FREE sPIRITs The designers of three noteworthy new independent hotels show how bending (or breaking) the rules can lead to a memorable guest experience. ThINk OuTsIdE the box. Or don't. That's the seemingly contradictory mandate the designers behind some of the most compelling independent properties are hearing now. Sure, owners are more adventurous and guests are open to anything. But there's as much pressure to make a treehouse cool enough for an urbanite on vacation as there is to add an edge to an aging downtown hotel. These projects show what it takes to get that done. 24 boutiquedesign.com may 2016 DA N T Y R PA K BY ORIANA LERNERhttp://www.boutiquedesign.com