Pages

Showing posts with label hotel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hotel. Show all posts

Charles de Lisle Workshop...the Wonders Never Cease

Villagio Inn + Spa. Yountville, California.
Photo Courtesy CDL Workshop Website
A little while ago, I wrote to you about our stay at the Dream Inn in Santa Cruz. The Dream Inn is a beachy fun boutique hotel owned and operated by the folks of Joie de Vivre Hotels.

What I didn't know at the time of the posting was that one of my favorite San Francisco design teams, the Charles de Lisle Workshop, was responsible for the hip and happy vibe.

The CDL Workshop has been quite busy creating destination get aways that are now on my list of "have to see this in person" places. One of the latest is the Villagio Inn + Spa located in Yountville, California in the heart of the Napa Valley.

Here is a taste of where you might want to plan your own little getaway:


All photos courtesy CDL Workshop

It never hurts to have a plan. Tim and I have an anniversary fast approaching.

In the meantime, hop on over to CDL Workshop to see the creativity. You will be inspired, I promise you.


Also....don't miss the give away for a copy of Walls, The best of Decorative Treatments!

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO ENTER!!!!!!!

Get all of the scoop HERE

Walls+cover.jpg

Chic in Miami: Soho Beach House

When Stefan and I were in Miami, we stayed at the Soho Beach House in Miami Beach.  It is the perfect place for those who want to stay in a quieter and less over the top hotel.  It felt like we were staying in a friend's home. Before I show you the hotel itself, I thought I would start with our room and the chic hallways.  Martin Brudnizki designed the hotel but I was told that all the special little touches were due to the owner, Nick Jones.  The result is beach house meets English country mansion that somehow completely works. 

There are gallery walls of art all over the hotel including in the elevator lobbies on each floor, above.

I loved the pale blue tufted leather walls in the elevators or lifts as the British like to call them.

Hallways are an often overlooked decorating opportunity.  I absolutely loved the chic beachy look of the hotel hallways.  This is definitely going in my beach house file for future use.  It's so simple but perfect.  The seagrass runner is actually inset which means there is no curled up edges to trip over. The pale grey and white tile set on the diagonal also refers back to the tile in Cecconi's.

Even the simple doors were perfect.

How fun would it be in a big beach house to number the doors so your guests can find their room easily?

Instead of blue like the hallways, our room was green.

The grey and white tile floor was cool and reminded me of nautical flags.

The details such as the hooks and leather umbrella stand were definitely English touches.

We had a big room that included a seating area, not that we sat much in Miami Beach!

The best part of the room was that it really did feel like you were staying in a very chic but comfortable home.

We loved the vintage suitcases under the bed!

They even supply a beach bag to use during your stay.  Just wait until you see the pool and beach areas.  Talk about chic!

The armoire was the closet.

I read that Nick Jones's favorite color is petrol blue which reminded me of the color of the old leather on these chairs.

You can either watch the view or the television.

We preferred the view which included the pool area and ocean.  We also overlooked Cecconi's.

I loved that the chairs sat on a round seagrass rug.

The fabrics added to the English feeling in the room.

The bar was very chic.

You could even have someone come and make you drinks!

We had real crystal glasses in our room.

I loved the knobs on the bar.

This little chair was adorable.

I'm sure the tub in your room would be romantic if you were staying with your partner and not your friend!

The leather desk was chic too!

Another look at the comfy bed.

After dealing with the small bathroom on the cruiseship, we were most excited about the spacious bathroom!

Two sinks was a treat!

We both fell in love with the Cowshed Spa products!

We joked that the shower stall was as big as our entire bathroom on the cruiseship!  I took a shower even when I didn't need to just because it was so fabulous! I especially loved the dry waiting area to the side. And even the WC, below, had its own sink.  

As an architect and designer, Stefan and I were most impressed with all the details and special touches in our room and throughout the Soho Beach House.  Just wait until you see the rest of the place!

Photos by Heather Clawson for Habitually Chic

California Dreamin' at the Dream Inn, Santa Cruz

The view from our room at the Dream Inn
 Last weekend, my older daughter's school had a family day, so we were only too happy to take the jaunt down to Santa Cruz to visit her. Any excuse will do. We were able to get a great deal at the Dream Inn, a hotel overlooking the main Santa Cruz Boardwalk Beach. I would venture to say it is the nicest of the hotels in Santa Cruz proper, and I had been wanting to stay here since we first heard about it a couple of years ago.

Dream Inn is owned and operated by Joie de Vivre Hotels a company that specializes in California boutique hotels. Joie de Vivre owns hotels from the Sonoma Valley wine country to San Francisco, Los Angeles to Orange County, all of them fun and unique. One of their newest is the Citizen Hotel right here in my town, Sacramento.  

View of the Santa Cruz Pier from our Room at the Dream Inn

The Dream Inn has a fun young and beachy Mid-Century vibe that incorporates, what else, surfing and the Santa Cruz Boardwalk in it's decor. In our room, we had a photo of the Ferris Wheel above orange Panton chairs. The colors are vibrant and suggests good times ahead.
Fun Furnishings in our room
 The rooms all have fantastic views of the ocean, and the sunsets we saw were beautiful! There were lots of goodies on the bar area...snacks, hot chocolate, tea and coffee, and Izze's! Oh....and I have to say, the beds were perhaps the most comfortable hotel beds I have slept in.

Typical Room at the Dream Inn.
Photo courtesy of the Dream Inn Website
 The Lobby area was modern and funky with the very cool washed wood sculpted front desk and FLOR carpet squares. One of the things I appreciated so much was the courtesy and really friendly attitude we found with everyone who worked here, from the front desk to the valets, to the room staff. Bravo!

Front Lobby

Loved the Front Desk!

I was very fond of the rocking chairs!

Relaxed and Fun!! The Rockers and everything else as well.
 We decided that on our last night there, we would check out Aquarius, the hotel's restaurant. It was just as fun as the rest of the hotel with the surf boards on the ceiling in the bar and more Panton chairs facing the beautiful shoreline and Boardwalk views.
Aquarius Bar

Aquarius Bar
 The drinks were flowing and our meals were great. I had perfectly seared Salmon....one must have seafood at the beach of course!
Cocktails and Private Dining Room at Aquarius.
Photo courtesy of Aquarius website
 One of the traditions at Aquarius is a wink to the Boardwalk. Every guest receives fresh cotton candy flavored with Tangerine with the check at the end of the meal. It's those little touches that keep one coming back.

Aquarius Cotton Candy and Dining Room.
Photo courtesy of Aquarius website

If you are planning a trip to Santa Cruz, or anywhere in California for that matter, I would take a look HERE at the bounty provided by Joie de Vivre.

I am thinking the Ventana Inn in Big Sur may be my anniversary get away!!!!

Vacancy at Versailles


Visiting Château de Versailles is a magical yet exhausting experience.  You can't possibly see it all in one day, as much as you may try.  While there are lovely hotels in the town to extend your visit, there is none that will be as conveniently located as the proposed Hôtel du Grand Contrôle which is actually part of the Versailles complex.  The mansion was built in 1684 by Jules Hardouin-Mansart and traditionally housed the treasury.  It will be renovated by the Belgian company Ivy International SA who has a lot of work to do on the deteriorated building.  Once open in 2011, the 23 room hotel will overlook the Orangerie and ornamental lake and might just make you feel like Marie Antoinette.  Just don't tell the staff to eat cake!

DVF at Claridge's: Part Deux

I was sent another fabulous photo of one of the rooms that Diane von Furstenberg designed for Claridge's today. I love that sofa! It's very Chic!

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
 

Most Reading