Design is on display in New York’s luxury hotels, where the interior look and feel is as important as where it’s located. From the lobbies that welcome guests on their first steps into the building to the bars and dining areas later at night, some of a hotel’s best design work lays outside the guests’ rooms. Here are just a few of our favorite hotel interiors.

See more amazing hotel lobbies here

Anyone who’s gone apartment hunting in Manhattan knows it can get a little monotonous — the bone-white walls, standard hardwood floors, and typical layouts. Sometimes the blank canvas just isn’t enough; sometimes you need a little oomph. For those of you who enjoy ogling beautiful homes that have been carefully designed and expertly decorated, we’ve rounded up five opulent and ornate spaces currently looking for an occupant.

See all the stunning spaces this way!

Update: Check out our 2017 edition for the latest!

It’s become all too common in New York City — artists move into a neighborhood, make it trendy and culturally vibrant, and then are forced out by rising rents. It happened in Greenwich Village, Soho, the East Village, DUMBO, and Williamsburg. Do not be disheartened, though, there are still plenty of artist enclaves with thriving creative communities. Ahead are our ten current frontrunners — some may surprise you!

Where the artists are flocking

New York may have the best restaurants in the world, but there is nothing like making a home cooked meal. We’re known for our tiny kitchens, but we’ve rounded up some great spaces that have all the amenities to inspire the master chef in anyone. These sleek kitchens go above and beyond, giving ample space to cook up a feast for two or twenty.

Whether uptown or downtown, in a classic prewar or new glassy tower, these modern kitchens will have you reaching for an apron.

All the best modern kitchens here

I mingled as I should at the Lambs Club, meeting potential travel writing advocates at a private party in the back of the room, enjoying the playlist of AndrewAndrew, wondering if there was such a word as “Tripleganger.”

 
6sqft’s Andrew Cotto — an author of two novels and a journalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Men’s Journal, and Salon.com — will be sharing his experiences as he makes his way around New York City. Here, he describes his chance encounters with NYC icons AndrewAndrew.

Read about Andrew’s encounter with the Andrews

As a Brooklynite surrounded by progressives, I’m well aware of the need to “think globally and act locally” on a whole lot of matters. This persistent mantra seems particularly true when it comes to commerce, prompting those of us who heed such calls to shop (and generally pay more) at farmer’s markets and mom & pop retailers, especially those in our very own neighborhood. This is how vital local businesses can be sustained in an environment rife with soulless, big chain predators. OK. Fine. So I do my part by forking over ten bucks to a farmer for a bunch of kale and a handful of carrots, though I can’t understand why it costs more to buy the stuff direct from the guy who grew it himself. And then there was the time a Hudson Valley hipster tried to sell me a three pound chicken for $27.

“What was it,” I asked. “Raised on truffles?”

 
Read more of Andrew’s story here

David Foster Wallace is credited with predicting way back in the mid-90s that excessive irony would lead to the ruin of our culture. Around that same time, Alanis Morissette had her own far less erudite and flawed take on irony, which went a little something like this:

“It’s like rain on your wedding day
A free ride when you already paid
Some good advice that you just didn’t take…”

With all due respect to the prescience of DFW, life for me — at least these days in my Brooklyn neighborhood of Carroll Gardens — far more resembles Alanis Morissette’s screwy version of irony.

6sqft’s Andrew Cotto — an author of two novels and a journalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Men’s Journal, and Salon.com — will be sharing his experiences as he makes his way around New York City. This week, he describes life in Carroll Gardens.

Carroll Gardens. Isn’t it Ironic?

The Pritzker Architecture Prize is architecture’s most acclaimed honor. Since 1979, the award has been given away annually to honor one living architect whose built work demonstrates consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the built environment. New York City is home to structures built by 12 of the 36 past winners — ranging from Philip Johnson to I.M. Pei to this year’s winner, Shigeru Ban — and currently holds 14 residential examples of their work. One other fascinating tidbit is that condos designed by Pritzker Prize winning architects are selling on average a whopping 44% higher (price/square foot) than those their respective neighborhoods, and 47.5% higher than the Manhattan market average. But are they worth the money? Learn more about them all ahead.

Are these Pritzker Laureate-designed condos worth their markup?

Looking to add a little something extra to your interior space? We’ve sought out five brag-worthy statement pieces that are sure induce envy amongst your friends. From a couch that converts into a punching bag to an amazing ‘lucid mirror’ that will bring heavenly clouds into your living room, click through our gallery for five truly unique home furnishings.

Check them all out here

The Soho home where Beyonce shot the video ‘Halo‘ is still renting for $80K a month — putting it out of reach of just about all of us. Though broker photos are aplenty across the nets, 6sqft got to explore the private home last fall on Dwell magazine’s City Modern Tour.

The 5-story structure, renovated by Asfour Guzy, is touted as one of New York’s most unique properties, and it’s no wonder why: This former Con Ed station boasts everything from a huge verdant terrace to 19-foot ceilings, and even a 007-like indoor pool that we bet B took a dip in.

Take a look inside