Inspiration from Travel: Californian Boutique Hotels

This time last year we were preparing for an amazing USA West Coast Road Trip from San Francisco to Las Vegas. 

I was extremely excited as we decided to splash out on the hotels which allowed hours of perusing beautiful hotel websites. Here are the best of where we stayed:

Hotel Zetta San Francisco

A world of quirky cool fun complete with a metallic dogs (and you know I love a dog), a giant Plinko* Wall, graffiti décor and huge chandeliers made from coloured reading glasses.

*For anyone not familiar (which includes me) Plinko seems to be like a penny arcade machine but with a basketball instead of a coin… fun though!

I loved this hotel, warm natural wood tones and leather contrasted with bright pops of colour. In the bedrooms urber cool bedside table lamps, luxurious bed head and amazing book shelf wall paper in the ensuite made it feel like we were staying in a cool city loft- which I suppose we were.

  

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BROKEN GLASS DECORATIVE CEILING IN THE LIFT LOBBY

YES THAT IS A CHANDELIER MADE FROM COLOURFUL READING GLASSES

THE BEST BOOK WALLPAPER OF ALL TIME

 Monterey- Portola Hotel and Spa
Monterey is the only other place I would want to live, it is truly idyllic and we saw more amazing wildlife on our morning walk than you would see on an average trip to a British zoo.

Monterey may be the best place in the world or I may have been swayed by the WARM chocolate chip cookie presented to us on arrival.

It was a shame we only stayed here for one night and didn’t have time to explore the spa which is connected to the hotel via a large covered courtyard illuminated by fairy light decorated tress but we did partake in the Micro-brewery bar (with its fire pit tables) and I really enjoyed the décor of the rooms.

They were simple with gorgeous white sheets bold nautical prints and beautiful white wooden shutters with views to tree lined streets. The show stopper for me was the en-suite and when we redo our bathroom I will be stealing more than a few details from this design.

OTTER CUDDLY TOY A BARGAIN AT ONLY $20- I WASN'T ALLOWED

THE OTTER STEALER! 

MOSAIC FLOOR TILES AND WHITE SUBWAY TILES COMBINED WITH SLEEK GLASS SHOWER SCREEN

MARBLE TOPS, OAK UNITS AND A DEEP OCEAN BLUE WITH LIME/OLIVE HIGHLIGHTS- I JUST LOVE IT

 LA- SIXTY, Beverly Hills

This hotel was pure cool, dark and luxurious.

En-suites

We all know ensuites in hotels are wonderful but the three in the hotels I've shared about were examplary- everything was exactly where you wanted it before you even know that you needed it- and that is the best design compliment ever.

Watch this space for California Chic influeneces coming soon.

[Your] Place: Rise of the Feature Ceiling

Recently a couple of images have really caught my eye with feature wallpapered ceilings...

I want to declare it a 'new trend' but a glance into any European cathedral or stately home would point out otherwise.

The most famous decorated ceiling - The Sistine Chapel

Instead I think its a rarely seen trend in the modern home which I hope to see more of because; with a wallpapered ceiling you can keep the walls light and focus the attention up which would be very beneficial in a small space, its a more designer take on the feature wall and would allow you to make a bold paint and bold pattern choice if you so desired and finally its an extra platform to play with the dimensions of your space.

STADSHEM

The image above is the perfect example of how a carefully selected wall paper paired with light walls can make a room look bigger. This paper not only reflects the light it emulates the sky- effectively making the ceiling disappear- well almost. This would also be a great idea for a nursery, bedroom or any other room in which you spend a lot of time -ehem- looking up.

JENNA MCLAUGHLIN

The image above is from a fantastic virtual tour of fantastic Edinburgh Apartment on Houzz- full of retro glamour and subtle geometric pattern contrasted with bold bright blocks of colour- please check it out! This wallpaper is striking contrast to the all white bathroom tiles and fixtures, this takes a standard bathroom to a 'stand out' bathroom.   

  

GREG NATALE

I've just discovered Greg Natale and I'm a little bit in love. This geometric pattern is probably my favourite uses of wall paper on a ceiling I've seen, this would be particularly good to balance the proportions of a long narrow room. By keeping the walls light the room seems larger and by focusing the colour and pattern on the ceiling it seems lower.

Is this a trend you'll be trying?

[Your] Place; The Finishing Touches

Getting the basics of your scheme right is important,
Sometimes a scheme concept can be a struggle to get right...

...but all that hard work will pay off when you add the finishing touches.

