Set against the backdrop of the dry desert hills, the Ace's white buildings are an unpretentious makeover of an existing, rundown roadside motel. L.A.-based firm Commune and the Ace's own design team, Atelier Ace, approached the project as a curatorial endeavor, commissioning a number of artists and artisans from southern California and the Southwest to piece together the design elements. See more of the Ace Palm Springs here.

Inhabiting an old Howard Johnson hotel, the Ace Hotel & Swim Club in Palm Springs fills a niche for low-budget, high-design accommodations while also appealing to the creative, urban set.

The idea behind Endémico is "luxury camping." Set on 40 acres of gorgeous, unspoiled terrain, there are 20 bungalows and a shared pool for guests to take a dip in. The Encuentro Guadalupe winery offers guests access to local wines as well as a peek at how they are processed through winemaking courses. Encuentro's restaurant will feature dishes that incorporate local flavors as well as a cooking school where people can learn how to prepare creative meals with the guidance of talented young chefs.

Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles, Los Angeles Ace found a home in the grand 1920s United Artists Theatre building, maintaining its gothic theater and incredible ceilings. Bedrooms are updated, however, with Mondrian-esque bedspreads and globed pendant lights.

Even if domes and arches were considered bad for acoustics, Crane made use of them in the hundreds, pushing the limits of aesthetics for the pure decadence of it. In it’s almost Catherdralesque proportions and ambiance, United Artists Theatre in L.A., now the Ace Hotel, is a luxurious example.

Fabrica Extra-Ordinary Gallery at the Ace Hotel Shoreditch (September 16-21) The Shoreditch hub during the design festival, the Ace Hotel will be buzzing with exhibitions and installations. The Extra Ordinary Gallery, organized by the Fabrica Design Studio, fuses up-and-coming design talent and Italian craftsmanship for a new view on everyday objects. Federico Florianai's BU! wall organizer recalls the ornate railings found across southern Italy.

"Morning, #Ace #Hotel DTLA, last day of #dod2014"

This is Unit 1, the most private of the four units. It's got a cool Milo Baughman sofa, a polished chrome coffee table by J. Wade Beam, a pair of Bertoia barstools, and a Thonet-inspired chair.

Eichler Swim & Tennis Club, Palo Alto, California.

This was my room, Unit 2. It's the only one with the bed pushed up against the window, set on a unique cantilevered bed frame created by Trowbridge, a furniture designer. It took a little while to get used to the lack of curtains; the designers opted to keep the glazed walls open, to maximize guests' experience of Lautner's legendary approach to daylight. The surrounding walls offer plenty of privacy from prying eyes, though, and a provided sleep mask blocks out morning rays.

In the lobby, guests are greeted at a reception desk fabricated by NYC company FERRER and illuminated by vintage pendants sourced from Belgium. The ornate tile on the floor is original—a nod to the building's past.

Perfect poolside vibes at the Ace Hotel and Swim Club in Palm Springs, CA

Ace Hotel and Swim Club, Palm Springs, California, 2009. Commune Design, Los Angeles

The hotel's spa space is set right into the banks on the rushing Valldola. The turf roof seems like a contemporary conceit but in fact is a reference to ancient Scandinavian tradition of sod roofs.

The walls of the original cabins are painted with black-pigmented oil to minimize reflections in the floor-to-ceiling windows—enhancing the sense of connection with the exterior scene.

There are no closets and no minibars in the guest rooms, reflecting the designers' minimalist approach. Features include a curved wooden headboard and a hammock hanging from the ceiling. Unfinished ceilings reveal partitions of the old structure, even down to the screws.

London's Athenaeum Hotel near Hyde Park features a side living wall designed by well, you guessed it, Patrick Blanc. (Pin).

This is Unit 4, the only one with a redwood dividing wall between the kitchen and the living room (the rest have open concrete islands).

Another room is done up in shades of green.

The artist Erwin Wurm constructed a piece specifically for the hotel. He and his team created a replica of a boat that appears to be dripping off the 7th floor of the hotel.

The Ace Hotel, a small, boutique hospitality chain that was born in Seattle with the goal of filling a niche for low-budget, high-design accommodations that would appeal to the creative, urban set. The hotel's Pacific Northwest roots are evident in the new Southern California location, but the Ace Hotel & Swim Club in Palm Springs is also unmistakably regional in its design.

Next stop is the brand new Icelandair Hotel Reykjavik Marina Hotel that opened in 2012. A fully functioning dry-dock complete with a towering ship stands literally at its doorstep. Inside lies a quirky combination of whimsical and hipster cool. Many of the design elements and antiques in the rooms are locally sourced. Photo by: Tiffany Orvet

The 11,000-square-foot Commons Club on the second-floor, overlooked by an original glass-walled mezzanine, represents the communal heart of the hotel. For the lounge area, Rockwell Group Europe managing and creative director Diego Gronda included loveseats by Fritz Hansen, lighting from FontanaArte, and tables from Minotti.

Hans Hornemann's Ace seating collection for Normann Copenhagen is a luxurious take on flat-pack furniture—it can be easily transported by box.

Below Kovel’s apartment is Fritts’ furniture shop, Intelligent Design, and around the corner West Enders can expect a new branch of Seattle’s Ace Hotel and the new Portland headquarters for the architecture firm Zimmer Gunsul Frasca.

The two new cabins, also by Jensen & Skodvin Architects, are built on a steep hillside. They are held aloft by narrow steel rods and clad in a lumber stained to blend into the natural surroundings.

Once home to a shoe repairer and abandoned for the last two years, Central Hotel & Café received a much-needed makeover from owner Leif Thingtved, who is seen here peering out the one-roomed hotel located above the downstairs café. The single room comes with a bathroom, flat screen television, high-speed internet, Royal Eden bed, and mini bar. Photo by: Martin Kaufmann

Neutral accents offset bright yellow details in this room.

Floor LoveLight in white by Robert Lewis, $850, which was originally designed for the Ace Hotel & Swim Club in Palm Springs, California (above left). Check out Lewis's Totem Group Light in Dwell's February 2013 issue.

Windows are punctuate the façades of the new cabins at unexpected but strategic locations in order to frame and maximize views.

Ace Hotel Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

A vintage wood lamp and turned bowl stands next to the bed. "We wanted to incorporate elements used in residential homes," Hollis says of the eclectic medley of accessories and furnishings in the space. "These would be items that you would collect over time. They don't exactly match, but they all work together—they create a relaxed casual environment while still elevating the interior and amenities to what you expect from a world-class luxury property."

Environment launched the Cleat Series by design studio Commune (you may have spied their handiwork at the Ace Hotel and Swim Club in Palm Springs). The studio’s first collection is full of brass-tinged beauties, but the dining table is what really caught our eye.

The Ace Hotel New Orleans in New Orleans, Louisiana

A dynamic hybrid of a bar, laid-back study, and restaurant, it provides numerous services and flexible spaces to unwind for breakfast, lunch ,and dinner. Rockwell Group Europe carefully evaluated the flow from one room to the next to create a unique and flexible spatial experience. As guests move through the library, the space opens up into the two-story atrium bar. Tremendous effort went into restoring the club’s historic double-height plaster ceiling, which is accentuated by exposed filament pendant lights by Arteriors. As guests make their way through the bar, they come upon The Kitch (pictured).

The Conservatorium is outfitted with furniture by Cassina, Kartell, and Living Divani.