Assistant Editor at NUVO Magazine
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Articles by Elia Essen
A Winning Guide to Spain
Current Issue — Champions of art, design, cuisine, and football. After defeating Argentina 1-0 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, Spain is taking its well-deserved victory lap. But beyond the pitch and its trailblazing La Roja team, Spain boasts culturally rich art, soulful gastronomy, picturesque landscapes, and an enduring preservation of the heritage stories etched into its historic cities that make the country entirely unmissable.
Casa Tao Is Proof That the Most Compelling Homes Rely on Thoughtful Architecture Rather Than Spectacle
In his 1933 essay In Praise of Shadows, Japanese author Jun’ichirō Tanizaki reflects on Japanese design, emphasizing the impact light has on everything from tableware to a stage actor’s lips. “The beauty of a Japanese room depends on a variation of shadows, heavy shadows against light shadows—it has nothing else,” he writes. In Casa Tao, a contemporary house in Puerto Vallarta, shadow is as essential to the structure as its walls and ceilings.
Casa Tao Is Proof That the Most Compelling Homes Rely on Thoughtful Architecture Rather Than Spectacle
Mariners fans know how dangerous Julio Rodríguez becomes late in the year. Now comes the fun question. Julio Rodríguez does this thing where he spends …
Parisian Poise Meets Montreal Spirit at This Renewed Hotel
Parisian Poise Meets Montreal Spirit at This Renewed Hotel Current Issue — In Montreal’s storied Golden Square Mile, Sofitel embraces art, texture, and timeless French style in its new chapter. In Montreal’s chic Golden Square Mile, an old hotel gets a fresh start with the remodel of Sofitel, the Canadian flagship property of the iconic French luxury hospitality brand. Now, more than 20 years after its opening, the 256-key five-star hotel has unveiled a new face, inspired by a Parisian maison.
Norwegian Functionality Meets Mediterranean Joie de Verve at Tille de Negro’s New Design Studio
Norwegian Functionality Meets Mediterranean Joie de Verve at Tille de Negro’s New Design Studio Current Issue — A study in materiality, Del Negro Studio opens in Mallorca. Fresh off a trip to Paris for Art Basel, Tille del Negro joins Zoom looking effortlessly cool in a crisp white shirt and messy blunt bob.
The Relaxed Coastal Charm of Two New Dining Concepts by Alexander & Co.
The Relaxed Coastal Charm of Two New Dining Concepts by Alexander & Co. Current Issue — Tucked inside Australia’s first Mondrian hotel, these restaurants go from day to night in style. “The narrative that we hoped to achieve would be like walking through an ancient oceanside salon, full of artifacts of something long forgotten,” says Alexander & Co. principal Jeremy Bull of one of the architecture and design office’s latest projects.
Checking In: An Intimate Island Retreat on Corsica
Checking In: An Intimate Island Retreat on Corsica Current Issue — The newly opened A Mandria di Murtoli pairs relaxed luxury with historic pastoral charm. If anyone knows how to blend the Corsican spirit with five-star luxury, it’s Domaine de Murtoli.
Photography In Motion
Current Issue — Opening November 7, the Polygon presents Lee Miller: A Photographer a Work (1932-1945), showcasing the haunting work of the Surrealist artist. Lee Miller, Today’s Standard Fewer, Simpler, Better Clothes, Model Richards, London, England 1944. © Lee Miller Archives, England 2025. All rights reserved. Skim Lee Miller’s bio and you’re likely to be on the edge of your seat.
Architecture of Appetite
Escā Cueva is a feast for the senses and imagination. Perched high above Cairo, near the Great Pyramid of Giza and its regal Sphinx, Escā Cueva, designed by Badie Architects, is a restaurant that envelops diners in a cave-like escape from reality. “The vision was to create a space that redefines the dining experience by blurring the boundaries between architecture and organic forms,” says Mohamed Badie, the acclaimed architect and principal of his Cairo-based architecture studio.
