{"id":375893,"date":"2026-10-17T22:56:24","date_gmt":"2026-10-17T22:56:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/375893\/"},"modified":"2026-10-17T22:56:24","modified_gmt":"2026-10-17T22:56:24","slug":"the-hotel-chelsea-two-ways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/375893\/","title":{"rendered":"The Hotel Chelsea, Two Ways"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Great Rooms<\/a><\/p>\n

\n A visual diary by design editor Wendy Goodman.\n <\/p>\n

\n The Volcano Room Steve Willis painted the mural on the wall behind his Murphy bed for his Off Broadway show about Yma Sumac. He designed the bedspread. The caf\u00e9 chair was a gift from the actress Rebecca Romijn. \u201cShe finds embroideries on eBay and makes these chairs,\u201d he says. The inlaid desk is from the City Opera Thrift Shop.
\n Photo: Annie Schlechter\n <\/p>\n

The filmmaker and producer Steve Willis<\/a> has lived at the Hotel Chelsea since 1994, when he moved into a one-bedroom apartment with a balcony and a fireplace where Janis Joplin had once lived. He still owns her soap dish and toothbrush holder.<\/p>\n

\u201cPatti Smith told me she was in this room when Kris Kristofferson sang \u2018Me and Bobby McGee\u2019 to Janis for the first time,\u201d says Willis, who has directed music videos for Patti LaBelle and Mary J. Blige. Today he choreographs elaborate fountain shows for hotels such as the Bellagio in Las Vegas; he made a documentary about the project with the actress Rebecca Romijn titled Wet Dreams.<\/p>\n

Over three decades ago, the building was in rough shape and the area nearby wasn\u2019t any better. \u201cChelsea was sort of a no-man\u2019s-land. It wasn\u2019t the gay neighborhood yet. There was almost nothing. It had Rawhide,\u201d he says, referring to the since-shuttered dive bar. \u201cWhen I moved in, there was bulletproof glass at the front desk and you had to get buzzed in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Willis, who had been living in Los Angeles, first came to the Chelsea as the producer of Mariah Carey\u2019s \u201cAnytime You Need a Friend\u201d music video. Stanley Bard, the owner and manager of the property back then, suggested he take a room instead of paying for hotels. \u201cHe was sort of the casting director for the building,\u201d Willis says. \u201cWe were all invited to live here.\u201d<\/p>\n

The apartment was run down with bad carpeting and layer upon layer of white paint on the original dark woodwork. Willis stripped it down and packed the space with street finds, antiques from the Chelsea Flea Market, and set pieces from his professional work. \u201cThe basement here also had furniture, and I could pilfer that. Stanley was really easygoing about stuff,\u201d Willis says.<\/p>\n

Then, in 1996, the studio across the hall became available and he rented it too. He first covered the walls with a metallic patterned wallpaper that seemed to be from the 1960s. Willis later replaced it with a 19th-century French wallpaper he found on eBay. As with the first apartment, which was eventually downgraded to a studio, he filled it with foraged goods.<\/p>\n

\u201cI keep everything. I\u2019m a pack rat. I have become my family\u2019s archivist,\u201d he says. Except for his painting of Dolly Parton, there\u2019s not a single stitch of new furniture or d\u00e9cor in either of Willis\u2019s apartments. \u201cWell, the mattress, the sheets, and the towels,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n The Fireplace The lacquer chest is from Japan, where Willis\u2019s family lived for a few years in\u00a0the 1970s. The portraits are from flea markets and antique shops; Willis gave\u00a0them a drag makeover. He added the colored lightbulbs to the vintage chandelier.\u00a0The 1960s elephant statue belonged to his mom. The mirror is original.
\n Photo: Annie Schlechter\n <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n The Bathroom The door frame is a Victorian wall unit. The artwork above is from the Chelsea Flea. The bedspread trim and oversize tassels are from Hai Trim & Feathers in the Garment District. \u201cIt\u2019s a fantasyland inside,\u201d says Willis.
\n Photo: Annie Schlechter\n <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n The Lounging Area \u201cThis sofa was covered in plastic. When I took it off, I knew some old lady in heaven was having a fit. It felt almost sacrilegious to remove it,\u201d Willis says. The marble-top coffee table is from Goodwill. The lamps and the chaise are from eBay. \u201cSomeone said, \u2018You know your apartment looks like Freud\u2019s study?\u2019 And I thought, Is that bad?\u201d
\n Photo: Annie Schlechter\n <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n The Shrine \u201cThis is my newest painting,\u201d Willis says of the portrait, which he finished in September. He adds that he\u2019s pitching Dollywood on a fountain project. The trompe-l\u2019oeil-painted mantel is from a thrift store. The porcelain faces on the surround are from the Chelsea Flea. The screen is from eBay. The side chair is from Facebook Marketplace.
\n Photo: Annie Schlechter\n <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n The Bed The lampshade and wall are covered with fabric Willis found in the Garment District. The original radiator has been repurposed as a bedside table.\u00a0The nude thrift-store painting is a gift from a friend.
\n Photo: Annie Schlechter\n <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n The Balcony Steve Willis on the balcony outside the Janis Joplin apartment.
\n Photo: Annie Schlechter\n <\/p>\n

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\n If you prefer to read in print, you can also find this article in the October 19, 2026, issue of
\n New York\u00a0Magazine.<\/p>\n

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\n If you prefer to read in print, you can also find this article in the October 19, 2026, issue of
\n New York Magazine.<\/p>\n

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