How a Former Public Toilet Was Transformed Into an Inviting New Hotel

New York Times

23-07-2025

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A Tiny, Victorian-Inspired Hotel in Oxford, England
By Rachel Felder
In the British city of Oxford, there are already hotels in unlikely buildings, including a former jail and a converted centuries-old bank. The Netty took the idea of an unconventional structure even further when it opened last month in a subterranean public toilet that dates back to the Victorian era. The Netty's rooms — there are just two, each reached via its own street-level staircase — are plush and inviting, with wall tapestries made by the heritage French company Pinton, Pierre Frey shower curtains and dramatic headboards. 'It was about transforming this overlooked structure into something that was elevated and intimate,' says Rachael Gowdridge, the London-based interior designer who oversaw the décor. Her design cues came from the Netty's immediate neighbors: the Ashmolean Museum, whose ancient casts inspired some of the bedrooms' artwork, and the Oxford Playhouse, referenced through arched, curtained shower entryways that suggest a stage. The space's original use was an inspiration too: High cistern toilets in pink or blue and small stainless-steel trough sinks are updates on the traditional accouterments of Victorian municipal lavatories. 'Our nods to its previous use are subtle, rather than punching you in the face with, 'Here is an old toilet,'' Gowdridge says. Beyond the undeniable quirk factor, the Netty's allure might well be its sense of privacy: Each room feels like a secret enclave tucked below Oxford's busy city center. As Gowdridge puts it, 'When you go down there, it's like you're in your own world.' From about $250 a night, thenetty.co.uk.
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Wobbly Door Numbers Inspired by Inflatable Air Dancers
By Adrea Piazza
During a road trip through the countryside of rural France, Ashley Law, the London-based founder of the small-scale property developer Flawk, passed a car dealership with an inflatable air dancer. On the same trip, she sketched the first iteration of her Bob door numbers, which are now available for sale on Flawk's website. Law hopes the handmade cast aluminum door numbers, with their wobbly silhouettes and playful, nostalgic quality, will serve as 'the first point of ice breaking for any visitor,' she says. Since its founding in 2022, Flawk has transformed what Law calls 'underloved sites' — most recently, a parking lot tucked behind Stoke Newington's lively high street — by building homes that are filled with bespoke objects commissioned from local makers. Law and her team rethink layouts and choose materials, but also focus on smaller details, like banisters and drawer pulls. Along with the door numbers, the studio is selling a brushed stainless steel butter knife with a bubbly handle and a handblown glass cabinet knob formed into a spiral. From about $54 for a door number, flawk.co.uk.
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A Polo Ralph Lauren Collection That Channels Oak Bluffs, the Historic Martha's Vineyard Beach Town
By Roxanne Fequiere
For well over a century, Black leisure seekers have flocked to the beaches and candy-colored cottages of Oak Bluffs, Mass., a picturesque town on the northeastern shore of Martha's Vineyard. The community's history and list of notable vacationers (Spike Lee, Dorothy West) are the stuff of American East Coast legend — and that heritage has now been channeled into a collection of crisp men's and women's clothes by Polo Ralph Lauren. 'We're celebrating not just a beautiful coastal town, but a place where families, neighbors and old college friends have gathered for generations,' says David Lauren, the label's chief branding and innovation officer. The launch also marks the evolution of the brand's ongoing partnership with Morehouse and Spelman Colleges. In addition to patchwork pieces and sun-faded graphics that honor the seaside style of the Oak Bluffs community, the collection includes collegiate jackets, knits, tees and accessories emblazoned with the two colleges' insignia. The campaign features an all-ages cast of Black models set against the backdrop of the area's beaches and gingerbread-style homes, conjuring memories of a bygone era that will come to life in 'A Portrait of the American Dream: Oak Bluffs,' a documentary set to premiere this week in conjunction with the collection and that highlights the history of the town with interviews and archival footage. The Polo Ralph Lauren for Oak Bluffs collection launches July 24; from $35, ralphlauren.com.
Eat This
Eel Is Everywhere in New York's New Restaurants
By Chadner Navarro
For the July 16 opening of I Cavallini in Brooklyn, the chef Nick Curtola wanted to interpret classic Italian dishes in his own style. His obsession with the Venetian cicchetti sarde in saor (a sweet-and-sour toast topped with pieces of marinated sardines) inspired a version with eel. Curtola slathers a baguette with agrodolce and adds a piece of lightly battered fried eel. The snakelike fish has shown up frequently on his menu at the Four Horsemen, the Williamsburg restaurant that opened in 2015 and whose team is now behind I Cavallini. Eel has been a hit in a number of the city's new dining rooms. 'It's an incredible ingredient when handled well,' says Erik Ramirez, the chef at the Japanese Peruvian izakaya Papa San, which opened in Midtown Manhattan in February. 'It's texturally unique, and when used creatively, it adds a new dimension to a dish.' He serves a pizza topped with buttery unagi barbecue — his Nikkei twist on the barbecued chicken slice you might find at a neighborhood pizzeria. At Le Chêne, which opened in May in the West Village, Alexia Duchêne reimagines the classic pithivier by stuffing it with pork and smoked eel (instead of the usual foie gras or beef). And on the Lower East Side, Cactus Wren's executive chef Abe Chang, who opened the restaurant in February, whips smoked eel with cream and butter until it becomes a mousse that he then layers onto a one-bite tart with thyme-spiked caramel and apple gel. 'The prevailing opinion is that eel is difficult to work with,' says Chang. 'But, really, it just needs better PR.'
Try This
Cream Eye Shadow Sticks That Go On Smoothly
By Mackenzie Oster
I've always preferred applying makeup with my fingertips, and lately it seems beauty brands are embracing that effortless approach, shifting away from traditional pressed powder palettes in favor of cream eye shadow sticks. Designed for quick application and finger-friendly blending, these formulas also seem to last longer than most, so even the sparkliest shades stay put. Earlier this month, the makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic — who works with celebrities including Mary J. Blige and Ariana Grande — launched Master Mattes, his brand's first cream eye shadow collection, featuring ten matte shades, from a peachy cream bisque for a natural boost of color to a cool blue-gray slate for a smoky eye spinoff. Urban Decay recently reimagined its Original Naked Palette as the Naked Eyeshadow Stick, which glides on with a soft-focus blur. Some cream eye shadows incorporate a slanted tip for precise lining: ILIA's Eye Stylus Shadow Stick comes in vibrant shades inspired by Renaissance paintings, while Fenty Beauty's Shadowstix Longwear Eyeshadow Stick encourages experimentation with matte and shimmer options. For added dimension, tap a little sparkle into the inner corner of the eye with Bobbi Brown's Long-Wear Cream Eyeshadow Stick or sweep a full wash of pigment across the lids using Chanel's crayon-like Stylo Ombre Et Contour.
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