Every space, including the living and dining sections seen here, has “furniture, objects and artworks that bring us memories,” says Smud. The bench, coffee tables, and dining table are by the late Alejandro Sticotti.

Spanish designer Jaime Hayon was invited to renovate room 506 in the Arne Jacobsen–designed SAS Royal Hotel, which is now called the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel. Hayon preserved the original interior architecture, but furnished the space with contemporary and reissued items.

Room 606 in the hotel is preserved exactly as Jacobsen designed it. "I love the idea of preserving history," Hayon says. "But hotels are made to be used and furniture faces a major test in these spaces. It's interesting to see history by looking at the color choice and choice of elements in a space." To book a stay at the hotel and see the Jaime Hayon suite and Arne Jacobsen room, visit radissonblu.com.

The panoramic window defines the space. "It's the most important architectural element in the room," Hayon says.

Arne Jacobsen designed nearly every element in the hotel, including the built-ins, textiles, and accessories. In addition to furnishing the rooms with existing pieces from his portfolio, Jacobsen created new items for the hotel, like the Drop chair shown in this archival photo.

Inspirational spaces

The W.W. Stool by Philippe Starck.

"I designed the room the same way I think about my own house," Hayon says. "I wanted a nice place to read, a lovely desk to write on, and a sofa for relaxing or conversation—plus some beautiful accessories and plants." The seating area features a Favn sofa, Ro armchair, Analog desk and coffee table, Kaiser Idell floor and table lamp, all by Fritz Hansen. The Aballs pendant light is by Parachilna and the side table is by Bosa.

Hayon used a color palette inspired by the hotel's past incarnations when designing the room. "I used color with a bit of contrast," he says. "Tones that had a big charge of grey—blue grey, pink grey etc.—and played with materials such as modern velvets and fine Danish textiles. The tones make the room elegant; the space feels peaceful, relaxing, easy, and cozy. To me, this brings back to a sort of 'Royal' look but in a very modern way." The ceramic Chinoiz table lamp is by Parachilna.

British artist Hannah Sawtell and technologist Avi Flombaum created sawbaum.com, where users can create visual collages using multiple vine streams. "We wanted it to look like a visual comic book, with overlapping panels," said Flombaum. "And we wanted it to be fun!" Photo courtesy Rhizome.

Zach Batteer and Carlyle Scott designed Field Cabin, a 288-square foot accommodation at Serana, their communal retreat in Paige, Texas. Wrapped in Yakisugi-treated pine, the cabin took 40 days and almost $46K to build.

The courtyard is a secure space with a double-height window that offers seamless interior-exterior connection. “It gives a nice sense of containment and peace, while still engaging interior spaces,” says Cashman.

Steel strips form a security screen on the street side of the scullery. One can also hang pots and pans from them. A skylight filters illumination through glass block flooring to the basement below.

The kitchen is accessible from a raised courtyard across from the main living space. “The double exhaust hood looks like an old industrial gantry,” remarks Cashman. Sandblasted brick and sandstone from the original warehouse dialogue with floating white and grey cabinetry.

“The biggest design challenge was the facade,” says architect Mark Cashman. “It had to step back from the street and recede to give prominence to the heritage status warehouse facade.” Above the translucent bedroom level, a balcony with a herb garden steps back further. From the rooftop garden, downtown Sydney comes into full view.

Simultaneously sculptural and pragmatic, the undulating form of the W Magazine Stand’s molded plywood is both pleasing and useful. It’s compact enough for small spaces, though you may be loath to cover up the figurative grain pattern of the walnut with your magazines.

The master bedroom features wallpaper by Erika Wakerly. The glass tables next to the Croft House bed were gifts.

Hayon sits in the Ro armchair he designed for Fritz Hansen, one of the items he placed into the room. "As an artist and a furniture designer, I focus on the small elements rather than the big space," he says. "If you're comfortable on your chair, and it feels good, that's a really good starting point to have a successful space. Then I focus on the rest of the room in terms of color, ambiance, and lighting."

A secondary bedroom meant for a child has a partially translucent, curved glass wall.

A pivoting Gyrofocus fireplace, staircase, and elevator shaft organize the social space. Lighting throughout the house is mostly ambient, supplemented by task-oriented lighting.

Based in New York, photographer Brian W. Ferry regularly shoots portraits, travel, interiors, and design stories for international clients and publications including Condé Nast Traveler and WSJ Magazine. For this issue, he captured “Outside Providence,” a story about a coastal Rhode Island getaway. “I was blown away by the skylights throughout the home,” he says. “Watching the light and colors change slowly over the course of the two-day shoot was a real treat—it was like a private James Turrell exhibition.” What’s your favorite city to visit in the USA? “I frequently travel to Los Angeles for work and pleasure, and I enjoy every visit. There’s a wonderful art scene, great food, and the ability to spend time outdoors year-round.”

A New York–based photographer who shoots for clients including Condé Nast Traveler and the Wall Street Journal Magazine, Brian W. Ferry loves the perks of Dwell assignments. In one week, he shared lunch alfresco with the owners of the Stanfordville, New York, outbuilding and pizza and wine in São Paulo with the owner and architect of the Jardins apartment.

Tucked away in a corner of Makati, W-17 is an elegant warehouse space showcasing luxe home wares from the Philippines and beyond. Catch Carabao (Philippine water buffalo) horn salad servers, elegant wood serving bowls trimmed in gold, locally crafted dinner ware, and antique Chinese furniture, along with rugs from New York-based Filipino designer Inigo Elizalde.

Style: "Portrait B&W"

From the transitional space between the living area and courtyard, the TV room is visible.

London-based practice De Rosee Sa’s self-built lakeside cabin recaptures the magic of childhood fairytales. A labor of love, the 377-square-foot Woodland Cabin is a design/build project completed over multiple trips to the lakeside lot in the village of Nouvelles in southern Belgium. The architects built the cabin using locally-sourced, storm-felled timber to deepen their understanding of materials and construction. By taking construction into their own hands and using locally-sourced materials, the team kept within the relatively tight budget of £25,000 ($32,872). Simple yet elegant, De Rosee Sa’s self-described

The reflective marble in the reception area and new Lobby Bar recalls a runway, according to Meyer, injecting life into the entryway while drawing the focus to the bar and the small, circular pods, curtained-off areas where guests can congregate. The reception area also boasts a white spray can mural that plays up a little-known historical fact—the aerosol cans were invented in Chicago in 1883—while referencing the city's spray paint ban.

Ideal for magazines or paperwork, the W Molded Ply Magazine Stand ($149) is equally at home in the living room or the office.

Inga Sempé, W103c light, 2010.

Bookmark your reading materials by perching them on the detachable birch resting pole.

CURRENT, the redesigned restaurant, focuses on straight lines and soft tones to amplify the view of the lake.

According to Jacobs, the design philosophy was about having a point of view and not necessarily trying to be a perfect fit for everyone.

The interiors reformulated as part of the W Chicago Lakeshore’s redesign used glass and metal elements to reflect the lakefront and reference the city's burly skyline, according to Will Meyer of interior design firm Meyer Davis.

Sas Paddel, Restaurant | Moooi.com products used: moooi raimond, and moooi container tables

The firm added a 60-square-meter annex to the existing 88-square-meter stone building to fashion a residence that’s now about 148 square meters (or around 1,500 square feet).

Illustration via drawastickman.com.