This is the fun bit- These pieces will really put your stamp on the your place, they'll have the most impact with instant effect and (with a little luck) bring everything together.

[Our] Lounge scheme (post coming soon]) has been developed as a neutral base with dark charcoal grey, creams and blacks. The prints and patterns we've selected  are very graphic and I've been letting it settle in my mind whilst looking for the right statement to set it off.

Sometimes you just can't rush to finish!

I recently painted a very simple canvas (project from the January Cure) that brings together my favorite shades and tones in a sort of graffiti mood board.

My colourful Graffiti Canvas

Its a large canvas and a strong statement that balances the monochrome patterns and metallic wallpaper and introduces another influence.

To pull this influence into the room I have been seeking some bright color block velvet cushions to complement the pale grey velvet fabric of the sofa.

I love velvet and suede; the intensity of the color is so much more lustrous and luxurious with a textured fabric finish.

After a long search I found some gorgeous cushions in by Soho at Heals, but at £45 a pop I couldn't bring myself to do it (especially as the Mr hates cushions).

Soho At Heal's

I am a firm believer in spending your money where it counts and in my mind that is investment pieces of furniture, I always try to keep spending on accessories minimal so a scheme can be easily updated without breaking the bank.

And that's how I came across H&M for Home cushion range and I just had to share...

The Colourways...

The cushion covers come in two sizes 50 x 50cm (£6.99) and 30 x 50cm (£4.99). H&M also sell the inner cushions at £6.99 and £4.99 respectively.

Its quite unusual to find such a board range of colors and sizes in a variety of fabrics I think H&M will be my go to for throw cushions from here on in.

I've put together some example colorways below to get the creative juices flowing!

 Post on completed Lounge scheme coming soon...

[Your] Place; In love with the digital design world

Happy Valentines Day!

Today I'm getting in the spirit and am going to wax lyrical about this exciting time we live in and the interior & lifestyle blogs I adore!

A Bit of British-

The Brit Chic Lifestyle Blog;

Apart from frequently featuring one of my besties on in an 'Girl about town' feature, Florence finds also offer interesting and inspirational posts on interiors, recipes and outfits from the UK.

Image from the Flemish Exchange post on Real Rooms

Design Inspiration Mecca;
The Beat That My Heart Skipped does an awful lot of legwork seeking sources of inspiration in the nooks and crannies of our home city. I love this blog!

Steven Alan Strips for White Elm Post 

Quirky finds with a wicked sense of humor;

My friends house is everything I love about Britain; wit, humor and unique creativity. They make me proud to be a British designer!

Cushions from Fine Cell Work post @ My Friends House

Blogs from across the pond;

First up my newest crush; 

Apartment Therapy is the Interiors Blog dedicated to home well being. This blog is vast and one of my favorite features is the before and after and tours of real homes.

Image from Top DIY Projects for the Bedroom

The Constant Guide;

Design Sponge offers practical advice on every aspect of design. If you want something specific [like advice on good interior photography] and it's very likely to be here.

Image from Sneek Peeks post of a Lower East Side Apartment

Long Standing Love Affair;

I've been reading the Made by Girl blog of, New Yorker, Jen Ramos for a while, she posts interesting interiors, recipes, outfits and more besides. She also has her own range of prints and original paintings- a couple of which are winging their way to [Our] Place.

Love Print From Made By Girl NY

Do you want to share the love?

Tell me your favorite blogs below...

[Our] Place; NY Sunday Brunch

I don’t know if it’s my age, genetics or the things I learned from watching my parents but I love homemaking.

I think it’s telling that my Christmas list this year was exclusively kitchen gadgets, prints, and accessories for the house and I was thrilled to receive them.

I read recently that your home should be a retreat, somewhere to relax and that having a hobby at home can help your home feel like your sanctuary.

My constant ‘home-hobby’ is entertaining, I love having a house full of people

Last Sunday was a New Year Brunch with my nearest and dearest from school and it gave me the perfect opportunity to test out the new food mixer and bread maker.

NY Brunch Menu

Baked dippy eggs with Parmesan

Bacon wrapped asparagus

Chipolatas

Homemade brioche and sour dough soldiers

The above was served with tea, fresh coffee & Virgin Pomegranate Mojitos and drop scones brought by two good friends

In my opinion every Brunch needs a sweet treat to round it off and this zingy fruity cake went down a storm. In fact several of my friends asked for the recipe so I thought I’d share with everyone.

