A New Orleans Hotel Inspired by Traditional Southern Guest Houses

Maison de la Luz is a boutique hotel located in New Orleans, Louisiana, conceived by Atelier Ace. The establishment was inspired by traditional Southern guest houses, and features an environment of effortless sophistication and luxury. The guest house, which was designed in partnership with Studio Shamshiri, offers 67 private rooms filled with quiet Southern design typologies.

The building that houses Maison de la Luz was an Italianate style structure with a rich history within the city. It served as the City Hall annex for nearly 50 years from its construction in 1908 until 1957. Despite its historical significance, the design team successfully transformed the 55,464-square-foot building into an exclusive guest house while maintaining its original charm.

The guest house offers an airy and serene breakfast room, a private living room, and a secret salon connected to Bar Marilou, providing guests with a unique and unorthodox experience matched by its historical aesthetic and ambiance.

Photos by Stephen Kent Johnson.

Amanda Wachob x ROAM Release Beetle-Inspired, Hand-Painted Luggage

Well known in the tattoo world, artist Amanda Wachob is going back to her painting roots for a collaboration with ROAM. The Amanda Wachob x ROAM Limited Edition collection includes just 100 suitcases, each hand-painted by Amanda herself, resulting in one-of-a-kind pieces of luggage in gradient shades of blue, purple, teal, green, and gold. Four years in the making, the collection is the first, limited edition hand-painted luggage.

The idea for the design came to Amanda while she was tattooing a scientist who studied beetles. Their intriguing iridescence led her to translate that same luminosity to luggage. To make it happen, Amanda went down to ROAM’s factory in Georgia where she painted 200 shells (two shells make one suitcase) with five to seven layers of paint. The labor-intensive process was well worth it when you see the results, as each one is its own piece of art. To make each suitcase even more unique, ROAM allows the customer to choose their own trim colors from Carolina Lilac, Kyoto Black, Venetian Green, Como Blue, and Ibiza Sky.

Two colorways are available: Cerulean, with blues and purples highlighted by radiant teal-green, and Noctorne, featuring black and purples with gold and green accents.

As with all ROAM luggage, each suitcase is made-to-order in the United States, which means no waste. Even the stitching is done by hand! The 100% U.S. virgin polycarbonate shells are durable and strong while also being lightweight – ideal for carry-on luggage.

The interior complements the vibrant exterior with an iridescent shimmering lining that’s washable. An interior compression system on each side allows for maximum storage, while a laundry pocket and two accessory pockets keep your goods organized.

The aircraft-grade aluminum handle can be set at four heights for easy handling, while four Hinomoto ball-bearing wheels make for seamless glides through airports.

Works by Amanda Wachob:

For those of us that have longed to get a tattoo by Amanda for years (she’s always had a very long waiting list), perhaps carrying her art around in a different way could suffice. You’ll definitely be part of a small group of people – 1 in 100 – to own one! The Amanda Wachob x ROAM Limited Edition collection launches today at roamluggage.com with suitcases priced at $975. 

Two Levitating, Rammed Earth Villas in a Costa Rican Jungle

Dagmar Štěpánová of Formafatal recently completed the first rammed earth structures in Costa Rica that can be yours to rent for your next vacation. Achioté is a pair of minimalist villas in Playa Hermosa that look as if they’re levitating above an overgrown cliff by the Pacific Ocean. The homes are situated in a jungle-like environment with lush greenery all around for ultimate privacy. Throughout the design and building process, Formafatal paid careful attention to sustainability and protecting the wild locale.

Each villa’s design is based on the energies felt in their locations by Štěpánová before construction even began. The vibrations led to two opposing designs – the Jaspis Villa (jaspis = jasper, bright villa) reflecting a yin energy connected to the sky and ocean with shades of sand being the standout color, while the Nefrit Villa (nefrit = jade, dark villa) reflects the yang energy with connection to the ground and the surrounding jungle and featuring a red-terracotta color.

Cantilevered roofs extend out like the floors to provide protection from the sun and weather conditions.

All of the outer walls are built using the clay soil they excavated during the construction process, thereby reducing materials that needed to be imported in for the build. New tropical plants were added once the villas were complete.

The layers of the rammed earth walls stand out, adding texture while telling the home’s story one layer at a time.

The 90-square-meter (approx. 969 square feet) villas are identical in size, layout, and orientation, while each structure utilizes its own choice of materials and color scheme.

The center of each design is the bed, which can be sectioned off with sliding curtains for privacy and mosquito protection. The endless views can be enjoyed from the bed through the frameless glass walls. There’s another bed on the terrace if one wanted to relax in nature.

Just off to the side of the villas are built-in pools which will make you feel like you’re swimming right in the jungle.

To make the rammed earth walls happen, Formafatal enlisted Brazilian specialist, Daniel Mantovani of Terra Compacta, to help train local craftsmen to complete the work.

Behind the beds, the kitchens and bathrooms live with no doors separating the spaces.

The bathroom sinks, shelves, kitchen counters, and beside tables are all custom made from concrete.

The Nefrit Villa features a much darker and moodier color palette, despite the villas being identical.

To book the villas, visit achioteproject.com.

Photos by BoysPlayNice.