Personality Hotels in San Francisco - Chic Hotel Design

If you’re ever thinking of taking a jaunt to my
neighborhood of San Francisco, there’s a wonderful
string of boutique hotels called Personality Hotels.
They offer a great range of rates ($79-$750 which is
quite a range) and all of their hotels are very near
Union Square which is a highly desirable and convenient
location for many visitors who come to San Francisco.

The beautiful facade above is the Hotel Steinhart.

I love this huge green chandelier that
hangs in Hotel Vertigo.

Hotel Frank has very lovely decor
with lots of turquoise accents.

The turquoise carries through all of their rooms. I love
how this space has an open plan with a lovely tub in the
background. Aren’t the hanging pendant lights fabulous?

Here’s another layout with the but in front of the window.
What a place to take a bath!

Here’s a room with a more traditional layout although the
television is in a fabulous place for those who love to lounge
in bed to watch tv (which I love to do on trips at the end of
a day to unwind.)

Here we are at the fabulous Hotel Vertigo with a decidedly
sophisticated modern design of their rooms.

Love the pops of Orange in this hotel’s theme.

Their bathrooms are very new and up to date.

Love their sinks.

What a cool tall bench with contrasting orange
fabric on the backing of the bench.

And last but not least, I’m totally in love with this sitting
area. The orange couch and especially the organic wood
side table and coffee table are fabulous. It’s a great blend
to make an eclectic yet sophisticated look.

Photos from Personality Hotels

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Random Tablescape and Your Thoughts

It has been a challenge juggling things this week. Perhaps it is the end of the school year for my two kids, one graduating up to High School, the other testing for college. Perhaps the going away party we had last weekend for a good friend who is moving to Martha’s Vineyard played a part. Perhaps the starting of a new design business and the best part: the wonderful new clients that I have been fortunate to meet from this little blog.

I have run out of time today. But I wanted to share a little something. It represents a little juggling act itself. There is the Andy Warhol poster my mother has had since her days working at the Ace Gallery in Venice Beach in the ’70’s. There is my prized Empire State Building light. No monetary value to speak of….I just love it. There is my tramp art box, and the tops my father played with as a kid….and a couple of antlers thrown in. All of it sits on top of a glass table top left over from a client’s project and two IKEA trestle table legs cut down to fit. It is an ever-changing grouping of things I like…sort of like life. Changing it up every once and awhile makes it more interesting.

Which brings me to the question: I have done a little juggling around with the blog layout . Do you like the wider format with larger pictures? (The plan is to enlarge the banner to fit as well.) Or is it easier for you to read in a more compact format? I would love to hear your thoughts. After all…you all are why I am here. Thank you all for reading and commenting. It really does make my day.

And I promise…the next installment of the San Francisco Decorator Showcase House is on it’s way!

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Real Estate Stalking - Gorgeous Midcentury Modern Eichler

There are so many gorgeous rooms in this house I couldn’t

Now to pull back from the grandeur
to a more humble entrance.

Eichler homes are always designed with atriums in the
middle of the home - it’s sort of a signature of the unique
architectural style.

This atrium or courtyard is absolutely fabulous -
complete with the perfectly balanced landscaping.

Always tons of windows that let a lot of light in.

With prominent ceiling beams. It’s neat that
the flooring to this room is sealed cement.

A cozy little dining area.

And a very spacious master bedroom - again with
the floor to ceiling windows and sliding doors.

This looks like a small bathroom - but it’s not.

It’s a gorgeous bathroom complete with a full tub and
glass enclosed shower. Whoever designed and chose
the fixtures and the furniture in the home did a fantastic
job.

Here’s another look at the lovely bathroom.

This photo really says it all - quintessential midcentury
modern design. It’s absolutely wonderful.

What’s great is that this home has a view as well.

You don’t find many midcentury modern homes in such
fantastic condition and with such views. Now if I only had
$1,550,000 USD laying around…

Hope you enjoyed the tour.

Eichler Homes: Design for Living

In the meantime, if you’re interested
in seeing or reading more about Eichler
homes, here are a couple of great books.

Eichler: Modernism Rebuilds
the American Dream

This book is in black and white. The Eichler
home is named after Joseph Eichler who initially
designed these homes en masse. Can you imagine
owning a track home that looked like the above
home? He designed huge tracts of track homes in
the 1950’s and 1960’s. To this day, his homes are
highly in demand and they are still as hip as ever.
His firm designed and built over 11,000 homes in
Northern and Southern California and they’ve come
to be known as simply “Eichlers.”

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Luxurious Bathrooms

To me, the bathroom should be a sanctuary in the home.
It should be a place where you can relax, soak all of the
aches, pains and worries away. It’s also a place where you
can have privacy and a moment to yourself. They can be
cozy and comforting, glamorous to dream in or just zen and
spa like to relax in.

