Hotel Le Meurice

Since I recently blogged about hotel style decorating, I thought I'd have to mention the most recent renovation of the Hotel Meurice in Paris. It is so refreshing and inspiring. Designer Philippe-Starck finished his beautiful face lift of the downstairs areas of the 5 star luxury hotel palace. Inspired from one of the Meurice's legendary guests Salvador Dali, Stark has included some wonderfully curious pieces that make my jaw drop! He has done a beautiful job mixing modern decor while maintaining the traditional old world French decor. Over 600 new pieces of furniture have been added to the hotel. If you click on this link and watch movie #3, you can see a great video of new welcome areas designed by Philippe-Starck. With the dollar so weak here in the US, we can at least pretend we're there! And for those reading this that are there, please check it out for us!

Photo from lemeurice.com

Being a lover of hotel style, this is so refreshing that one can take classic elements of French decor, add some Neoclassical elements and top it off with some unique modern pieces. This is the concept I always try to achieve in my own home; a mix of traditional and modern. The color palette of black and white with accents of silver and gold create the look. Some crystal chandeliers, Neoclassical pieces & one-of-a-kind accents can bring that Parisian hotel feeling right into your livingroom.

Photo from lemeurice.com

Okay... this lobby is exquisite! There is a glass case filled with aged hand mirrors and white pillar candles flickering below. Stunning. The showcase is flanked with Neoclassical chairs & a settee with a gilt bird motif.
Photo from lemeurice.com

Photo from lemeurice.com

This chair is based on an original drawing by Dali, done in polished brass.

Photo from lemeurice.com

This is Le Meurice Gastronomic Restaurant. Amazing...

Photo from lemeurice.com The mirrored "dresser" (above) holds all the glasses, dishes and cutlery for the restaurant.

Photo from lemeurice.com
Silver leaf wing chair that was inspired by Dali's use of birds in flight to form faces.

Photo from lemeurice.com What can I say? Looks like Starck did an amazing job. I'm waiting for my dear friend Janet at FrenchBlue & Company to take a trip this year and report back. I know she will make it there before me, so I'll just have to settle with my "faux hotel" home for now!

Photo from lemeurice.com

Vintage Lady Portraits

painting from parishotelboutique.com

Collecting vintage lady portraits is not a new obsession for me. I've been filling my home with these whimsical pieces for about 15 years now. Everywhere I turn there are ladies staring at me! At some point I had to start selling off some of my paintings because frankly, my house just isn't that large. I just returned from a buying trip and found a few vintage treasures for myself and my website.

painting from parishotelboutique.com
Each of these portraits are so unique and tell a story.

This latest acquisition (above) is a large portrait of an affluent woman from Santa Barbara, California. available at parishotelboutique.com

This large portrait above my sofa is signed, "Cincinnati Opera Guild" on the back. Now this glamorous opera star is the focal point of our livingroom! Here are some more paintings in my stairwell. Don't they make such a nice grouping?

The new Spring issue of O At Home Magazine features Los Angeles event planner Mindy Weiss's home. Mindy plans the most lavish celebrity weddings. She too has an obsession with vintage lady portraits. Aren't they great?

O at Home, Spring 2008, photo by Roger Davies

More portraits below from parishotelboutique.com. Here's lookin' at you!

photos above from parishotelboutique.com

The Pink Palace: Decorating Hotel Style

I just love decorating hotel style. If anyone is familiar with my website, I love old hotel items that capture the elegance of a bygone era. So, when I picked up the new March issue of InStyle Magazine, I was excited to see Nicky Hilton's home. She has taken her dinette and turned it into a mini Beverly Hills Hotel with their banana-leaf wallpaper, pink dinette set and mugs and canisters from their gift shop. So charming! The chandelier even has cute pink lampshades tying the room together. She had memories of time spent at the hotel as a little girl and wanted to capture it in her home. If you're ever been to the Beverly Hills Hotel aka the Pink Palace, it's truly a treat. You can't escape the sweet scent of flowers that grace the entire property. The Polo Lounge is the classiest place to dine. The coffee shop takes you back to an innocent time. The hotel service is amazing. The amenities, fabulous! And, of course, I can't leave out the people watching...quite a scene.

A bit more on Nicky Hilton's home. I couldn't pass up these photos of her black & white abode.
Love the patent leather headboard and bench in the bedroom. The whippets at the fireplace and this fabulous vintage Chanel serving tray that she converted into a side table. Fun!

