Design Destination – Palm Springs

Photo of the Kaufmann House courtesy of the blog Take Sunset.  Architecture by Richard Neutra

 My blog posts have been lacking lately due to me taking a short but sunny vacation to Palm Springs. It was a wonderful trip! I have been hooked on Palm Springs since I visited last year for the first time. The city has such a cool relaxed vibe, and a modern feel. The residents have completely embraced desert modernism architecture  (as seen in the famous Kaufmann residence above designed by Richard Neutra) and there are a massive number of homes and commercial buildings that embody this style. The furniture stores are unique and many of them specialize in mid-century modern pieces. For design aficionados, Palm Springs is a great destination to inspire and find some treasures. There are great restaurants and hotels to visit too. Here’s what I was up to when I was there.

 Photo courtesy of the blog Matters of Style

 The Viceroy Hotel is a must see for design enthusiasts. Designed by Kelly Wearstler this hotel is bright and cheerful and has a wonderful restaurant which we had dinner in. The above photograph is of the lobby space and the yellow geometric pattern has been created with mosaic tiles. It is dramatic and bold. I was awestruck by it! Kelly Wearstler is a designer that really inspires me, so it was fantastic to see this space in person. Here are some more photos of this incredible hotel.

Photo of the restaurant Citron courtesy of the blog High Fashion Home

Photo of guest room courtesy of the blog Design Crisis

 We stayed at the Parker Palm Springs Hotel and really enjoyed the incredible gardens and hip decor.  Designed by Jonathan Adler,this hotel pays homage to the handicrafts of the seventies with ceramics, macramé and needle point accessories and art work throughout the hotel.  It was a fun place to stay and the playful decor reminded me of a basement recreation room from the seventies. Very retro!

 Photo of guest room courtesy of the Parker Palm Springs Hotel

 Photo of lobby courtesy of Jonathan Adler

 Photo of the Spa courtesy of Jonathon Adler

 No vacation would be complete without a spa treatment! The Spa at the Parker was definitely one of the most beautiful I had ever been to. The cobalt blue and white color scheme was refreshing and the Moroccan tented room at the pool was the perfect place to relax and unwind. And the massage was absolute heaven. Ahhh!

 Photo courtesy of Chicago Timeout

 One of the best meals was breakfast at the King’s Highway Diner at the Ace Hotel. The food was all organic and it was so good, we went back twice! The restaurant and hotel are very stylish and also have a retro vibe. Although we did not see any of the guest rooms, we heard that they feature something very unique. Each room is equipped with an old record player and some vinyl to groove too!

Photo courtesy of Studio One 11

The furniture stores in Palm Springs have some incredible finds. This table was from a great shop called Studio One 11. 

They also had some other really interesting modern furniture like these pieces below.

 Photo courtesy of Studio One 11

Photo courtesy of Studio One 11

 Another store that was really interesting was House 849. These beautiful coral lamps caught my eye as did this lacquered cabinet.

Photo courtesy of House 849 via 1stDibs

 Photo courtesy of House 849 via 1stDibs

 My holiday was the perfect getaway. I really enjoy the city of Palm Springs and the surrounding area for its great design, architecture, restaurants and shops. Not to mention the other fabulous reasons to check out Palm Springs like the direct flight from Calgary with WestJet, awesome designer outlet shopping, sunny weather, and great guacamole! I’ll be returning soon no doubt!

 Cheers!

Design Inspiration from Kelly Wearstler

For Valentine’s Day my darling husband bought me a copy of the much coveted design book Hue by style setter Kelly Wearstler.  He must have been paying attention and reading my previous post about design books!  Well, he definitely gets tops marks because this book is not easy to find. It flies off the shelves and rightly so – it is a feast for the eyes.

Photo courtesy of Vogue via Apartment Therapy

For those of you that are not familiar with Kelly Wearstler, I thought that I would share some of her work with you. Her company, KWID (Kelly Wearstler Interior Design) is based in Los Angeles. She is not faint of heart when it comes to the interiors she produces. Anything dramatic, gilded, colorful, textural, patterned, and unusual she combines easily creating her signature style known as Hollywood Regency. Recently, her work has been seventies inspired, but it is the Hollywood Regency style that really gets me excited. KWID’s work inspires designers like us at Corea Sotropa Interior Design to make environments an adventure to be explored.  Here are some of her amazing projects.

Photo via DeSmitten

This neutral space is luxurious and rich. The scale of the two sculptures flanking the bar of this hotel lobby is just perfect. Kelly Wearstler has designed many hotels and restaurants as well as residences.

Photo via Canadian House and Home

I adore the orange color she chose for this room. The antique mirrors in the paneling add texture and the fireplace screen is so unique. Check out how she has mastered the art of layering by placing a lamp in front of a framed drawing that is hung on top of the mirror. Layering makes a space feel rich and collected over time.

Photo via Canadian House and Home

The scale of this cocktail table is perfect for this long luxurious sofa. Grey is replacing brown as the go to neutral and Kelly Wearstler has used it here beautifully. Combing grey with yellow creates a fresh, modern palette. The rug in this room is also to die for. I am seeing that Moorish pattern everywhere!

Photo via Canadian House and Home

This library gets a coat of high gloss red paint. Here, Ms. Wearstler shows us that cabinets need not be kept a neutral color. The dark interior of these cabinets help to accentuate the items inside. This glossy red reminds me of nail polish!

Photo courtesy of Matters of Style

All the upholstery in this gorgeous reading room is done in canary yellow. The key to pulling off a monochromatic room without making it boring is texture. Notice the different textures – shag rug, linen upholstery, leather wing backs and shiny ceramic lamp bases. They are all the same shade of yellow, but it is the variety of textures that make this room warm and inviting.

Photo courtesy of Maters of Style

KWID gets preppy in in this bathroom by using kelly green. The contrast with the black and white is fabulous. The tile pattern and mirror location is completely unique too.

Photo via Miss Gracious Living

Turquoise is the color of the year. This metallic teal leather chair is so beautiful. Kelly has kept the rest of this bedroom simple using high contrast black and white.

Photo via Belle Maison

Mixing gold and silver accents is glamorous and luxe and that is KWID’s specialty. The touch of orange on the headboard really catches your attention. I also think these screens in the foreground are an amazing way to break up a large room.

Kelly Wearstler has been called a design genius and an innovator in interior design. She is best known for the “Hollywood Regency” style illustrated in the photographs above. Her projects always push the envelope of what is expected in interiors and she continues to shape current trends. I hope you enjoyed seeing the work of someone who inspires me!

Cheers!