A French Star Reinvents a New York Classic

In spite of his protests, Mr. Grange, 63, seems content with efforts to trumpet his role in the redevelopment of the hotel, which closed in January and is scheduled to reopen next summer. The Mark is the latest New York luxury hotel to go hybrid —one-third of the building is being converted into 42 co-op apartments — and Mr. Grange is doing it all, designing the lobby, the hotel’s bar and restaurant, the 118 hotel rooms that will remain, and 32 of the new apartments, from moldings and coffered ceilings to custom fabrics and furnishings.