On Vacation

Hello everyone! Just thought I would let you know, I decided to take a vacation for the rest of the week. Although, I imagine myself traveling to an exotic place like this one; I'm just resting from blogging. Too many things have stacked up around here and I can't leave them unattended. Meanwhile, I will dream of visiting this spectacular Turkish hotel set in the rocky hills of Cappadocia. 

This is like going back in time...with electricity and running water, of course!

Okay, signing off for now. Have a great week and I'll see you next Monday:)

A Quick Stop For Inspiration

On our trip home, we decided to make a quick stop in Austin. I say quick because we weren't even there 24 hrs. That didn't stop me from photo stalking;) (Annie, I hope you like these. Ha!) I've been itching to see the Saint Cecilia Hotel, since I first heard about it. Designed by the developers of the San Jose, I knew it would have to be amazing...and it certainly was!!!
I know many bloggers have written about this place so I hope you all will indulge me. I'm just so excited about it! Also, please excuse Mr. Liam who had to walk through almost EVERY photo I took. Here's a tip: Don't take small boys when taking photos. They don't exactly know how to sit still.

I don't have many photos to share, because I didn't actually stay at the hotel, I was just passing by. Yes, I know...the definition of stalking. Honestly, there is so much inspiration that just a quick walk around supplies more than enough eye candy. One of my favorite details was the black and white tile in a chevron pattern. Oh you all know how much I love stripes!

Yeah, he knows how to pose!

My other favorite part. This hidden courtyard. The design of it isn't complicated, but its just perfection. It occurred to me how simple it would be to find a couple of simple outdoor benches and paint them bright white. This bench is one large L-shape piece but two benches placed caddy corner to one another can have the same effect. The pillows are simply made with black outdoor fabric.

The jewel-tones and the stark lines are so striking. St. Cecilia, hopefully next time I can see you from the inside.
Love ya!

Its A Casamidy World

Lately I keep thinking about traveling. I'm not sure why I'm so preoccupied with vacationing this early in the summer, maybe because we are already topping 100 degrees! I think its going to be a long summer. My current goal is to travel to San Miguel de Allende, not that I think it will feel very cool; but I know it would be beautiful. Many of you may be familiar with the design company Casamidy, located in San Miguel. Their interiors and furniture are so striking and amazing. Well, I just found they own several properties both in Mexico and France that are available to rent. Anyone interested in sharing a place?

I can feel history and warmth jumping out from these photos! The architecture and furnishings are so beautiful. I love traveling to places that spark my creativity. I think my imagination could really soar here.

Walk Into A Favorite Movie

(I love how the window treatments capture the eerie glow in the movie's hotel window and yes I realize that there are more orange chairs)
All Alkemie readers may have seen her mention the Vertigo Hotel last week, but for those who didn't; I had to revisit it. This cool hotel is in San Francisco and inspired by, what else...Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo. This is one of my favorite movies, ever! I am a Hitchcock fanatic and Vertigo is by far my favorite movie of his. So you can imagine my excitement to see photos of this hotel. How soon can I get there, I wonder?

When it comes to set design, Vertigo always tops the list as my favorite. It combines great Mid century style with classic San Francisco architecture. I especially love Scottie's (Jimmy Stewart) apartment. Love every detail. I have to admit that I am also intrigued by a hotel getting its inspiration from such a dark and mysterious movie. It doesn't exactly have a happy ending. I had to include a clip, but if you haven't seen Vertigo don't watch past 7 minutes. But I insist that you see this classic AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! Sorry, my passionate movie buff is taking over.

A Source Of Inspiration.

The torpid artist
seeks
inspiration at
any
cost, by virtue
or by vice,
by friend,
by prayer,
or
by wine.
Ralph Waldo Emerson


Images are a great source of inspiration to me and I have collected a large amount of them.
Very often I can't fully describe why they inspire me, so I don't always post them on this blog.
I decided to collect these images as a way to generate ideas for myself. Find them HERE
and perhaps they will inspire you too.
(Above photo is of the Dylan Hotel)

Hotel Palacio de los Patos

As usual, every time I have several days off; I wind up wishing for more time off. Anyone else feel like that? It just seems harder to get back into the swing of things. So, today instead of thinking of work; I'm thinking of the Hotel Palacio de los Patos, in Granada Spain. (I know its a mouth-full). I've always dreamed of traveling to Spain, and this hotel would be a place I would go. Its very beautiful and wonderfully eclectic:)

A Warm Hotel And A Cool Cafe.

