1. JW Marriott Opens Kenya Safari Camp

Safari routine ranks at the top of most travelers’ wish list but finding accommodations that cater to a luxury-minded audience while still providing that intimate view of wildlife can be a delicate balance. The latest to give adventurers a once-in-a-lifetime animal encounter with sumptuous environs for post-trekking reprieve is JW Marriott, which just debuted the Mount Kenya Rhino Reserve Safari Camp, a 45,000-acre private conservancy with 19 well-appointed suites designed by LW Design Group, the global architecture and interiors studio behind many of the world’s most celebrated hotel destinations. At Mount Kenya, guests can enjoy guided day and evening safaris to see black and white rhinos, zebra, lions, and other big game as well more than 300 different bird species.

Back at the resort, rooms and public areas sport furnishings and artwork by Kenyan makers while dining venues serve meals made with ingredients cultivated in the on-site garden, particularly at Mavuno, where open-fire cooking is best enjoyed with a drink from the Five Elements cocktail program—libations made with fire, smoke, spice, earth, and honey. While natural preservation is top of mind throughout the camp, rejuvenation is also a driving force with the resort spa utilizing regional healing techniques and Kenyan products enriched with local ingredients for heavenly treatments, like the Solio Passage, a half-day experience for a total mind-body reset.—Jill Sieracki

2. Ralph Lauren Teams Up with Gee’s Bend for Latest Artist in Residence

Since launching its inaugural artist-in-residence in 2023, Ralph Lauren’s ongoing collaborators have dedicated themselves to spotlighting the best examples of innovation, creativity, and craftsmanship through a series of limited-edition capsule collections ranging from apparel to home. For the luxury brand’s fifth release, Ralph Lauren has teamed up with Gee’s Bend textile artists Claudia Pettway Charley and Loretta Pettway Bennett for an exclusive assortment of bags, clothing, accessories, and more. Gee’s Bend, an Alabama-based company formed by generations of Black artists specializing in quilting, brings the work of fourth-generation textile artist Charley and fifth-generation textile artist Bennett, both known for their bold patterns and intricate work methods. The collection, now available in select stores and online, will be partially donated to the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), an organization based in Montgomery, Alabama, dedicated to advancing social justice and fostering a more equitable future. — Shelby Black

3. This New Williamsburg Seafood Bar Channels the Soul of Nantucket

Susanne Green spent nearly four decades welcoming guests to her Wade Cottages on Nantucket while pursuing her passions as an artist and flautist. Her creative spirit now lives on at Bar Susanne, the new Williamsburg seafood bar from James Beard Award-nominated designer and restaurateur Matthew Maddy, whose portfolio includes Brooklyn hotspots Lilia, Public Records, Oxomoco, and Celestine. Inspired by the Brooklyn waterfront just beyond its windows, the 75-seat dining room glows beneath amber lighting, with rust marble, teakwood stone, recycled oak floors, and hand-grooved plaster walls that echo the textures of the East Coast shoreline. Works by Greene and Maddy’s mother, artist Barbara Chapman, hang throughout the space, while a mural by Marisa Maddy Ripo celebrates the women who inspired the restaurant. Executive chef Jackie Carnesi turns to Long Island’s North Fork and other New York waterways for a menu that ranges from shrimp cocktail with roasted shrimp shell aioli and picked mussels with jugo verde and coconut to grilled squid with butter beans and mustard greens, plus fluke Milanese with sauce gribiche. —Ryan Waddoups

4. Nilufar and Galerie 56 Present Immersive Exhibition Featuring Botanical-Inspired Pieces by Lola Montes

Milanese design gallery Nilufar returns to New York’s Galerie 56 this summer with “Nilufar Grand Hotel Vista Mare,” an immersive exhibition exploring the rich dialogue between hospitality, collectible design, and architecture. On view from July 28 through October 17, 2026, this latest iteration—a collaboration between Nilufar founder Nina Yashar and Galerie 56 founder Lee F. Mindel—expands upon the vision first presented during Milan Design Week in April.

