The Look

Above a Prada boutique in Istanbul’s most fashionable neighborhood, the House Hotel Nisantasi is a design buff’s dream. Turkish designers du jour Autoban were given free rein with the property, and this sleek sleep has their sophisticated stamp all over it. Take the elevator from the unassuming entrance and the doors open onto a striking reception-cum-lounge space that sets the tone for the hotel. A custom-made bookcase takes center stage, while low-slung semicircular leather sofas encourage you to linger.

Bed and Bath

Decked out in muted tones with thick carpets, textured walls and tactile armchairs, the modern curves of the custom-made wooden furniture and bespoke lighting contrast beautifully with the rooms’ sharp lines. All rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the streets below, and the Deluxe and Junior Suites have the feel of a swanky urban apartment, thanks to their extra floor space.

Beyond

Downstairs, the lounge doubles as a bar and restaurant, and there’s an extensive buffet, plus hot dishes made to order. Light meals — salads, pasta, steak — are served until 11 p.m., and the elegant marble-topped bar is well stocked with spirits and a range of French wines. Sipping cocktails at the marble-topped counter is the perfect antidote to a hard day’s shopping and sightseeing.

In the Area

Gucci, Chanel and Louis Vuitton may rub shoulders with Turkish designers Gönül Paksoy, Vakko and Atil Kutoglu in Nisantasi, but you’ll also find more wallet-friendly retailers, such as Mudo. Just down the hill from the hotel lies the Bosphorus, along with the sleek Istanbul Modern and the Ottoman bling of the Dolmabahce Palace. Go early to avoid the crowds. Perfect for a post-sightseeing wind-down, the beautiful marble baths of the 16th-century Ayasofya Hürrem Sultan Hammam, in Sultanahmet, have just reopened after a multimillion-dollar restoration. Or drink in the views from the rooftop lounge at Nupera, a bar and restaurant complex in Beyoglu’s party central.