Deborah Berke & Partners Architects

Next time you come to town for the Kentucky Derby, the genteel Brown Hotel won't be your only option. That's because a younger generation of the Brown family brought in Interior Design Hall of Fame member Deborah Berke to design a downtown hotel, renovating five brick buildings from the 19th century and connecting them with a glass atrium to form a 100,000-square-foot whole. Jockeying for attention throughout are edgy contemporary paintings, sculptures, photographs, and videos—all by artists who are alive and working in the 21st century. Fired-clay sculpture greets guests at reception, while color prints hang from milk-carton panels in the restaurant. One of the hotel's 91 guest rooms features a pixelated tapestry portrait by Chuck Close.

Benkiraï, Saint-Tropez, France

DESIGN Patrick Jouin.

STANDOUT A multilevel deck of Indonesian benkirai wood connects the lobby with guest rooms.

Amanyara, Turks and Caicos

DESIGN Denniston International Architects & Planners.

STANDOUT Water features and freestanding pavilions bring a touch of Indonesia to the British West Indies.

Night, New York

DESIGN Zeff Design.

STANDOUT This 1920's building's new black-and-white interior was dreamed up as the home of the fictional Mr. Knight.