Cliffside Serenity on the Côte d’Azur at The Maybourne Riviera
Cliffside Serenity on the Côte d’Azur at The Maybourne Riviera Current Issue — Surrenne Riviera introduces a wellness experience that blends science, serenity, and style. A stay at The Maybourne Riviera feels something like floating on a cloud. Perched high on a rocky cliffside overlooking Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, a picturesque French town hugging the Mediterranean, the contemporary hotel embodies the breezy joie de vivre of the Côte d’Azur.
A Wild Reveal Deep in Quebec’s Poisson Blanc Regional Park
A Wild Reveal Deep in Quebec’s Poisson Blanc Regional Park Current Issue — A geometric art installation casts a striking image on an island’s rocky cliff. If a public art installation is in a remote location, can it still make cultural waves? Yes is the answer firmly given by this unexpected art installation is tucked away in Quebec’s Poisson Blanc Regional Park in the Laurentians.
Marbella in Colour: Kimpton Los Monteros Reimagines Mediterranean Glamour
Marbella in Colour: Kimpton Los Monteros Reimagines Mediterranean Glamour Current Issue — Reborn with vibrant hues and contemporary elegance, Kimpton Los Monteros brings a storied past into the present on Spain’s iconic Costa del Sol. On Spain’s sparkling Costa del Sol, in the vibrant and storied beach city of Marbella, where the elite have gone to relax for decades and luxury is a given, a new five-star hotel brings an extra splash of elegant colour to the Mediterranean.
An Earthy Calgary Clinic That Tells a Story
An Earthy Calgary Clinic That Tells a Story Current Issue — Espresso wood panelling and sumptuous curves add a dose of sultriness to Noir. When Botox-wary designer Amanda Hamilton first started seeing nurse practitioner Twyla Black for injectables, it was preceded by ample research to find someone she connected with and trusted.
At the Intersection of Memory and Photography
Rafael Goldchain, Itinerant Photographer's Studio (Recuerdo), Coban, Guatemala, 1987. Chromogenic print. 25.4 × 20.2 cm. Gift of David Angelo, 2019. © Rafael Goldchain. Courtesy of the Artist. 2019/2465. At the Intersection of Memory and Photography Recuerdo: Latin American Photography at the AGO is on view now. Art Gallery of Ontario curatorial assistant Marina Dumont-Gauthier first became interested in Latin American art as an undergrad at the University of Toronto.
It’s the Land of the Tiger at Montreal’s Bowie Supperclub
It’s the Land of the Tiger at Montreal’s Bowie Supperclub Current Issue — A moody and opulent new lounge in the Dorsia restaurant brings a dose of and speakeasy glamour. The world is full of opposites—Jekyll and Hyde, peanut butter and jam, Glinda and Elphaba, the list goes on and on. But in Old Montreal, a new duo may just take the cake. On Rue Notre-Dame Ouest, Dorsia is a bright and airy contemporary restaurant with white walls, floor-to-ceiling windows, and plenty of Parisian charm.
A Montreal Arcade Designed With a Little Help From AI
A Montreal Arcade Designed With a Little Help From AI Current Issue — Super Super by Studio Kiff blends nostalgia and modern technology. The lack of natural light in the dark storefront in Brossard’s Quartier Dix30 shopping centre could have presented a challenge for its next occupant. Instead, the windowless room was the ideal blank slate in which to create an immersive, whimsical environment for Super Super, a new claw machine arcade on Montreal’s South Shore.
A Contemporary Homage to Cree Artisanship in Old Montreal
A Contemporary Homage to Cree Artisanship in Old Montreal Current Issue — Part gallery, part boutique, Wachiya brings a dose of nature to the city. Up a set of stairs in Old Montreal awaits a contemporary ode to Cree artisanship. Taking its name from the Cree word for hello, the online store Wachiya, which specializes in Cree arts and crafts from the Eeyou Istchee, or James Bay area, opened a bricks-and-mortar store last summer.
