Jordan Mozer and Associates

Principal Jordan Mozer blew in from the Windy City to the Big Apple for this 11,000-square-foot renovation of the 17-year-old hotel's public spaces. "The goal was to create spaces that are at once idiosyncratic and distinct yet consistent with the neighborhood," says Mozer. He began by turning the ground-floor lobby into a loungey glass box that's like a theater, with the bustling intersection of Broadway and Seventh Avenue as the show. It's a foreshadow to what's on the third floor: a collection of tiered lounges and dining rooms that forms a theater-in-the-round stretching an entire block. In contrast to the hard, bright street below, these areas are fitted with sensual, curved forms. Custom blown-glass pendant clusters and recycled-metal wall sculptures keep visitors focused on the drama inside.

project DBL, Osaka, Japan.

standout Masataka Kurashina's installation of punched-aluminum arabesques, painted white, dangles playfully from the 20-foot ceiling above the dusky ironwood floor of this 2,350-square-foot space.

project Stix Restaurant & Lounge, Boston.

standout Bands of MDF veneered in white oak, which wrap the ceiling and walls, form tables that fold up, turning the restaurant into a cocktail-party space, a concept inspired by the project's food-on-a-stick theme.

project Town Danceboutique, Washington, D.C.

standout This two-story nightspot functions as a cabaret performance space, a lounge, and a dance club, featuring video-art installations, LED technology, and raw materials such as wood, brick, and polished concrete.