Hasta La Ideas

The winners of the 2010 Travel+Leisure Design Awards are featured in the magazine’s March issue, which hits newsstands this Friday. But we couldn’t wait that long to bring you the scoop. Among the victorious people, places, and things in 16 travel-oriented categories are the SANAA-designed Derek Lam boutique in New York City (best retail space), Berlin’s Neues Museum (best museum), the Swiss International Air Lines first-class suite (best transportation), and Nomiya, artist Laurent Grasso‘s tiny, ephemeral restaurant that serves up sumptuous meals and panoramic views of Paris to the twelve people lucky enough to have nabbed a seat at the lone table (best restaurant).

Lest you think the T+L awards are an elitist affair, geared toward those who can afford a week at Marrakesh’s reborn La Mamounia (best resort) and a Zegna Sport Ecotech Solar Jacket (best travel fashion), the jury also chose to honor Motel 6 (best large hotel) and the $55 Nixon Time Teller P watch (best watch). We’re particularly pleased to report that one of our favorite accessories purveyors, New York-based MZ Wallace, has won for its Kate bag (best travel accessory). “Some of this year’s winners may seem a bit surprising—a budget hospitality chain in the best large hotel slot, a glass-enclosed room in Paris with a long table claiming top honors in the restaurant category,” said T+L editor-in-chief Nancy Novogrod. “The point is, though, that these and other projects and products recognized—from soaring architectural spaces to tiny electronic gadgets—make travel more accessible and more irresistible.” Read on for the full list of winners.

Arrayed like a 21st-century Brady Bunch are the jurors for the 2010 Travel+Leisure Design Awards, pictured clockwise from far left: Valerie Steele, Isaac Mizrahi, Michael Smith, Terence Conran, Jean-Michel Gathy, Amanda Burden, Rafael Viñoly, and Holly Hotchner. (Photos: David Nicolas)

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