McKinley Studios Infuses Imagination Into a Vancouver Office
Architect Walker McKinley, the founder and CEO of McKinley Studios in Vancouver and Calgary, doesn’t believe offices are going anywhere any time soon—but they are changing. “What’s fun about offices right now is that there is this question of ‘Why office at all? Why are we doing this?’” he says. “In some ways, that sounds like it would lessen the opportunities, but I think it’s done the opposite for a lot of our work.
Taking Steps: Maguire’s Slow Approach to Shoes
Maguire's newest store in Brooklyn, New York Taking Steps: Maguire’s Slow Approach to Shoes How a Montreal designer turned an end-of-year bonus into a chic and award-winning shoe brand. If there’s one thing Myriam Belzile-Maguire wants people to know about shoes, it’s how much work goes into each and every pair. “To make one pair of shoes, imagine 50 different components.
The Newly Opened Liberty Inn Is a Countryside Ode to Canada
The Newly Opened Liberty Inn Is a Countryside Ode to Canada Current Issue — Reimagined by Jacqui Liberty and Bruno Roldan, the five-suite boutique hotel opened in a historic building in Caledon last month. Travelling with young kids isn’t for the faint of heart, and after Jacqui Liberty and Bruno Roldan’s twin daughters were born, they experienced first-hand how frustrating it can be. “We had tried going away a few times, and it was just very, very hard,” Roldan says.
A Contemporary Floral Shop in Toronto That Embraces the Weird and Unusual
When Chloë Fraser walked by a small floral shop on Queen Street in Toronto, she had no idea it would change the trajectory of her life. At the time, she was searching for the right path for her future. She’d spent several years working with art and cultural institutions, including MOCA and TIFF, followed by a brief stint in advertising, before turning her sights toward a master’s in architecture that she quickly realized wasn’t for her.
Through the Lens of Time
Photographer Raquel Guiu captures the magic of everyday life in Morocco’s Draa Valley. At any given moment, there is a good chance Raquel Guiu is travelling somewhere remote, camera in hand, using her lens to capture moments of daily life steeped in a sense of place. When we connect, the Barcelona-based photographer and art director is in Uganda, where she helps lead a nonprofit, but her travels have taken her to Mozambique, Albania, Cuba, India, and beyond.
A-nrd Studio Transforms a Historic London Bank into an Elegant Bistro
A-nrd Studio Transforms a Historic London Bank into an Elegant Bistro The Lina Stores Shoreditch project was inspired by post-war Italy and European brasseries. For A-nrd studio, the Lina Stores Shoreditch project blossomed from a trip to Italy. The London-based multidisciplinary design studio’s founder, Alessio Nardio, who now leads it alongside creative partner Lukas Persakovas, hails from Italy, where he spent summers in a small village the Apuane Mountains, known for its Carrara marble.
An Expertly Refreshed Cabin in the Latvian Wilderness
An Expertly Refreshed Cabin in the Latvian Wilderness Current Issue — Vipp Salaca River guest house. Along the winding curves of the Salaca River, amid the old-growth trees and undulating meadows of Latvia’s Salaca Valley Nature Park, a rustic log cabin has been given a new lease on life. Vipp Salaca River is a countryside retreat and the ninth guest house from the Danish design brand Vipp, whose beginnings date back to 1939 with the offering of a pedalled trash can.
Jeremy Anderson Creates Ceramic Pieces With Fantastical Flourishes
Jeremy Anderson Creates Ceramic Pieces With Fantastical Flourishes Current Issue — Ceramic artist Jeremy Anderson pictures his pieces as creatures that he dresses, each taking on its own unique identity in a fantasy world. His anthropomorphic vessels, lamps, and furniture pieces exude personality, each lovingly adorned with fantastical flourishes such as earring-like fringe, curving petalled shades, and painted stripes.
