Waldorf Astoria New York — 168 Custom EOS LightPanels

Category: Hospitality

After an eight-year transformation, the Waldorf Astoria New York has reclaimed its position as Manhattan’s most iconic luxury destination. Behind the landmark’s luminous ceilings — from the Starlight Pool’s radiant glow filtering through a kimono-pattern decorative screen to the Grand Salon’s expansive light fields wrapping restored Grand Light chandeliers — are 168 custom-engineered EOS LightPanels™.

Specified by Focus Lighting, Inc. and fabricated across 26 unique configurations, the panels range from 9.5-inch RGB+W decorative circles to monumental 14-foot color-tunable sheets with precision-cut chandelier openings. Every panel is edge-lit, DMX-controlled, and tunable from 2400K to 3500K — engineered to disappear behind ornamental plasterwork and Art Deco ceiling screens, yet capable of transforming each space with a single command.

The scope spans the entire 25th-floor amenity level: the Starlight Pool, Grand Salon, Wellness Lounge, Winter Garden, Presidential Library, Monaco Bar, and Starlight Lounge. EOS delivered a system that meets the precision demands of one of America’s most celebrated interiors — where every panel had to be invisible when off and unforgettable when on.

Project Details

Location: 301 Park Avenue, New York, NY
Completed: 2025
Building: 1,600,000 sq ft · 44 stories · 375-key hotel + 372 luxury residences
Original Architects: Schultze & Weaver (1931)

Design Team

Architecture: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)
Hotel Interior Design: Pierre-Yves Rochon (PYR)
Residential Interior Design: Jean-Louis Deniot
Lighting Design: Focus Lighting, Inc.

EOS Scope

168 Custom LightPanels™ across 26 unique configurations
Color Tunable (2400–3500K) + RGB+W
24V, DMX-controlled, edge-lit technology
Panel sizes from 9.5″ diameter circles to 171″ × 166″ feature panels
Custom chandelier cutout integration
Full 25th-floor amenity level coverage

Awards

2025 Best of Year — Interior Design Magazine
2026 Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award — New York Landmarks Conservancy