No Sleep Till Brooklyn

Annie Block, Mark McMenamin, and Meghan Edwards -- Interior Design, 9/1/2009 12:00:00 AM

During the recent real-estate boom, New York's most populous borough was transformed almost beyond recognition. The boom may have gone bust, but good design triumphs over bad times with these Brooklyn boutique hotels—they've all got enough élan to tame the snarl off a Beastie Boy.

The Nu Hotel, Datumzero Design Office's four-story property for Hersha Hospitality, is staking claim to downtown. On the walls in common areas, artwork by local artists meets stenciled quotes from such famous Brooklynites as Spike Lee and Henry Miller. Cork flooring, organic linens, and custom furnishings in Forest Stewardship Council—certified reclaimed teak distinguish the 93 guest rooms, including the hammock-strung Urban Suite.

Sam Patel of 2326 Linden Associates has an unlikely vision: a smart-looking spot to sleep, smack in the middle of industrial East New York. Patel's chief dream-maker is Lang Architecture's Drew Lang, who designed the 38-room Linden Hotel—its facade dominated by interlocking panels of translucent polycarbonate. The opening is projected for spring 2010.

A collaboration between Andres Escobar & Associés and Edward Hicks, Hotel le Bleu features glass accents fittingly back-painted blue. (They're in the hallways, accompanied by panels of sapele wood and trim of polished stainless steel.) The Park Slope property's 48 guest rooms boast ergonomic beds of wengé, polyester resin, and glass, all with custom-woven Egyptian cotton sheets.

From top: The lobby of Nu Hotel. A guestroom at Hotel le Bleu.