VUE

Unbeknownst to Brown, her husband was in need of a helping hand aer purchasing a historic property in their suburban hometown of Montclair, New Jersey. Known today as e George—the couple transformed what was once a 20th-century landmark into a trendy 32-room boutique hotel worthy of a spot in Williamsburg. Construction on e George began two years ago, the exact day aer Brown announced her departure from the cosmetics line. She explained, "When I called my husband and told him I was leaving the brand, he said to me 'Good, because I could really use your help.' He was thinking of opening a hotel and wanted to know what I thought. And as someone who doesn't really spend a lot of time thinking I said, 'Yeah, fantastic. Let's do this.' So I signed on and by December, e George was a complete construction site." Brown came onto the team as creative director, meaning she was the one in charge of any and all visual aspects of the hotel. She did admit, however, that this would always be first and foremost her husband's project. As a real estate developer, Ploer has worked on commercial, retail and residential spaces, but this is the first time that he or Brown have shown interest in the hospitality industry. roughout the years, the couple has collaborated on home renovations, creating office spaces, and Ploer even helped design all of the free-standing stores and in-store experiences for Bobbi Brown Cosmetics. "We have very similar taste which is lucky," Brown said. When it came to opening a hotel, they had no choice but to go all-in together. When makeup mogul BOBBI BROWN announced she was leaving her beauty brand back in 2016, her husband, real estate developer Steven Ploer, breathed a sigh of relief. Not because an important chapter in their lives was closing, but because another one was about to begin. V U E N J . C O M 67

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