Excavations on unpromising mounds in the Iraqi desert revealed Sumer’s earliest city. Surviving relics and a rebuilt temple have given experts more clues about the ancient metropolis of Eridu.

At the Excelsior, a very private owner with a taste for black marble, wall-to-wall carpet, and mirrors, mirrors, mirrors.

The Smithsonian Design Triennial at Cooper Hewitt features 25 bold projects that ask how we build, remember, and redefine ...