Bohemian Rhapsody

All photos from The New Eighteenth-Century Style Book

The other day I was looking through some of my decorating books and had forgotten what a great inspiration "The New Eighteenth-Century Style: Rediscovering a French Décor" by Michele Lalande is. This is a must-have for anyone that loves an eclectic mix from different periods. "In modern usage, the term "Bohemian" (sometimes shortened to "boho") is applied to people who live unconventional, artistic lives." I think the Bohemian lifestyle is captured in this treasure of a book. From old weathered books and amateur portraits to modern lucite furniture and sculptures, these objets are mixed together in vignettes that work beautifully.
A home should be unique, interesting and reflect your own style. We've seen trends from Shabby Chic, Hollywood Glam, Hollywood Regency and many more. Trends come and go but the classics always remain. Chic Modern Minimalism appeals to many but my own personal style is a mix of different periods. I never wanted anyone to walk in my home and feel like they're on a stage set or stepped back into a specific decade. If you buy classic pieces from any decade they will never go out of style.

I just acquired two industrial metal dressers offered on my website. This book shows a photo of the same dresser with old artifacts and coral in an off-beat Bohemian way. Fabulous! No decorating rules or "how to" instructions, just find items you love and pair them together for a true Bohemian magic and eclectic home!
The New Eighteenth-Century Style: Rediscovering a French Décor can be purchased here at Amazon.com. Enjoy!

Neoclassical Style

photo from 1stdibs.com

I was recently reading a post on Poppytalk's blog on Neoclassical design trend that inspired me to write about it.

Canadian House & Home's 2008 Trend Issue shows some fun, current images of decorating with Neoclassical style. I just love the look and have vintage pieces in my home and offered on my website.

Originating in the late 18th Century, Neoclassical design is inspired by the architecture of Ancient Greece and Rome.

photo from 1stdibs.com

photo from 1stdibs.com

Neoclassical furniture is characterized by restrained, symmetrical design and tends to be rectangular. Art Deco is a decorative style emerging in the 1930's from French origins and inspired by a Neoclassical influence.

photo from parishotelboutique.com

I just love the Greek key motifs, geometric shapes and lines of Neoclassical design. I think Canadian House & Home has it right. It really isn't a trend though. It can be integrated in any decor from modern to traditional and never go out of style.

photo from 1stdibs.com

photo from parishotelboutique.com

This is my favorite acquisition! A vintage Neoclassical style chair from the famous Crown Room at the Fairmont Hotel atop Nob Hill in San Francisco. It is quite rare and dates to c. 1960. I have some in my home and was thrilled to acquire this. The "magical" Crown Room was renovated in the late 1990's and is now used for meeting and conferences. I acquired my first "Crown Room" chair at a flea market many years ago and have been on the "hunt" ever since then! Ten years later, I have 4 in my home and one offered on my website. I left the original paint in tact and had them upholstered to match the original upholstery. Sorry that these lovely chairs are no longer at the Fairmont, but happy to have my own! They are the epitome of Neoclassical design and with the hotel history, I couldn't be happier!

It's All About Presentation

When most of my days are spent hunting for vintage treasures, I enjoy looking at new gift items during the holiday season. It's the only time that I take to trek around town devouring the store windows and the goodies inside them. Some of my favorite little boutiques in the Bay Area are Tail of the Yak in Berkeley, Bell'occhio & Nest in San Francisco. There are too many to name, but these are some real treasures. I can never leave these stores without purchasing something!

Today I visited Hayes Street and went to Miette Confiserie Candy Store, what a treat! They have everything from unique French confections to Rose Geranium cotton candy and fancy cupcakes. It's such a fun place and everything is beautifully presented. Also other wonderful clothing and boutiques on Hayes Street.

Next stop, Fillmore Street to visit Nest. Starting with their window display, fabulous. Victoria at SFGirlbyBay did a wonderful post about them including photos. After oohing and aahing, I made a couple of purchases. I asked for gift wrap and wow, what a surprise! Hot pink tissue with little birds nests and eggs. And of course, their cute Nest sticker. It's $5 for their custom wrap and every bit worth it. I love presentation. It could be the smallest little gift, but if it's packaged beautifully it makes all the difference. Thanks Nest for making my day. I'm staring at these beautiful boxes it looks more like a party than your typical holiday gifts. I also have to mention Claudia at Bell'occhio who I visited last week. Bought some goodies there and the packaging, gorgeous as always! You must visit these stores if in the San Francisco Bay Area. Anyone can put sticker bows on packages, but little things like twine or vintage doodads you have laying around can add the most special touch for that special someone's gift. Anyone have any favorites store gift wraps that you want to share? I'd love to hear from you! Happy Holidays!!

Apartment Therapy House Tour ~ Lynn & Leif's Paris Hotel Home

Photography by Sandy

It's been awhile since I posted to the blog because we were so busy moving over to our new web site. Today our home was featured in Apartment Therapy Los Angeles House tours. You can click here to view the tour. Thank you so much to Grace Hsiu at Apartment Therapy for asking us to feature our home. You've been a gem! Special thanks to Sandy who gets the real credit for taking such fabulous photos. They are wonderful!