Chamonix’s Hotel Les Aiglons Elevates Alpine Hospitality
Chamonix’s Hotel Les Aiglons Elevates Alpine Hospitality Current Issue — The hotel recently reopened after stylish renovation. Photo by Fabrice Rambert Amid the lively recreation spirit of the Alps, the picturesque town of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc is the beating heart.
A Contemporary Waterfront Restaurant Inspired by the Nova Scotian Coastline
A Contemporary Waterfront Restaurant Inspired by the Nova Scotian Coastline Current Issue — On a pier in Halifax Harbour, Mystic by DesignAgency brings natural materials and a serene colour palette to Maritimes fine dining. Photo by Doublespace On a pier jutting into Halifax Harbour, a wedge-shaped building designed by Nova Scotia architectural firm MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple is home to a restaurant that gives each diner a front-row seat to the bustling kitchen and waterfront views.
A Hacienda-Style Resort in Mexico Unites Relaxation and Adventure
A Hacienda-Style Resort in Mexico Unites Relaxation and Adventure Current Issue — The newest Four Seasons in Cabo, Cabo San Luca, features three pools, a golf course, an artisan studio, and more. It’s hard to imagine an activity as idyllic as whale watching while tequila tasting even exists, but it’s what awaits at the Four Seasons Resort and Residences Cabo San Lucas at Cabo Del Sol, the newly opened sprawling hacienda-style resort and the second Four Seasons in Cabo.
Industrial Chic Meets Japanese Simplicity at Hay Sushi
Industrial Chic Meets Japanese Simplicity at Hay Sushi Current Issue — Toronto firm Odami crafts a space of balanced contrast. A Japanese restaurant near Toronto’s Yonge and Sheppard intersection is designed to be all about contrast. Odami, the Toronto firm helmed by Aránzazu González Bernardo and Michael Fohring, tasked with refreshing the neighbourhood spot Hay Sushi, put the focus on juxtaposing materials for a space that’s part industrial, part Japandi oasis.
Forom Brings Playful Contemporary Design to New York With a New Pop-Up
Forom Brings Playful Contemporary Design to New York With a New Pop-Up Current Issue — The exhibition in Manhattan is open through January 18. For one week only, a Brooklyn-based design shop is bringing a selection of handmade contemporary furnishings and home decor items to Manhattan with Aire De Jeaux, a pop-up exhibition in Tribeca.
A Casual Breakfast Spot That Puts Craftsmanship at the Forefront of Its Design
A Casual Breakfast Spot That Puts Craftsmanship at the Forefront of Its Design Current Issue — Jordana Maisie Design Studio brings curving edges and handmade tiles to Ánimo restaurant. A new restaurant in Midtown New York celebrates all the best parts of Mexican breakfast in a bright and colourful interior. Designed by Jordana Maisie Design Studio, Ánimo serves breakfast plates from across Mexico.
Design Space: The Duo by Design Next Agency
Design Space: The Duo by Design Next Agency A coffee shop and cocktail bar that embodies your cool friend’s NYC apartment. As rent prices everywhere seem to soar to new heights, businesses strive to keep up by expanding their offerings. In Flushing, a vibrant multicultural neighbourhood in New York’s Queens borough, a new space transitions between a sleek coffee shop and a vibey cocktail bar thanks to the design know-how of Design Next Agency.
A Monochromatic Pastry Shop Takes Inspiration from Its Ingredients
A Monochromatic Pastry Shop Takes Inspiration from Its Ingredients Current Issue — YOD Group used warm creamy marble and an innovative egg shell-based plaster. A sleek pastry shop renovation in Lviv, Ukraine, immerses its guests in the ingredients making up its confectionary delights. Designed by Kyiv-based YOD Group, Cukiernia is a monochromatic, three-volume space brought to life with a warm brown marble and a carefully formulated plaster.