I’m dedicating this post to some fantastic bathrooms. The
above is a simple yet glamorous bathtub, chandelier and a
mirror to match.

JS Eckert Photography

Here’s a traditional beauty with lots of space, a
gorgeous tub and beautiful rugs, textures and linens.

Eva Lindh

This bathroom is super romantic simply
by the way it is decorated.

As you can see, the bathroom itself is very
simple. Yet with all the right touches and
embellishments - it is a very feminine and
romantic space. This proves you can do
wonders with just rugs, fabrics and
accessories.

This bathroom is by Mary McDonald. I love the tufted
bench as well as the painted floors in this cozy yet beautiful
bathroom.

Whites, grays and marble - you can never
really go wrong with this combination.

This bathroom is just the right size to fit two sinks, a full
size tub and a shower area in - as well as a toilet. It’s
interesting how the sinks are split. But this really works
out so you can have a view out the window while bathing.
Wonderful fixtures and marble tops.

This bathroom from Elle Decor is very romantic. I love the
unique sinks and the marble counter tops. The crystal pendant
lights and mirror really give the touches that make this space
glamorous and feminine.

An all white bathroom is always soothing - especially when
paired with so much space and light. It’s always such a luxury
when a bathroom can have large windows to let light in.

I love the periwinkle blue of this bathroom. The color is
so soothing. The tub has a unique surround that is oval
and circular in shape instead of the traditional rectangular
surrounds that are normal for a tub.

If I lived in a penthouse, boy would this be one heck of a
bathroom to shower or to take a bath in. I think it’s really
cool and super luxurious with marble covering the floors
and extending all the way to the ceiling. The glass walls
make it so you can see straight through and the fire looks
like it’s floating!

Stone: Designing Kitchens, Baths
and Interiors with Natural Stone

If you are looking for inspiration to use
natural stone in your bath or kitchen
design, I Highly recommend this book.

The Luxury Bathroom:
Extraordinary Spaces from the
Simple to the Extravagant

Here’s a fantastic book on different bathroom
designs - from simple to more formal. Great
ideas, photos and more.

Grand Master Baths
by Creative

This is a great book if you’re looking
for more traditional ides on your bathroom.
It breaks everything down from lighting to
finishes and etc.

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Inspiration Everywhere

Floral Bouquets

Last weekend….well pretty much every weekend….we go to the Sacramento Farmers Market to replenish our stock of fruits and vegetables. This time of year is absolutely the best. As soon as I find a place to park and enter the market…an almost overwhelming feeling of giddy wellbeing enters my body. The booths are overflowing and the the early morning crowds with their rolling wire shopping baskets and reusable shopping bags throng the asphalt parking lots shaded by the freeway overpass. Where during the week, a sea of grey concrete is the expected scene, I see color and texture and movement.

This is one of my “happy places”. There is something about looking over all of the bounty and picking out my own treasures, taking out my coins and handing them to the vendors as they hand me a bag from the scale that pleases me to no end.

I find inspiration here……and I imagine rooms in the colors I find:

Floral Bouquet by Veronica Swanson Beard from Elle Decor , June 2009, Photo by Simon Upton

Purple Onion

Purple Onion by Jeffrey Bilhuber from House Beautiful, March 2009, Photo by Julian Wass

Strawberries

Strawberries by Jeffrey Bilhuber from Defining Luxury

White and Red Cherries

White and Red Cherries by Alessandra Branca from Elle Decor, May 2009, Photo by Joshua McHugh

Asparagus

Asparagus by Jeffrey Bilhuber from Defining Luxury

I hope you have an inspiring weekend!

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Upstairs Downstairs at the San Francisco Decorator Showcase

Last Thursday I drove to San Francisco to see the 2009 Decorator Showcase. The day was just perfect….blue skies and a bit of an ocean breeze. It promised to be a perfect day. We arrived right around noon, so we had the whole afternoon to take our time and enjoy everything. The house, built in 1910, is located in what is referred to as “the most fashionable” part of Pacific Heights. It was built as a twin in the Georgian style by architect Nathaniel Blaisdell. The Showcase occupied the twin on the left.

I have to stay what struck me as we climbed the steps to the front door were the steps themselves. They were finished in white marble and were in perfect conditon….well…as perfect as they could be at almost 100 years old.

We entered the front door and were greeted by this whimsical floral arrangement that extended from the entry level all the way up to the ceiling of the next floor. It was quite a statement and drew our attention to the beautiful balustrade. We discovered it was created by artist Yedda Morrison

The Entry, Staircase and Upper Hallway were designed by Nicole Hollis. She used an abundance of Natural Curiosities in her design which she set off with a rich grey paint color on the ceiling and on the cabinet housing the items.

I love the striking contrast between the white trim and grey paint colors as the backdrop for the natural colors of the objects in the case and the soft grey of the hide upholstered chairs.

