Playboy By Design

World-Class Hotels are never in short supply--especially in cities like Manhattan. So when disco denizen Steve Rubell and his partners purchased the Executive Hotel at 237 Madison Avenue, in the untrendy Murray Hill section, and renamed it Morgans, after the Morgan Library, which is a block away, skeptics snickered that it would take a miracle between 37th and 38th streets for it to succeed. Succeed it has--and what a success! A stay at Morgans is considered the hottest night in town, thanks in part to the eye-popping decor of French designer Andrée Putman. Working with her signature palette of gray, black and white, Putman redefined Morgans' guest rooms and public spaces, placing them along the cutting edge of opulence and austerity. Best of all, there are ideas there that you can take home. Morgans is a nice place to visit, and we wouldn't mind living with the sexy design ideas we found there, either.