Teaming up with design guru Axel Vervoordt, co-owners Robert De Niro and Ira Drukier created something quite unusual with the newly opened penthouse suite in the Greenwich Hotel. Designed in the wabi spirit, it " invokes a feeling of silence and space in the middle of New York". The elements of a wabi-sabi space often appear simple or rustic and show signs of age; a reminder of the transience and imperfection of all things. Each piece, from a wooden door frame to a ceramic vase, must be carefully selected and artfully arranged in the wabi spirit.

The costs of achieving this kind of minimalism are eye-watering, and seemingly inconsistent with its mission of aesthetic humility. At $15,000 per night, I would have to agree.