It’s an unseasonably hot May in Los Angeles. The two block walk from my rental car to 8440 Melrose Place nearly melts me. I want to go swimming. Luckily, Mary-Kate and Ashley have a pool.

“May I?” I ask the first pleasant, demurely dressed staffer I see upon entering The Row’s two-year-old flagship store through the triple height (if you’re an Olsen) glass door. She smiles and motions towards a basket of plush towels situated next to the glistening water. “Go for it,” she dares.

 The interiors of luxury 12-room hotel Ett Hem are more than beautiful spaces; they are the key to what this hotel offers, and what makes it different. The impressively proportioned red brick house, tucked away in a quiet leafy street in Stockholm, was originally a private residence, built in 1910.

Owner Jeanette Mix and interior designer Ilse Crawford worked with great sensitivity and care to preserve its personal quality and place it at the heart of the hotel. Original features such as wooden paneling and decorative ceilings blend with mid-century and contemporary furniture, including some of Studio Ilse’s designs.