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

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

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!

DVF for Claridges's

I've been dying to see one of the 20 rooms at Claridge's hotel in London designed by Diane von Furstenberg and finally I found one online at the Times magazine. I love the double headboard effect and the patterned fabric. It's pretty chic and stylish but then again, I didn't doubt that Diane would create anything less. Wonder if the have any vacancies!

Checking In

Most hotels are owned and run by men. And what do men know about hospitality and housekeeping? Considering that they usually stock their rooms with only five hangers, I'd say not much. So I'm happy to report that some chic ladies are throwing their hats, or maybe I should say hard hats, into the hotel business. First up is former model and now brand ambassador for Roger Vivier, Ines de la Fressange, who plans to open a chic hotel in Paris. Hopefully she'll be able to juggle both jobs since the 18th-century building that will house not only her hotel, but a restaurant and spa, is a stones throw away from Faubourg Saint-Honore. I'm wondering if it will look anything like her pink apartment or like the Roger Vivier boutiques, both pictured here. Furniture designer, Hervé van der Straeten is the partner of Bruno Frisoni, who helms the fashion house, so it will be interesting to see if his pieces make the cut. I, for one, would definitely take advantage of that friends and family discount!

Paris isn't the only city getting some hotel help. Fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg has been asked by the venerable 5-star hotel Claridge’s in London to make over 20 of its rooms and suites. She collaborated on the project with interior designer Olivier Gelbsman and they plan to stay true to the historic look of the hotel. While you won't be able to check into Ines' hotel until next year, you should be able to stay with Diane, or at least in her rooms, this June. I bet there will definitely be more than five hangers in their closets and probably really good gift shops too!







Photos from The Selby

Chic in LA: Chateau Marmont

If The Beverly Hills Hotel is like Doris Day, then the Chateau Marmont is more like The Doors. Instead of shiny and happy, it's dark and brooding and beyond cool. It was modeled after a royal chateau in the Loire Valley of France and since it opened in 1929, it has been the hot spot for celebrities and rockers to hide out and party. I originally thought about staying at the Chateau but since I just heard that it may be haunted, I'm glad that I stayed elsewhere! I'm more bright and sunny than moody and dark anyway! I did get to have an amazing first night dinner at the Chateau with Christian of Maison21, Lisa of A Bloomsbury Life, and Christian's very chic client Cristina. The food was delicious and we drank copious amounts of prosecco until I looked down at my watch and realized that although it was midnight in LA, my body knew it was really 3:00am in New York! That's when I turned into a pumpkin. Since I can no longer party like a rock star it's probably best that I didn't stay at the rock star hotel! But that's not to say I didn't have fun trying!













Photos from Chateau Marmont website, Google and Heather Clawson for Habitually Chic. By the way, that's Led Zepplin hanging out the window!

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