I'm so excited about sharing photos of our Santa Fe hotel. It was such a wonderful place, Mark and I fell in love with it. It is called Old Santa Fe Inn and is only blocks from the town square. Most of the time we were there we would just walk to wherever we wanted to go...if you have ever tried finding parking in Santa Fe, you know how awesome that is.

(Lobby)
The hotel is not very large, but it has gorgeous rooms and an inviting dining area with killer complimentary breakfast.

Our room was on the second floor. We went in a door from the first floor and were greeted with this beautiful staircase. (Sorry again for the dark pictures). I was already prepared to spend all my time on the benches places around the exterior of the hotel.

(View from our room)
Being able to walk everywhere was so fun, because it allowed us to see things we miss when driving. While walking around we stumbled upon a cool cafe called Cowgirl BBQ. The majority of seating is outside, with a funky decor. It seemed to not be very "touristy", I think it was more of a place where locals go; including some Very interesting characters. Of course, interesting characters are plentiful in Santa Fe.

This antique car front-end was just one of a series, placed on the roof of the cafe. They overlooked the patio, and their head lights would turn on as soon as it got dark. Liam found that to be very, very cool.

Hotel Basico/Quintana Roo, Mexico

Today, lets travel a little closer to home. The name alone of this Mexican hotel, draws me in...Hotel Basico. Sounds like pure minimalist fun :) Situated in Quintana Roo, this is a very stylish spot to spend a vacation on the beach. Although, if you stay in a place this cool, do you really want to leave?

I guess, if I really want to stay at Hotel Basico, I better get a babysitter. Apparently, they don't allow kids; but I can take my dog? Go figure!

Hotel Screen Kyoto

One of my life's goal is to travel to Japan some day. I think it is such a beautiful country, and the culture fascinates me. Of course, being the design addict that I am; I also would love to experience Japanese design up close. I love the Japanese aesthetic because it is so clean, delicate, straight forward and serene. On the day I do get to travel there, I would love to stay at the Hotel Screen Kyoto. Every room in the hotel was planned by a different artist or designer, so no two rooms are alike.

(Via Happy Mundane)

Hotel San Jose

Over the weekend, my husband and I decided to drive over to Austin; at the last minute. Saturday morning we just decided to take-off, of course it took us about 3 1/2 hours to just "take-off". As it turns out, the weather turned bad, and we had to deal with pouring rain. So because of the rain, I wasn't able to do much on Saturday. (For my friends over at Home Girls, I wanted to come by; but just ran out of time). Luckily, Sunday was a truly glorious day. I drove over to the shops on South Congress (probably the funkiest part of Austin). I've been anxiously awaiting an opportunity to write about the Hotel San Jose. This place is so cool and beautiful, I've never seen a hotel quite like it. The Spanish colonial hotel, was originally built in 1936, and was a bustling business until the 1960's. For decades afterwards, the hotel was used for everything from a brothel, bible school, and a shelter. A few years ago the amazing architects of Lake/Flato,reworked the structure into the funky and serene hotel it is now.
I need to add that if anyone is planning to stay at the San Jose, don't assume that a room will be available at the last minute (trust me on this). Because our trip was so last minute, I was not able to get a reservation. So, instead I walked in and snapped a few photos, including a couple of shots taken on the sly. When you first walk on to the grounds, there is a sort of maze of courtyards, covered in ivy and native plants. Even though the hotel is directly on busy Congress street, the courtyards are very quiet and peaceful. I love the very creative use of colors and materials both inside and out. There is an art gallery on the site, that features a rotating selection of artists. Also, when you are needing your latte fix, there is Jo's coffee directly next door. Hopefully, next time we drive over to Austin, I will do a little bit better job of planning ahead. If I ever do, I will be able to write more about what the service and atmosphere are like.