Passion fruit drizzle cake [for 12]

Preparation time: 30 Minutes
Cooking time: 30 Minutes
Cooling Time: 60

Sponge Ingredients
225g unsalted butter, softened
225g golden caster sugar
3 medium eggs
150ml milk
225g self-raising flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Drizzle Ingredients
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
Juice of 1/2 orange and 1/2 lemon
3 passion fruit, pulp only
100g golden granulated sugar


Method
Preheat the oven to 190°C, fan 170°C, gas 5. Spray or Butter a 30 x 23cm baking tin, approx. 4 cm deep.

Put the butter and caster sugar in the bowl of a food processor and mix together until pale and fluffy, or use a large bowl and an electric hand whisk.

Add the eggs one at a time, then add the milk- Don’t worry if the mixture appears curdled at this point.

Gradually add the flour and baking powder through the funnel with the motor running, finally adding the orange zest.

Transfer the mixture to the baking tin, smoothing the surface, and bake for 30 minutes or until golden and shrinking slightly from the sides, and a skewer comes out clean from the centre.

Run a knife around the edge of the tin and prick the cake with a skewer all over the surface at about 2cm intervals.

Combine the orange and lemon juice, passion fruit pulp and granulated sugar in a bowl, then spoon this over the top of the warm cake.

Leave it to cool, allowing the juice to sink into the cake. Once cool, cut into squares.

Note: To make this gluten free, use 225g polenta instead of the flour and 2½ teaspoons baking powder.

[Your] Place: Looking forward to the weekend

This first full week back at work has been hard... so it is with great anticipation I wrote my weekend 'To Do' list this morning.

There is a division of opinion on lists, some people feel that lists highlight what you haven't achieved... some people get great satisfaction by drawing a line through completed tasks... I am the latter. I live by the list!

With that in mind I have given myself 4 enjoyable tasks for the weekend:

1) Catch up* with the Apartment Therapy January Cure task #1-#7
*I know this is some what defeating the breaking it down objective of the January cure but I was a bit late to the party and I don't want to miss out.

2) Complete my drafted New Year Brunch post

3) [Our] Place; The Downstairs face lift photo shoot

4) Wedding Planner update

What are your weekend plans?

[Your] Place; Retro Light Bulbs

Check these beauties out at Achica!

So these funky Dowsing & Reynolds light bulbs are more about ambiance and aesthetics than a light to read by, but that's why I love lighting you can have so many levels in one room!

I feel a purchase coming on!

 

[Our] Place; The Downstairs Facelift

Having done nothing but procrastinate and 'moodboard' since moving in, three weeks before Christmas I decided it was imperative that we decorate, almost the entire, downstairs for the festive period of entertaining. Sigh!

'My poor [long-suffering] other half!'

Luckily he is used to my ways and coped very well through the subsequent onslaught of wallpaper samples, paint samples and the creative turmoil that only ensues when I’m designing [Our] Place.

Swatches galore!

 

When considering our scheme I really started to think about my design principles and personal style and what I came up with was very 'fluid' but based loosely on the statements below; 

• I find schemes that develop from a single source of inspiration are the most effortless
 
• I love schemes that can be added to and evolve as your tastes and lifestyle changes
 
• I like adjacent spaces to have something in common so they flow from one to the other
• I consider lighting to be the most influential aspect of any scheme.
• I try to avoid seasonally biased themes and colours- I try to choose a neutral scheme that can be easily updated seasonally or with the trends.

Over the next couple of weeks I’ll publish posts with more detail on each of the spaces and the finishes and products we used...

 

I'll keep you posted x

NYR for YPYR

I just read a lovely post on Apartment Therapy about the Theresa Gonzalez's New Years Resolutions for her apartment.

I love this because it turns the concept of those niggeling 'to do' lists into time invested in your home 'a little TLC' as Theresa puts it.

Following her lead my 2014 Resolutions for [Our] Place & YPYR are:

1) Design our extension
2) Put in a shower (currently using a shower attachment hung from a shelf)
3) Get our expensive range oven out of the garage and into the kitchen (I miss gas hobs)
4) Clear the box room (the smallest bedroom is still full of boxes from the move)
5) Maximise and utilise the storage in the house; A Place for Everything
6) Entertain more at home
7) Better time keeping when entertaining so its more enjoyable
8) Be more organised
9) Allow more time for homemaking and hobbies
10) Use every inch of [Our] Place
11) Blog once a week
12) Revamp the blog page
13) Instagram once a day
14) Become featured Interiors blogger

What are your resolutions for [Your] Place?