T+L Design Awards

Designed by Fernanda Canales + Arquitectura 911sc

In more ways than one, the Elena Garro Cultural Center has turned on a bright light in one of Mexico City’s oldest neighborhoods. The architects chose to preserve an early-20th-century house by encasing it in concrete and glass, thereby creating a new forecourt that frames the restored masonry façade of the older building, and glows like a lantern at night. New reading rooms and a lush exterior garden, designed by landscape architecture firm Entorno Taller de Diseño, honor the Mexican poet and author for whom the center is named—as do floor-to-ceiling walls of books, visible from the street. elenagarro.conaculta.gob.mx.

Designed by Norm Architects

Local, organic, sustainable—the prime ingredients of New Nordic cuisine are also the hallmarks of Höst, designed by Norm and the design brand Menu. Rough plank ceilings and tables, gypsum brick walls, recycled windows, cutting boards as wall art, and furry hides bring farm to table—literally. Spindle chairs in three variations and dinnerware, all in a palette of white, gray, and black, introduce a purity of form as clean-lined as the food on the plate. In a thoroughly urban setting, rustic and modern find kinship. newnorm.dk.

Designed by Mathieu Mercier

Casual, nautical, and unpretentious—tableside light fixtures from a 1950s ocean liner, custom-made brass tables, a hand-drawn fresco by Swedish illustrators Bjorn Altdax and Karl Grandin of Vår—this new Paris restaurant is perfectly suited to its lobster-roll menu. lobsterbar.fr

Designed by Rintala Eggertsson Architects

At the request of the citizens of Sand, Norway, who wished to connect their town to a vast woodland, architects Sami Rintala, Dagur Eggertsson, and Vibeke Jenssen devised a deceptively simple link. The rigorous steel structure is as tough as the bedrock to which it is anchored, but stretches of wall are, by turns, panels of solid Cor-Ten and sheets of porous stainless-steel mesh. The effect of closed and open space over rushing water delivers, in a span of 70 feet, a uniquely varied audio and visual passage—and an elegant interplay of the man-made and natural.

Designed by Yabu Pushelberg/ISC Design Studio

The newest collaboration between Ian Schrager and Marriott International epitomizes modern luxury. Behind the handsome Georgian façade of the former Berners Hotel lie public spaces whose architectural grandeur is accentuated by magnificent fixtures and strategic lighting, yet tempered by modern, low-slung, monochromatic furnishings. Ornately framed photographs and paintings hang, gallery-style, along paneled walls in Berners Tavern. Guest rooms are walnut- or oak-lined cabins of calm—peaceful retreats from the hubbub of the city. edition-hotels.marriott.com.

Designed by Herzog & de Meuron

In the land of riches that is the East End of Long Island, the Parrish is a building brave enough to be humble. Harking back to the agricultural structures that once dominated the landscape, the museum’s shape evokes that of a barn, if an extraordinarily long, twin-gabled, and finely detailed one. The line it draws in an open meadow is striking in its simplicity; inside, the central corridor is flanked by galleries, while a wide, covered terrace at one end extends a friendly invitation to step into a world of American art. parrishart.org.

Designed by Kazuyo Sejimam and Ryue Nishizawa/SANAA

Clad in glass and lightly reflective anodized aluminum, the Paris Louvre’s newest satellite museum in the former coal-mining town of Lens quietly dissolves into its surroundings, which includes a public park designed by Catherine Mosbach. Its massive Grande Galerie provides a single room in which works are organized chronologically along its length and geographically across its width. The most unique aspect, however, is the multimedia Discovery Area, which overlooks on-site restoration workshops and museum reserves—areas that are historically off-limits to visitors. louvrelens.fr

Designed by Luís Rebelo de Andrade for Arquitraço

The 13 cottages and tree houses of this resort step lightly on the land, the latter stretching their long forms out into the forest like elegant praying mantises, the better to bask in and honor a pristine environment of centuries-old trees and hot springs. The wood-and-slate modular structures, assembled on site to adjust their footprints to the individual terrain, are otherwise generous in design. Large plate-glass windows pitch guests into the treetops, while skylights above beds perfectly capture the stars. pedrassalgadaspark.com.

Designed by Federico Rivera Río

The newest resort from Grupo Habita elevates the cool factor of Puerto Escondido, a once-sleepy fishing village on Mexico’s Pacific Coast. Sixteen secluded palapas come with contemporary built-in bedframes, sliding reclaimed-wood doors, and private saltwater dipping pools. Teal geometric floor patterns and red surfboards propped ever so casually provide pops of color. Outside, round basket-weave chairs and curvilinear chaise lounges bring added dimension to the breezy sitting areas. hotelescondido.com

Designed by Priestmangoode

Present in this design are all the notes one associates with a luxury class of travel: spacious seats that extend into beds, individual monitors, and tailor-made reading lamps. Priestmangoode deviates from the norm, however, in devising a cabin that aims to dispel claustrophobia. The four-seat arrangement is more domestic living room than airline cabin, with sofas replacing standard footstools to enable more natural socializing among those traveling together. Warm materials, including wool, leather, suede, and zebrawood, maintain a feeling of homeyness.

