MEXICO
Otro Oaxaca is the latest project from Grupo Habita, the hospitality firm behind such design-driven Mexican destinations as nearby Hotel Escondido and the capital's Condesa DF. This 16-room boutique property in Oaxaca City was designed in collaboration with a local architect, João Boto Caeiro of RootStudio, with a focus on regional materials including brick, limestone, and reclaimed wood. If bouncing between the underground spa and rooftop pool isn't your cup of tea, perhaps the cuisine, much of it prepared over charcoal by chef Saúl Carranza, will stoke your interest. -Sean Santiago otrooaxaca.com
LONDON
Built of 26,000 tons of Portland stone, London's Old War Office has a history as monumental as its massive footprint: This is where Winston Churchill holed up during World War II and intelligence officer lan Fleming was inspired to create the character of James Bond. Now the 1906 building has been reborn as Raffles London at the OWO, a hotel complete with a ballroom, nine restaurants, and a Guerlain spa; it took eight years to restore historic features like the marble staircase and mosaic floors. Meanwhile, the spectacular project was one of Thierry Despont's last-the late designer oversaw the decor of the public spaces and 120 guest rooms and suites. Now visitors can make like Daniel Craig in Skyfall and head to the OWO's roof-or descend to the basement's Spy Bar for a cocktail, shaken, not stirred. -Ingrid Abramovitch raffles.com
VERMONT
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MORE, PLEASE
Eric Hughes joins forces with Standard Architecture to transform two neighboring homes into a sprawling family compound.
SIZED TO FIT
Designer Nannette Brown reimagines a new-build apartment with unexpected depth, character, and texture.
Play It Cool
In balmy Texas, Ashe Leandro brings urbane style and a chill vibe to a home in a historic district.
Mic Drop
For former talk radio star Tom Joyner, Studio Roda creates an oceanfront pleasure pad with out-of-sight views and disco-era glamour.
EYE IN THE SKY
How do you cozy up a Manhattan high-rise? Call designers Hendricks Churchill.
THE JOY OF KØKKEN
In Brooklyn, a writer transforms her kitchen into a space of warmth and connection, blending personal memories with Scandinavian design.
CURTAIN RAISER
ELLE DECOR partners with designers Christine and John Gachot to refresh an iconic lounge at a New York institution, the Metropolitan Opera House.
The Empire Strikes Back - A 19th-century gem in Cambridge, Massachusetts, gets a tour-de-force restoration thanks to Frances Merrill of Reath Design.
Is it possible to simultaneously go back in time and leap forward? This was the challenge a couple set for themselves upon purchasing a salmon-pink 1869 house in Cambridge, Massachusetts, not far from Longfellow House, the National Historic Site that served as George Washington's headquarters during the revolution. We loved all the beautiful old details of this house, the homeowner says.
Just Like That, But Cheaper. -One writer tried to replicate a classic ELLE DECOR interior in his apartment. Could he do it for $500?
It was all about the green curtains. In 2008, to my great surprise, I was offered a ninemonth fellowship based in New York City. I had lived there twice before, both times unsuccessfully, meaning I had failed to create any kind of significant social life, and so this was a chance not only to do research for my new novel, but also an opportunity to get things right. I swore I wouldn't let the city break me a third time.
And How! - Decorator Nick Olsen transforms a Sag Harbor home into a Hamptons retreat with an irreverent humor.
If you must go to the Hamptons, however-because it is devilishly good fun, after all-you may notice an apparently modest, low-slung cottage on Sag Harbor's Main Street and think, with a comfortable sort of feeling, Now that is how a house should look. Nestled amid the Botox bars, helipads, and club-staurants, it could almost set the sordid world aright both a rebuke and a solution to the chaos that surrounds it. A real home.
