customization on this space, and I leant heavily toward the tactility of linen, canvas, velvet. There is a richness to these materials that is visceral when you enjoy them. It reminds me of being a kid and dragging my hands across everything. That was the foundation for each room: I want you to want to touch everything. 

Jess: I think what became foundational to the 2^nd floor was keeping the design beautifully simple. Layering of materials and textures, classic windowpane checks and ticking stripes, sourcing pieces with history, like a fainting chaise from the 1920s, and reupholstering it in a classic linen. There is so much richness and interest in classic simplicity. Also, the vestibule with the beautiful Biedermeier center table combined with the long corridors was foundational to the idea of wanting the guest to feel pulled throughout the space to explore. 

How did you approach the relationship between structure, softness, and calm when shaping the atmosphere?

Ryan: Like a good sofa. Too much structure and it’s uncomfortable. Too little and it’s uncomfortable. Softness within structure in a way epitomizes the 1990’s and early 2000’s comfort chic era. I feel we stayed true to the goal of achieving a balanced experience for our guests. 

Jess: It’s all about balance and scale.  When materials, textures, shapes, sizes of furnishings and accessories feel balanced and the scale and proportions are intentional, it brings a sense of satisfaction and calm.

Signature Elements

Are there specific pieces, custom details, or design moments that feel especially meaningful to you?

Ryan: I love the vintage chaise we had reupholstered in the living room. The pattern is perfect. The 150 year old Japanese Washi paper in oxblood hanging on the wall in the living room is also just the perfect oddity. The solid copper Maitland-Smith coffee table feels like it’s from deep under the ocean. The Shell sculpture and urns in the niches are deliciously sculptural. 

Jess: I have to start with the red Japanese Washi paper in the guest lounge, of course. It’s centuries old, shipped in an envelope from Tokyo to Spencer’s offices, and it was originally used in sericulture rooms—spaces dedicated to raising silkworms—to maintain warmth and protect the delicate creatures from cold drafts and external disturbances.  It’s too perfect! I’m also obsessed with the vintage Holly Hunt club chairs that sit right in front of the washi. The wood frame creates the most beautiful profile and these were actually the first pieces purchased for the space. And I adore the vintage 1920s carved wood paper mâché mold of a female mannequin in the niche.

What subtle details might guests not immediately notice, but that were intentionally crafted behind the scenes?

Ryan: As you walk through the hallways, you will notice that the interior depths of the walls pull in and out to create a portal and column effect. It’s a nice way of making a long space more intimate in a small series of rooms. It’s subtle, but makes for a more comfortable hallway, and perhaps in a sense it is more grand. I’ve seen this in many Italian homes and I just loved it. The faux crown that runs high on the walls in each room has been painted in a lovely and deep gloss black to help pull the ceiling down and ground you in a tall space. It feels consistent, and safe. 

Jess: The portal columns and the dropped doorways down the corridors was intentional and inspired by various French and Italian historical designs. We had the custom carpet fit to accentuate this subtle playful depth variation.

The Process

Can you talk about your sourcing approach for furniture, lighting, art, and objects, and what guided your selections?

Ryan: The approach is generally “everything, all the time, everywhere”. We dive deep and wide and what guides us is how we feel the pieces will interact with one another. I am constantly sending obscure references and pieces that I love and Jess is the person who makes sense of it all. 

Jess: Step 1 is to get the layout of the space set.  What feels best functionally and aesthetically, what will maximize seating but still create moments of privacy, while guiding movement and the flow of the space.  From there we have an idea of types of pieces (and the dimensions) we need to look for and the flood gates open.  We keep a running scheme of the spaces to help guide our yes’s and no’s. 

Were there any unexpected sources, makers, or inspirations that shaped the direction of the project?

Ryan: I think we unexpectedly were drawn to paper as a material on this project. We have a few Japanese Washi pieces and I had suggested substituting traditional silk pieces which didn’t feel right for this project. I want to wrap my home in Washi, they are just one of the most beautiful and textural things I have ever seen and with such a rich history. 

Jess: I think once we got our eyes the enormous red Japanese Washi piece, we were really drawn to Japanese influences and makers…adding an additional inscribed Washi from the 1930s in one of the treatment rooms and other Japanese inspired paper pieces like the floor lamps in the first two treatment rooms.  

Looking Ahead

What is inspiring you in the design world right now?

Ryan: Japan, zen gardens and lighting. Coming soon…

Jess: Ryan McCarthy! --- and the unreal Villa Necchi Campiglio in Milan from a trip this October.

How does this new floor set the tone for future Spencer’s spaces?

Ryan: It’s a broadening of our design palette. Perhaps a step into the more sophisticated - it’s our calm 1990’s townhouse. It’s our well-to-do Aunt. I am so looking forward to showing the rest of the Spencer’s family. 

Jess: It’s the sophisticated older sister of the bunch, and I had so much fun bringing her to life with Ryan. I think what it shows is that Spencer’s is a dynamic, ever-changing, ever-evolving, exciting part of the design world, and I hope we get to continue to keep everybody guessing what’s next.