Vintage Charm Meets Modern Flair at Toronto’s Reimagined Lee Restaurant
Vintage Charm Meets Modern Flair at Toronto’s Reimagined Lee Restaurant Current Issue — Nostalgic details and repurposed furniture transform the beloved restaurant at its new location. After more than 20 years of operating, it was time for a refresh for Toronto’s celebrated Lee Restaurant, led by celebrated chef Susur Lee. At the new location, the large square footage is made intimate with vintage touches, a retro colour palette, and plenty of wood.
A New Goop Store Blends the Charm of French Cafés and NYC Apartments
A New Goop Store Blends the Charm of French Cafés and NYC Apartments Current Issue — Designed by viaClover in collaboration with Gwyneth Paltrow, Goop Marin embodies quiet luxury. Gwyneth Paltrow’s high-end wellness brand Goop has opened its latest store, the sixth ever and the first with an in-store treatment room, in Marin County, California. Designed by viaClover in collaboration with Paltrow, the bright and stylish space took seven months to create from start to finish.
Akabeko Restaurant Merges Contemporary Aesthetics and Cultural Storytelling
A Japanese restaurant with a design inspired by a cow may not sound particularly glamorous, but the team at 4Space Design combined storied cultural storytelling, contemporary elements, and dramatic lighting play to do so with great effect. Akabeko restaurant sets a sleek backdrop for Dubai diners looking to experience yakiniku, Japanese grilled meat.
Reviving In-Person Culture With a Function-First Office by Laab Architecture
Reviving In-Person Culture With a Function-First Office by Laab Architecture Current Issue — The Montreal-based studio designed a contemporary hotel-inspired campus for Plus Company and Cossette. How do you design an exemplary workspace for an office when everyone has their own unique workflow? Laab Architecture’s solution for Canadian ad agency Cossette and its parent company Plus was to customize each workspace for a sleek contemporary office employees will want to come to.
Toronto’s And/Ore Restaurant Is Guaranteed to Thrill
For those lacking botanical vision, Toronto’s And/Ore restaurant is happy to oblige, with a verdant dining room designed by local firm Solid Design Creative.
The Moody Swank of a Western Getaway
The Moody Swank of a Western Getaway Current Issue — Phoenix’s The Global Ambassador boasts a trifecta of beautifully designed rooms, exemplary dining options, and high-tech wellness offerings.
A Riverside Pastel Oasis in Berlin by Grzywinski+Pons
A Riverside Pastel Oasis in Berlin by Grzywinski+Pons Current Issue — The ground floor of Locke at East Side Gallery is home to a stylish hi-fi café and lounge. Separating Berlin’s busy Muhlenstrasse and the meandering Spree Riverand abutting the historic East Side Gallery, where a stretch of what was once the Berlin Wall has been transformed into the world’s longest open-air gallery, an aesthete’s dream has taken up residence in the Friedrichshain neighbourhood.
Vestige Son Vell Brings Luxury to a Historic Villa
Vestige Son Vell Brings Luxury to a Historic Villa Current Issue — Bask in Mediterranean bliss at this new boutique hotel in Menorca. With lapis lazuli water and rocky bluffs, Spain’s Mediterranean island Minorca is known as the laidback little sister of its neighbouring Balearic islands, Mallorca and Ibiza. It’s also becoming a go-to for in-the-know travellers looking to get away from it all.
Luxury Without Pretension: Discover Fox Harb'r, A Sprawling Resort in Nova Scotia
Standing atop the rocky promenade jutting into the Northumberland Strait where the course’s 16th hole sits, it’s not hard to see why it’s one of Fox Harb’r president Kevin Toth’s favourite places on the property. The salty bite of the sea hangs heavy in the air as the wind whips across the fairway, an added challenge to the tee shot, which arches over an inlet. Beyond the gentle slope of grassy expanse, the sparkling blues of the Atlantic Ocean blend with the sky above.
