[11 posts tagged “travel.”]

A sunny Saturday at the Desert Star hotel, Palm Springs

My dear friend and I celebrated milestone birthday this winter with a fun long weekend in Palm Springs. But why Palm Springs? Let me count the ways....
1. Sun, sun and more sun—354 days of sunshine each year.
2. The airport is 2-3 miles from hotels, which means I didn't have to give up my chauffeur taxi habit.
3. Elizabeth Taylor, Liberace, Eisenhower, Suzanne Somers, Trina Turk. All fabulous people go here.
4. Modernism galore: Neutra, Cody, Frey Lautner. Plus all that vintage shopping.
5. The hotels! Oh, the hotels! The Parker, The Ace, and our casa, The Desert Star.

Not a single guest at Desert Star didn't daydream about installing a deadbolt in their bungalow and moving in for good. The rooms were outfitted with Case Study-style furniture and iPod docks and fuzzy robes and cutting boards and decent knives and blenders (blenders!). All of which meant it wasn't at all challenging to slip into a bikini, pour a cocktail (with garnish!) and don the fuzzy robe to the pool (see pic).

We were told of the wonders of the San Jacinto trails and glory of Joshua Tree and about that "great vintage shop down the road where everything's just your size," but we are cold-climate dwellers and so we did this. Every day. For hours. Until the sun dipped past the mountains and were forced to find solid food (Cheeky's, El Mirasol highly recommended). I'll return to Palm Springs and I'll hit that vintage shop and I'll see those mountains, but probably only if it's raining.

Custom molds, Frederick P. Victoria & Son, L.I. City

Handsome father-son duo Tony and Freddy Victoria whirled me around their studio. A highlight: boxes of beautiful embellishments that add j ne sais quoi to French furniture. Also, lounging in a Louis XV voyeuse, which has a little shelf for resting your arm.

Photo by Michael Falco for the Globe and Mail

Check out my musings on Red Hook (which neighbors my neighborhood). Home to quiet bike-ride-able streets, killer street-scapes, charming shops and bars and, most importantly, creative people like my friends Amy and Matt—it's one of my fave spots in the world.

These hard-drinking newsies are here to tell you to read my articles

My byline cropped up a few times this week, first in Manhattan magazine, where I profiled a couple ace interior designers, and then in the The Globe & Mail (the New York Times of Canada, as we can it in the biz), where I reviewed the hotel SLS in L.A., which I wrote about last month. Take a looksy! And, as always you can see more of my work by clicking Articles at the top of the page.

Throne room, Topkapi Palace harem, Istanbul

Istanbul decoration: even better than expected. I anticipated the Iznik tiles, but I wasn't prepared for the glorious alchemy of when European grandeur veered head first into Eastern tradition. Case in point: Topkapi Palace, the home of Ottoman sultans (and around 4,000 staff) from 1465 to 1853. By the 18th century, sultans were obsessed with Rococo style, hence the gilt ornament in the harem's Throne Room. (There are Delft tiles and Murano glass windows, too--who says globalization is new?) Click MORE for the prettiest patterns I found in Turkey, including from Hagia Sofia.

Topkapi ceiling

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Recently I was in Brussels reporting an article about the city's antiques and vintages stores. I tend not to shop while I work. It's not really cost effective, plus, I'm already carrying a map, camera and notebook. But I made an exception for this oddball lamp--for 33 euro, which I found at La Patine. Couldn't be, I thought. It's clearly handmade, and has new wiring and a fresh shade. I asked again, and the shopkeeper confirmed the price and encouraged me to return Sunday so the owner could tell me the story behind it. I left with the lamp and vowed to return. But I probably shouldn't have...

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Study hall, Topkapi Palace, Istanbul

I returned from Istanbul nearly a week ago and I still haven't washed my gorgeous new towels and pestemels, finished eating that sickly sweet Turkish delight or even posted a barrage of images yet. That's because I was busy sewing pillow inserts for the vintage kilim covers I bought at the Grand Bazaar. (Priorities!) Here's a teaser--one room of the inimitable harem of Topkapi Palace.

Rooftop cabanas, SLS Hotel, Los Angeles

Simply Lovely Spaces. Sam loves Starck. Some Light Showers. For me, a late-January weekend at SLS Hotel in Los Angeles meant a seriously sexy sleepover. And Sophie Loves Sleepovers.
Service Luxury Style was the thought of nightclub kingpin-turned-hotelier Sam Nazarian, but the copywriters took it and ran... Now, the aphorisms decorate key cards, note paper, and all sorts of silly little somethings at this Philippe Starck-designed property, the first of a portfolio. Some little secrets ahead...

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Mmmm. Carbolicious at Le Cirio, Brussels
I admit it, I wasn't capital-P psyched to visit Belgium last weekend but the Belgians wooed me--I'm in love! Expect a slew of Brussels-centric posts, but first, I'm off to work off the waffle weight.

The incredible, inimitable Home Hotel, Buenos Aires; photo courtesy of Home Hotel

New York: 12 degrees. Buenos Aires: 84 and sunny. This month Connecticut Cottages & Gardens published a story I wrote about the jaw-dropping home decor and contemporary art scene in the Argentine capital (call it 'BA,' baby). Click here to read.