Slovakia has joined the chain of prestigious Design Hotels with its four-star Design Hotel Cakov:Makara 21. As the title suggests, thehotel has 21 rooms and their variety is astonishing. Walking from one to another is like watching a demonstration of the latest trends in interior design. Each room represents a simple idea that is written on the entrance door. There are rooms inspired by colour trends or material concepts. Others reflect exotic cultures or specific lifestyles. The small hotel is also a bold laboratory of material applications. Vinyl and cement cover the floors while thick carpets wrap the walls. This nonconforming design makes it impossible to standardize future repairs. On the other hand, it provides an alternative to the rest of the hotels whose rooms are furnished according to the same lacklustre patterns. Peter Daniel