November 21st, 2011
Château Marmont - West Hollywood, CA
“If you must get in trouble, do it at the Chateau Marmont.” – Harry Cohn, founder of Columbia Pictures (1939)
Chateau Marmont, the infamous hotel situated in the hills of West Hollywood just off Sunset Strip, is drama, plain and simple. Looking very much like a castle (it is after all modeled after Chateau Amboise, a royal residence in France) and serving as a refuge for celebrities to behave very badly (John Belushi died in Bungalow 3 after injecting a lethal combination of heroin and cocaine), Chateau Marmont has the kind of allure that few other works of architecture have ever had. It’s little wonder that on any given day or night, the hotel plays host to an array of highly discriminating and extremely wealthy international clientele.
Originally built in 1929 as an apartment complex, Chateau Marmont features 63 rooms, cottages and bungalows. Built in a Norman architectural style, its turrets and towers are designed to make you stop, look and desire to enter. Upon entrance into the reception area, it’s impossible not to feel like you’ve just arrived at a charming European hotel. Just past the reception is a spacious living room filled with couches, lamps and sconces that look like they’ve been scavenged from high end thrift stores. While the suites are all well designed and true to their old Hollywood-by-way-of-France heritage, it is the outside Spanish-style bungalows on the hillside that are most impressive. Designed in a way that is equally minimalist and modernist in a postwar sort of way, they feature flat roof canopies at their entrance, terraces, loads of sliding glass doors, intricate moldings and simple but beautiful Spanish furnishings. The pool cottages recall the Craftsman era and feature fine fabrics and rattan chairs, and they also feature kitchens that are outfitted with vintage refrigerators and stoves. The seductive mood created by the overall architectural and interior design stylings of the hotel is one that could clearly never be duplicated anywhere else; after all, this is Hollywood at its finest.
One of the best things about Chateau Marmont is that for the architecturally curious (or the celebrity curious), it’s a fairly easy place to gain access, especially during the day before they place a checkpoint at the end of the driveway and bust out the guest list for those who want to dine in and/or party in the courtyard. When we sent our Styleture reporter, he hung out in the hotel’s impeccably groomed courtyard and spotted a cast member from “Californication” and maybe Clint Eastwood, but he’s not 100% sure about that.
August 5th, 2011
Just because you can’t afford to stay in a luxury hotel, doesn’t mean you can’t swing by and drink in one. Some of the best hotels in the world are also known for having some of the most design-forward and inviting bars in the world. And while we love sports bars and dive bars almost any night of the week (or every night of the week, really), every once in a while we get the urge to get dolled up in our Sears Collection threads and see what kind of trouble we can get into amongst the socialites, jet-setters and glitterati of the world. The following is a round up of the 5 Most Design-Forward & Inviting Hotel Bars in the World:
5) Connaught Bar at the Connaught, London
The Connaught Bar at the Connaught, London
If black marble, exotic leathers and glimmering silver accents don’t turn you on, then what does? Brazen in its opulence, this elegant parlor bar takes luxury drinking to a whole new level while catering to well-heeled clientele that include famous entertainers, politicians and sports figures. Sip a Julep laced with herbal Fernet-Branca, while taking in the sex-appeal oozing atmosphere. (the-connaught.co.uk) Read the rest of this entry »
May 4th, 2010
When acclaimed French lingerie designer Chantal Thomass moved her artistry from the boudoir to the bathroom, the results were decidedly “Ooh la la.” Infusing her penchant for sensual textures, feminine details and lush materials into stunning designs for the bath, Thomass seamlessly transitioned from brassiere to basin. The new line, Poemes, brought to life by THG®, is the result of a brilliant collaboration of décor and couture, a union Thomass sees as a logical transition. “Since I create intimate women’s clothes, and the bathroom is all about intimacy,” Thomass explains, “the merger made sense.” Much like her fashion ideology – which emphasizes the beauty and sensuality of the female form, and the seductive details that epitomize glamorous lingerie – Thomass’ design perspective gives similar attention to the wants and needs of women. “As a woman, the bathroom is an important space where you see yourself from every angle, apply your makeup and prepare yourself for the day,” Thomass notes. “With all of these activities taking place in the bathroom, you need to feel comfortable about yourself; hence the importance of having a beautiful bathroom.” And what woman wouldn’t love to surround herself in an environment as refined and alluring as Thomass’ bathroom oasis – delicate, chic, “a place of total seduction.” Mais, oui.
Read the full Chantal Thomass interview
Chantal Thomass Detail
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February 11th, 2010
One of the largest Arts & Crafts conferences in the country starts in Ashville, NC next week. The 23rd Annual Arts & Crafts Conference will be held from February 19-21, 2010. The conference will have more than 2000 Arts & Crafts collectors from across the country, all looking for their next piece or pieces of amazing furniture. The conference is held at the most famous Arts & Crafts resort in the world, The Grove Park Inn, which is a magnificent resort set in the Arts & Crafts style, but with all the added amenities and fun you would expect in a present day resort & spa.
We will have an original Gustav Stickley piece at the show which is a small leather top desk circa 1902-1903 which will be for sale at the Voorhees Craftsman booth. Voorhees Craftsman is a family run and owned Arts & Crafts dealer in Pasadena, CA and specialize in Gustav Stickley, L & J.G. Stickley, Roycroft, and Limbert furniture. They also produce their own handmade reproductions that are magnificent.
In addition to Mary Ann & Steve Voorhees from Pasadena, other authorities from across the country will be at this historic hotel and conference holding seminars, tours, books, demonstrations, workshops, food, friendships, special exhibits, works by contemporary crafts and firms and plenty of Arts & Crafts antiques on exhibit and for sale. A pass is only $145 per person and advance registration required. If you would like to attend please call: (828) 628-1915.
The Grove Park Inn’s website is: Groveparkinn.com and they have a new Web 2.0 website as well at: Grovesmagicalelixir.com. Make sure to visit the Voorhees Craftsman booth and website at: www.voorheescraftsman.com. The show’s website is: Arts-craftsconference.com
Here are some pictures of the hotel and some of our favorite examples of Stickley Furniture. We will post pictures of our Gustav Stickley desk in a following post, so stay tuned! Click on any image for a larger version:
Grove Park Inn
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December 3rd, 2009
The Hotel Bel-Air, one of the nicest 5 star hotels in the Los Angeles area is beginning a year-long renovation process of their hotel and is selling all of their existing luxury furnishings and other living items. This luxury sale will take place in a closed down 32,000 square foot Circuit City building in Santa Monica with everything you could ever image including: beds, couches, lamps, silverware, pillows, dozens of flat screen T.V’s, towels and more.
The sale starts today at 10am, and will run through mid January. This is a highly anticipated sale as many designer and name brand products will be sold. The original sale price for items will be 50%, and then an additional 1% will be added to the sale price every day following. Sale prices are expected to reach 90%. For more information visit the liquidator’s website at: http://www.nclsales.com/HotelBel-Air.html
Chandelier
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