Cocktail Culture Meets Southern Charm at The Celestine Hotel
Cocktail Culture Meets Southern Charm at The Celestine Hotel Current Issue — This Michelin key New Orleans bolthole is steeped in history. Mixology aficionados are likely familiar with the licorice cherry punch of Peychaud’s Cocktail Bitters, a key ingredient in New Orleans’s iconic cocktail, the Sazerac. Now, they have the chance to stay at The Celestine, in the historic building where the Creole apothecary Antoine Amédée Peychaud, who created the herbal bitters, once resided.
An Agave-Inspired Mexican Restaurant by Studio Munge
An Agave-Inspired Mexican Restaurant by Studio Munge Current Issue — Mijo Modern Mexican Restaurant brings sophisticated elegance to the Las Vegas strip. Just off the Las Vegas strip in the new Durango Casino and Resort, Mijo Modern Mexican Restaurant stands out from its garish neon neighbours with a subdued colour palette and quietly elegant design.
Parisian Chic Meets Spa Serenity at a Boutique Dental Clinic in New York
Parisian Chic Meets Spa Serenity at a Boutique Dental Clinic in New York Current Issue — Ringo Studio brings to life a warm and welcoming wellness retreat with Sama. Named for the Sanskrit word for balance, equilibrium, and mental calmness, Sama is part wellness centre, part dental clinic, and all intimate boutique experience.
Retreat to a Different Time at PUQIO in the Central Andes of Peru
Perched 12,000 feet above sea level on a remote stretch of the Andes in the Colca Valley, it’s easy to become enraptured in all that lies below PUQIO — the snaking Rio Colca, a vast expanse of undulating grasses, and the occasional hut that dots the unspoiled landscape. But don’t forget to look up to the vast sky overhead. You might just spot the impressive 10-foot wingspan of an Andean condor, one of the largest flighted birds in the world, gliding on a mountain breeze.
Modern Eclecticism Meets Old-School Diner in a NYC Bar and Lounge Update
Modern Eclecticism Meets Old-School Diner in a NYC Bar and Lounge Update Current Issue — Arlo Hotel’s NoMad Diner gets a moody new corner thanks to Stonehill Taylor. Diners have long been a beloved staple of New York City’s restaurant scene. But as more and more shut their doors due to rising costs and dwindling profits, restaurants are looking at new ways to modernize the diner.
From Fortress to Luxury Retreat: Mamula Island Gets New Life as a Picturesque Getaway
From Fortress to Luxury Retreat: Mamula Island Gets New Life as a Picturesque Getaway Current Issue — The enviable Montenegro hotel combines history and refinement on a tiny Adriatic islet. Photo by Mark Anthony Fox If you’ve ever wished you could run away to a peaceful European island, a new destination awaits in the Adriatic Sea. Opened this spring, luxury getaway Mamula Island is already making waves from its location on a tiny islet just 200 metres across in Montenegro’s Bay of Kotor.
Seaside Glamour Redefined: Marbella Club Adds Loewe to Its Glittering Boutique Lineup
Seaside Glamour Redefined: Marbella Club Adds Loewe to Its Glittering Boutique Lineup Current Issue — The storied Andalucia resort opens a stylish new shop with vibrant tiles and designer furnishings. At the entrance of Andalucía’s Marbella Club, in the southern tip of Spain, a stylish new boutique joins the Golden Mile. Washed in white and vivid colourful tiles, the new Loewe boutique furthers the sense of artisanship at Marbella Club.
A Round Pavilion in Mexico City Is a Haven for Aromatic Exploration
A Round Pavilion in Mexico City Is a Haven for Aromatic Exploration Current Issue — Designed by Esrawe, Xinú Marsella blends retail and garden sanctuary. In the trendy Juárez neighbourhood of Mexico City, Xinú Marsella is part garden, part art installation, and part perfume and home scents boutique. The round structure nestled within an urban garden is the former site of a car repair workshop.
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