A Restful Stay at the St. Regis SF

A month later and I'm still thinking about the design of the bedroom I stayed in at the St. Regis in San Francisco. What I noticed: (1) light colors that were warm, (2) low contrast (3) warm, medium-toned woods. It all combined for a really restful, peaceful space. Has me rethinking my own bedroom and wondering about some changes I can make...
Loved the pull-out tray in this nightside table.
The view from the bathroom through pull-back sliding doors.
This photo was taken at night - bit more orange than in real life.

Hope you have a great weekend. On my list - FINISH the end table with the marbled paper.

Colored Intaglios

Have you ever seen framed, colored intaglios? I recently saw them for the first time in the dining room of The Jefferson. Makes me wonder - are these colored plaster, Coral or Carnelian?

These two images are from a French blog here - the first image is a collection of both cameo and itaglios. These were noted as coming from the collection of the late Yves Saint Laurent.
Have you seen intaglios that aren't the typical white?

Italian Stringing

When Joni of Cote de Texas wrote about curtains as her #4 Top Ten Design Element, she mentioned a term I had never heard before: Italian Stringing. It's a method of holding back curtains without any obvious visual means. Well, while at The Jefferson this past weekend I noticed that the curtains in their recently redesigned dining room were just that - held back but without a tieback.
Here's the behind-the-scenes look showing the string and metal rings. Yes, the waitress thought I was a bit strange...

Back next post with more from Richmond, including Mary Douglas Drysdale and Tobi Fairley.

Waking Up to This View

Waking up to this view could transform any Monday morning, even if you still had to head into work. This beautiful room is from the CastaDiva Resort on Lake Como, Italy. Image found at Nuevo Estilo.
15+ more minutes of stunning eye candy at the CastaDiva site here.

Happy Monday. Hope you had a great weekend.

A Pearl at the Oyster

...The Oyster Box hotel to be exact (Durban, South Africa). I haven't been this taken by a hotel's design since first seeing the interiors of the J.K. Capri two years ago. For me the shell chandelier, diamond patterned fabric and the star shaped in-laid table are jaw dropping gorgeous.

Love these oranges and reds with the dark panelling and brass light fixtures.
I think I'd turn these chairs the other way...what a view.


Without the floor to ceiling mirrors this room could feel claustrophobic. Just noticed the bedside tables have their own "headboards" too.
I found out about The Oyster Box hotel after visiting the Australian based blog Verandah House - this blogger is launching her own line of rattan furniture and accessories for the Australian market and her blog is full of eye candy.

Hope you had a great weekend. Sunday we lost power after a storm ripped through the area in the afternoon but now it's back on - yeah!

My Stay on Beacon Hill

I just came back from a quick business trip to Boston (in Sunday, out Tuesday) and most of my free time was spent stalking the beautiful houses of Beacon Hill and Back Bay (like the one above.) I'll share more of those photos in my next post. For the first time, I stayed in Beacon Hill at the XV Beacon. Loved it.

My photos of the lobby were too dark but here are images from the hotel's site. At the front desk you're greeted by a bust of Benjamin Franklin with a quill pen suspended by string. The books on the shelves were covered in white paper for a uniform look.

In my room, the whole wall facing the bed was a smart series of built-ins that housed a gas fireplace, tv, sound system, wet bar, desk and closet. Half my time spent in the room was taking measurements to see if I could have a similiar set of built-ins created for our master bedroom. Really liking the idea of a fireplace too!
The books here were covered in white paper too.

The marble bath was smartly designed as well. I've never been a big fan for raised sinks but this one may have converted me.
The UK Lefroy Brooks fixtures are gorgeous.

Each landing has a bust of a famous Revolutionary War figure. More from Beacon Hill tomorrow.

(these are my personal opinions about XV Beacon and there is no form of compensation for them)

A Little London Loft

I've had these photos of the Loft Suite at Covent Garden Hotel, London floating around in my inspiration file and thought it was finally time to post them. I like the simple furnishings and the contrast between the open space and the more intimate space tucked in under the bedroom loft above. A huge mirror over the marble fireplace is balanced on the opposite side by the large painting.

Love these charcoal striped pillows - don't think the space would be the same without them.

Anne's visit to The Inn at Perry Cabin

My friend Anne, of Dwellings by Design, recently stayed at The Inn at Perry Cabin which is located in the idyllic town of St. Michaels, MD on the Eastern shore. The suite she stayed in is lovely and I'm so happy she shared her pictures with me. Love the skirted vanity table and the two table lights! They remind me of the ones that designer Jeffrey Bilhuber often uses. A bit more elegance with the marble topped bedside bureau.
Love the wide striped English sofa and the crab accent pillow. The Eastern shore and crabs are synonymous. Looks so comfortable.

Their suite included a separate sun room with a desk overlooking the water. Just lovely.

In addition to a large bathroom, they also had a separate powder room with Chinoiserie wallpaper. I spy Molton & Brown toiletries - very nice.
For more pics of this resort, click here. Thanks Anne - now I want to go!

A Greek Diversion

I have more to post on Fredericksburg but here is some Greek color and design that recently caught my eye. After taking a virtual vacation visit to the blog Oia Santorini, I happened upon these photos of the Aigialos Hotel. The colors & composition in the first photo bowled me over.

Love the color combination in this room...

and these rooms too.

LA Curb Appeal & Thom's "W"

Just a few more pics from LA to share. Eyebrow windows are my favorite and this one is attached to an absolutely charming house. Love the curved hedges and the very simple fencing combined with the brick columns. Oh why did I only take two pictures!!

While in LA I stayed at the W in Westwood. Thom Filicia was involved in the design of the hotel - you can read about his approach here. The built in L shaped seating was a terrific use of space in my small suite. The mini-gallery of art work was interesting and the movable overhead lamp was surprisingly convenient and effective.

The size of a small closet, this built-in-bar featured a wood countertop covered in thick glass. The drawers pulled out and the fridge was behind the cupboard door. This reversable pillow was a fun touch - at night it can be turned to "dream"