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I was introduced to the Chesterfield Hotel’s delightfully over-the-top Leopard Lounge as THE place to people watch on Palm Beach. My friends and I would settle at the bar and watch the very jeweled, mostly elderly ladies who lunch, happy hour and early dinner nurse a giant cocktail while listening to live singers and making short work of whatever appetizer buffet was available. The scene was a pleasant throwback to some other time, albeit a time outfitted in bright reds and leopard print. The feeling was elegant kitsch and decidedly older. Which was nice, but which didn’t, if we’re being honest, attract a younger crowd for anything but people-watching purposes.
The folks at the Chesterfield took note, and yesterday revealed the new Leopard Lounge. Gone is the overwhelming red and leopard print, replaced by tasteful black, on the walls and on the shiny new leather banquettes. They’ve kept some of the leopard and animal-related paintings, including an awesome one depicting some sort of bizarre garden party featuring a gentleman in a top hat and a giraffe. Maybe it was an early rave. I don’t know. But the place looks great, still with a lot of character but less kitschy.
Management is hoping that the new decor, as well as a younger entertainment lineup, will attract a younger, hipper crowd, and once they get a look at the place, I bet it will. You gotta see it. And the giraffe painting will blow your mind.