A highlight is Botanical Elixir, an imagined garden conceived by New York–born, Sicily-based artist Lola Montes, renowned for her multi-disciplinary work across ceramics, textiles, and fashion. Montes created two site-specific installations in clay and paper for the space: In the lobby, a bespoke reception desk features sculpted magnolia blossoms drifting and cascading across a deep, crystalline violet background, creating a suspended sense of motion. Each terracotta tile is hand-modeled using volcanic ash from Mount Etna, balanced by a striking Pompeii-red countertop. In the dining room, a suite of “Aloe Candelabra” floral drawings is rendered on delicate Japanese paper using custom-prepared pigments. —Lucy Rees

5. A Gustav Klimt Masterpiece Gets the Lego Treatment

Beginning August 1, art aficionados will have the chance to try their hand at recreating one of Gustav Klimt’s greatest masterpieces courtesy of a collaboration between the Belvedere Museum and Lego Group. Klimt’s The Kiss will be released as a 4,000-piece Lego set, making it the largest Lego Art Masterpiece to date. As a three-dimensional model, the finished product is an immersive tribute meant to capture the emotions and colors that appear in the original piece. “Recreating Klimt’s The Kiss in Lego brick form was a unique creative challenge, requiring us to capture its rich textures, golden tones, and intricate detail while honoring the original masterpiece,” says Milan Madge, Master Model Designer at Lego Group. “By combining golden Lego elements with specially decorated pieces, we were able to recreate the artwork’s distinctive shades and textures in a building experience that celebrates its extraordinary beauty.” In conjunction with the launch, Lego and Belvedere Museum will release a podcast featuring Madge Stephanie Auer, curator of 19th- and 20th-century art at the museum.—Alexandria Sillo

6. Palomba Serafini Associati Design New Talenti Showroom in Forte dei Marmi

While the buzzy summer season and beautiful locale are enough to bring flocks of jetsetters to Italy’s dreamy Forte dei Marmi, a crop of hotel transformations and exciting shopping destinations are only adding to the allure. The latest introduction is the new flagship for furniture brand Talenti, located in Piazza Guglielmo Marconi, one of the area’s most vibrant squares. To cultivate the space, which displays Talenti’s indoor and outdoor collections in a seamless, residential-style setting, the brand called upon their visionary collaborators Ludovica Serafini and Roberto Palomba, founders of the Milanese architecture and design studio Palomba Serafini Associati. “We envisioned a space that is essential, light, and neutral, designed as a true frame for the collections,” says Palomba, of the store, which is housed in a beautiful sand-color building evocative of the coastal setting. Artfully preserved vaulted ceilings serve as a harmonious juxtaposition to the modern furnishings displayed within while a charming garden offers a romantic backdrop for Talenti’s outdoor furnishings. “Despite its prime location in the heart of the town, our aim was to create an intimate, welcoming environment capable of offering an immersive yet refined experience.”—J.S.

7. “Treasures of the Pharaohs” Brings Ancient Egyptian Splendor to San Francisco

Egypt rarely allows the centerpieces of their golden cultural patrimony to travel. The landmark 1970s American tour that brought Tutankhamen’s glories to New York was such an event that it precipitated an instant classic Steve Martin sketch on Saturday Night Live. So it is fanfare-worthy that items linked directly to the ancient dynasties will be on display at the de Young Museum from August 1 through January 31, 2027. The star of the show is Tut’s great-grandmother, Queen Thuya, whose haunting blue-lined eyes and gentle half-smirk grace a gilded sarcophagus that makes it clear what all the fuss is over. The tiny blink-and-you’ll-miss-them bits of red glass at the corners of Thuya’s eyes add an unexpected note of realism that operates authentically within the language of a school of art known for its more iconographic style. Some 130-odd other delights in “Treasures of the Pharaohs” include exquisitely crafted jewelry, a gold-embossed chair, imposingly sized granite statuary, and artifacts from Luxor making their United States debut. Everything is fit for royalty. —Rena Gross

8. Dolce & Gabbana Brings the Italian Riviera to Gurney’s Montauk

This summer, the sun-drenched spirit of Southern Italy arrives on the shores of Long Island as Dolce & Gabbana takes over Gurney’s Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa. Swathed in the house’s iconic Blu Mediterraneo majolica print, the beachfront resort’s Beach Club and East Deck have been reimagined as a vibrant, eye-catching Mediterranean escape. From plush lounge chairs and cabanas to umbrellas overlooking the Atlantic, every detail channels la dolce vita, providing guests with an elegant backdrop for handcrafted cocktails and Italian aperitivo by the sea. 

To complete the immersive experience, a dedicated on-site pop-up boutique featuring a chic vertical stripe print offers an exclusive selection of luxury essentials for a beach day. Guests will find resortwear, printed towels, beach accessories, and scented candles—each one adorned with Dolce & Gabbana’s singular aesthetic. A fusion of the Italian brand’s rich artisanal heritage and Gurney’s laid-back East End sophistication, the unique collaboration is not to be missed. The Dolce & Gabbana takeover and boutique are open daily at Gurney’s Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa, located at 290 Old Montauk Hwy, Montauk. —L.R.