The unexpected rise of noodle-core interiors, the LINE Austin faces an uncertain future, and liminal spaces fuel summer’s biggest scare. All that and more in this week’s Five on Friday.
Honey, the pasta (furniture) is ready!
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Are you in the market for distinctive furniture good enough to eat? Boy, do I have good news for you. We are in the midst of a trend dedicated to everyone’s favorite thing: pasta. From a recently launched macaroni pattern by Artistic Tile to a seating collaboration between Studio Yellowdot and Barilla’s Artista brand, it seems noodles are the next big thing in interiors. And why not—pasta already possesses myriad sculptural shapes and 3D printing technology lends itself well to mastering sinewy lines. Such shapes also go well beyond ornamentation, inviting new contexts for dialogue across interior design. Come hungry for whimsy as you scroll this delectable write-up from Architectural Digest, but leave sated by the enduring promise of pasta as our latest muse.
The LINE is… on the line
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After the LINE’s properties in Los Angeles and Washington, DC were taken over by lenders, the brand’s Austin outpost may be the next casualty. The Real Deal reports that the property overlooking Lady Bird Lake has been flagged for a June foreclosure auction after its ownership entity defaulted on a $172 million loan. JP Morgan issued the mortgage for the 428-room hotel in 2023, five years after it opened. Recently named one of the best Texas hotels by Condé Nast Traveler (and a longstanding favorite of this writer), the hotel’s fate reflects ongoing financial tumult across the brand portfolio. Parent company Soho House & Co has not yet issued a statement regarding the fate of the hotel or the brand, but the LINE Austin may hit the auction block as early as this month, pending a last-minute ownership solution.
Who’s afraid of Backrooms?
A scene from Backrooms, a new movie from A24
For those who weren’t perusing r/creepypasta a decade and a half ago, the new A24 hit “Backrooms” is derived from an online story about the discovery of an abandoned ancillary space beyond our own dimension of reality that soon proves limitless. Now, a highly profitable summer blockbuster about a disillusioned architect turned furniture salesman, the notion of backrooms invokes collective anxieties not only about liminal space but the haunting vacancy of malls and other derelict fossils from the hubris of American sprawl. Perhaps what makes the film’s premise so provocative is its use not of a person as the villain, but a place. For years now, the internet has bonded over the inherent creepiness of abandoned interiors—offices, parking garages, and, yes, hotels—and the uncanny valley they confront us with. Production designer Danny Vermette crafted 30,000 square feet of practical labyrinthic sets to embody the volume of late-20th-century interior architecture and maximize their potential for horror with endless uniformity in wallpaper and carpeting. He then punctuated hallways and with unnerving anomalies from raked floors to unreachable doors, Dezeen reports. Ultimately, this premise makes our skin crawl because it frames the void as a symbol of dread as we anticipate the endless potential of what may await the deeper we go.
Ode to the stairs
The Zeller & Moye-designed Hotel Sevilla in Merida, Mexico; photo courtesy of Grupo Habita
We at Hospitality Design have never hidden our reverence for an attractive set of stairs. Many a cover or layout has been easily (and lovingly) compromised by a shot of a sculptural spiral staircase that captures the ethos and craftsmanship of a project and sets it apart from its peers. Among our fellow staircase devotees is INC Architecture & Design founding partner Adam Rolston—and he knows a thing or two about what it takes for a space to spark joy. In an op-ed for Architect’s Newspaper, Rolston waxes poetic on the potential of a staircase to evolve beyond its architectural imperative and become a moment that engages users with the built environment. Moreover, a good set of stairs can activate liminal space instead of dull it. In other words, it’s a narrative. Step into the mind of the “Joyspace” author and see if you walk away changed (see what I did there?).
Dive into the HD Awards issue this month
The Standard, Brussels was named Best in Show in projects at the 2026 HD Awards; photo courtesy of the Standard
Get excited: Hospitality Design’s 22nd annual HD Awards issue is almost here! A perfect accompaniment to our early summer daydreams, the forthcoming edition will pay homage to all of our winners and nominees—pooled from 1,200 project and product submissions voted on by our esteemed judging panels. The Standard, Brussels took home Best in Show in projects, while Kevin Barry Art Advisory was honored with the top prize in products. Explore these outstanding designs and numerous others to spark inspiration, foster appreciation, or just complement a thoughtless sunny afternoon with beautiful work. A glass of champagne wouldn’t hurt either. Cheers!