With 6,000 bikes, 332 stations, 350,000 users and counting, New York City’s new public bike-share program is a long-awaited improvement for both residents and visitors alike, allowing access to the city in a whole new way. citibikenyc.com

Designed by Mary Lou Design

Taking its cue from the 17th-century monastery a quick walk from its front door, Gangtey Goenpa slips discreetly and respectfully into its remote hillside location. Composed of two traditional farmhouse-style buildings connected by a single-story hall, the lodge incorporates Bhutanese textures and patterns. Floor-to-ceiling windows in the main lounge frame a spectacular vista; soft leathers bring warmth to the 9,000-foot elevation, as do individual fireplaces in the 12 guest rooms.

Designed by Roman & Williams

Set in a classic 1930s Art Deco building, this Miami Beach hostel finds effortless sophistication in the otherwise kitschy concept of “summer camp for adults.” Built-in bunk beds fill 62 private and shared rooms, which also feature wooden ladders and nautical-inspired accents. Bocce courts, Ping-Pong tables, and board game-filled sitting rooms maintain a youthful, laid-back atmosphere, but the hostel’s specialty cocktail lounge and garden, the Broken Shaker, is grown-up fun. thefreehand.com

Designed by Tokujin Yoshioka

Tasked with showcasing the work of a group of young in-house designers for Issey Miyake known as the Reality Lab, Tokujin Yoshioka has succeeded in creating an interior that is as innovative as the work on display. The space is influenced, in part, by the fact that Yoshioka formerly designed accessories for the brand and is a longtime collaborator of Miyake’s. Clinically smooth, pale walls and aluminum bands in bright blue and green contrast with rough concrete, referencing the science and artistry that fuel any lab. Like 3-D expressions of a physics problem, steel display stands and tables strike cantilevered poses. A long, low, blue display shelf allows the In Ei Issey Miyake collection of collapsible paper lamps to strut the runway like the supermodels of lighting that they are. isseymiyake.com.

A collection of multifunctional, unisex clothing and accessories designed for weeklong adventures. Standout pieces include a reversible shirt jacket, a lightweight windbreaker, and a coated backpack that unzips fully to reveal its compartmentalized interior. From $168; eastdane.com

Wearable technology that would make James Bond’s Q proud: answer calls, check the weather, take photos, draft messages, and more, all from your wrist. Compatible with a range of Samsung Galaxy mobile devices and available in six different colors, the new Galaxy Gear also features a pedometer, an auto-locate function, and a customizable clock. $299; samsung.com

This suitcase has an ultralight, wide-body frame and front-zippered organization panel that allows for easy access to a laptop, tablet, passport, and more. $350; victorinox.com

Exactly what you want in a standalone point-and-shoot: a small, compact frame; a user-friendly interface; and sophisticated, mobile connectivity for uploading photos on the go. $300; usa.canon.com

Don’t get caught abroad with your batteries down. This compact device features four color-coded plugs that provide easy identification for use in more than 150 countries. $25; flight001.com

Bluetooth technology allows these headphones to connect wirelessly—and elegantly—to a smartphone or iPod. $79.99; plantronics.com

Engineered for winter activities, this rugged multifunction backpack features a vertical and horizontal snowboard carry, a probe and shovel holder, and a fleece-lined goggle pocket. $120; quiksilver.com

With its single-piece aluminum encasement, available in nine different colors, this latest Yves Béhar design is a sleeker, more portable version of its predecessors. $180; jawbone.com

Easily packable under-eye patches provide a concentrated dose of soothing, all-natural ingredients to help reduce puffiness and counter the effects of jet lag. $30; skyniceland.com

He is the leader of a family that has long played a preeminent role in both travel and design, and if there is a reason for this it can be found in Chicago. Hyatt is headquartered in the shadow of Louis Sullivan and Mies van der Rohe skyscrapers; architecture is in its DNA. When the company opened the Hyatt Regency Atlanta, in 1967, the hotel’s light-filled atrium was a revelation, and an inspiration for future properties from Hyatt, and other companies as well. “It changed the experience of our guests and our employees,” Pritzker says of the Atlanta atrium. “It was as if we had found a key to happiness and optimism.” That key was excellent design, and can be seen and felt in all the company’s properties—from Andaz Papagayo, in Costa Rica, to the hugely anticipated Park Hyatt New York—and in his family’s creation and support of the Pritzker Architecture Prize. For all of these reasons, for his vision, ambition, and generosity, we honor T+L’s 2014 Design Champion, Thomas J. Pritzker. —Luke Barr