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The hydro-illogical cycle

You learned about the hydrological cycle in high school. The hydro-illogical cycle is one you may be less familiar with but it is more relevant to our current situation in Georgia. Grasping the hydro-illogical cycle to the point that we modify behavior is one of those areas where a high EQ [emotional quotient] trumps IQ.

Now that the drought is officially “over” our tendency will be to lapse back into apathy and pre-conservation practices. If so, we will once again be caught unaware and unprepared for the next drought. To break this cycle requires that we have a plan and that we be proactive now, while the lake is full.

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Modern green for modest green

81, 85, and 89 Weatherby in Reynoldstown are three of the greenest homes you’ll find in Atlanta.  They’re not just pleasing to the earth, either.  As you can see, they’re also pleasing to the eye.

All three homes represent a dramatic intersection of modern design and environmental consciousness. The builder has done a spectacular job of presenting the properties online here, so I won’t duplicate his efforts. A couple of interesting factoids, though: They represent some of the first residential new construction in Atlanta to incorporate living green roofs and solar hot water.

The big bonus is that these homes are now being offered at unbelievably low prices:

• 81 Weatherby, residential detached:  $449,000 [FMLS #3852355]
  
• 85 + 89 Weatherby, residential attached:  $399,000 each. [FMLS #3853806; #3853833]
  

And with projected energy savings of 50-75%, these homes aren’t just residential eye candy being sold at ridiculously discounted prices. They represent a lifestyle of maximum value and minimal environmental impact.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me for a showing of these properties. They won’t last long at these prices.

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Colorful Inspiration for Kids and Children

I’ve always loved the bright colors and how fun a child’s
rooms can be. I absolutely love the room above! It’s a room
that can be for a young girl but it’s also appropriate through
the teenage years. Very fun pink cheetah fabric on the
bergere chair.

On a white palette, bright pillows and art
work really bring this room to life.

This room is so cozy and so cute.

I’ve always loved stripes. The stripes in
this room are subtle - yet they still help
give the room some texture and needed
detail.

Love pink? Say no more.

Here’s a romantic bedroom with
a soft shag rug and canopy.

Let’s not forget the boys.

I adore the colorful striped rug - and you can never
go wrong with a stuffed hedge hog ^_^

I love this bathroom with the turquoise and
yellow rubber ducky accents. The bench
is very appropriate for those who can’t quite
reach the wash basin.

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Barbara Barry: Gumps and Metropolitan Home

There was an afternoon tea in honor of the extraordinary Barbara Barry at Gumps in San Francisco last Thursday, and I was lucky enough to attend. It is quite an experience to meet a design icon that turns out to be as lovely and gracious in person as you imagine her to be. Ms. Barry gave a brief presentation where she discussed the importance of gratitude, and living in the moment….and simply “being”. It was a refreshing and inspirational to hear her speak of appreciating every day.

Barbara Barry and right hand, Saana Baker

Barbara Barry and Gumps have teamed together to offer a wonderful mix of Barbara Barry signature designs in the form of fine furniture, lighting, china, flatware, stemware, and home fragrances. Her Wedgwood china collections are outstanding. This is my favorite I think:

Curtain Call China by Wedgwood

You can see the whole collection on the Gumps website here.

The Furniture is produced by Henredon and every detail is so well thought out. Scale and quality are perfection. The fabrics are beautiful and luxurious. You can see Ms. Barry’s complete furniture line on her website here.

It was so much fun to see all Ms. Barry’s creations and get to hear about how she finds inspiration for the design process. And there were many friends to see at the event as well! :

Barbara Barry and Marta Benson, CEO of Gumps

Chic designer Cheryl Holbein, the dashing designer and blogger Scot Meacham Wood, and the talented designer Lise Stubbs

Shannon K. Fisher and Mike Kazmierczak, sales representative team for Henredon and Maitland Smith

If you are curious to see more pictures of the event, you can go the Drew Altizer Photography website here and view many many more!

Over the weekend, I was so happy to get both my Elle Decor and Metropolitan Home magazines! I was ready for a great double header magazine-fest. And lo and behold, there was a beautiful editorial in Metropolitan Home featuring a home designed by none other than Barbara Barry. She was able to complete a top to bottom renovation in just nine months! This total transformation embodies Ms. Barry’s mantra of “luxury, tranquility and pleasure.”

Living Room, Metropolitan Home June 2009, Photo by Jeremy Samuelson

The amazing French 1950′2 coffee table is arranged with Barbara Barry furniture pieces as well as a Robert Kuo drum stool and the Bibendum chair by Eileen Grey in the Living Room.

Metropolitan Home June 2009, Photo by Jeremy Samuelson

The Breakfast Room features a vintage Gino Sarfatti chandelier over a custom Barbara Barry table. Charles Eames chairs from Modernica.

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