AvroKO’s New Gallery Is Dedicated to Bringing People Together

Host on Howard funnels the hospitality interiors firm’s design savvy into a stylish gathering space for community events at the intersection of travel, food, wine, and art

February 14, 2025

Though certain corners of Instagram may suggest otherwise, there’s much more to hospitality than six-star hotels and camera-ready cocktails. At its core, hospitality is about creating space—both physical and emotional—for human connection to unfold. Few understand this dynamic better than AvroKO, the prolific interiors firm behind some of today’s chicest new entries in the category, from the careful restoration of a soaring John Portman hotel in San Francisco to a sultry Manhattan restaurant that fully transcends its shopping mall setting. “Hospitality, at its core, is about creating meaningful connections that remind us we’re all part of something bigger,” says Kristina O’Neal, who co-founded AvroKO with fellow architects William Harris, Greg Bradshaw, and Adam Farmerie in 2001. “We hope we’re creating experiences that foster a more connected and hospitable world.”

The four partners are certainly fulfilling that prophecy at Host on Howard, the firm’s new gallery and gathering space dedicated to all things hospitality and the art of bringing people together. Located on an unassuming stretch of Howard Street in SoHo, Manhattan, the spacious ground-floor storefront and former Retrosuperfuture flagship is chockablock with story-driven design items as well as ample room to host unexpected community get-togethers that, Farmerie says, “welcome in others who care deeply about the world of hospitality.” Expect private salons, food and beverage celebrations, lectures, panel discussions, launch parties, pop-ups, and more.

Host on Howard. Photo: Joe Kramm

So far, the gallery has hosted several on-theme occasions, such as a Lunar New Year celebration by performance and food artist Leiti Hsu and sound artist Christine Sun Kim—who recently unveiled a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum—that blended audio, performance, and culinary storytelling. A few days later, Kelsie Hayes of experiential flower studio Pop-Up Florist transformed the gallery into a room full of romance thanks to a one-day showing of love letters collected from mailboxes around New York attached to lavish botanical arrangements. “We’ll be collaborating with more designers and curators to create capsule shows that match our master themes,” O’Neal says. “Connection is at the heart of the gatherings and we’re exploring new formats to encourage play. I think we’re all a bit tired of standard cocktail parties.”

Because the gallery was masterminded by AvroKO, its interior architecture and the objects within are also breathtaking sights to behold. The Edenic shades of mossy green covering the walls immediately set Host on Howard apart, as do sweeping arches that lend gravitas to demarcated interior zones while carving out niches for intimate vignettes to display furniture, lighting, art, and other objects that strike the co-founders’ fancy. Nestled in the back is the crown jewel: a massive horseshoe-shaped bar outfitted with fully functional top-of-the-line equipment and seats for 10 guests. The firm’s newly launched Elara lighting collection hangs in dazzling chandelier and pendant configurations overhead, their fluid, shell-shaped luminaires bathing the bar nook in a warm, relaxing glow.

A service trolley by AvroKO. Photo: Flaminia Fanale

The most dapper display? Easily the snazzy service carts perched on jewel-toned plinths that look plucked from the jetliners of midcentury. “Each trolley was designed in response to what we couldn’t find in the market,” O’Neal explains. There’s a festive dessert cart accommodating 40 fresh scones and a charming ice-cream trolley that handsomely arrays cones and toppings in addition to providing preparation space. It’s easy to envision mixology theatrics unfolding on each, too. “Each trolley solves a number of problems the hospitality world wants to solve,” she continues, but imbued with stylish touches evocative of another era. They’re currently working on a nautical-chic addition suited for balmy weather and resorts.

According to O’Neal, the idea to open a hospitality-focused gallery and gathering space had been brewing for a while. “We have stories we want to tell with space and art that would be purely fantastical versus pragmatic for a client,” she says. Their biggest goal, however, is to simply play and have some fun. “It really is a perfect play space where we get to celebrate wonderful humans doing things we love and immersing them in rich storylines,” she says. “They invite their circles of friends, blend with ours, and are all from somewhat unrelated spheres. This creates something unique and emergent each time. More of that, please!”

Below, see more images from Host on Howard.