As I've mentioned a million times, I had an amazing time in LA! I didn't think anything could top my trip to Paris but LA came very close! Paris was all about the architecture and beauty of the city while LA was all about the people and design stores. I definitely could not have experienced as much as I did if I had not had LA local Christian May of
Maison21 as my tour guide! Not only did he take me to the best local haunts, he also drove me all around town to see the fabulous sites and joined me to meet some wonderful blogger friends including the lovely world traveler Lisa of
A Bloomsbury Life, the ridiculously beautiful and thoughtful Taryn of
Taryn Cox The Wife, the talented and tall Becca of
Rebecca June Interior Design, and sweet and chic
Style Curator who would like to remain anonymous for now!
I also owe a big thank you to Andrea
Borda Stanford, the Design + Style Editor of
C Magazine who planned the most amazing day of design which included among other things, meeting
Kathryn Ireland,
Madeline Stuart,
Peter Dunham,
Windsor Smith, and
Kelly Wearstler! It was a dream day! I wasn't sure where to even begin but I figured the best place to start on my LA posts would be the very chic
Avalon Hotel Beverly Hills that was designed by Ms.
Wearstler and was home away from home during my stay in LA.
Uber chic interior designer Kelly
Wearstler originally designed the hotel 10 years ago and is now updating it. The lobby and restaurant have already been transformed in her new 70's glamorous style and the rooms are next in line for a make-over.
The hotel sits on a corner lot and is only three stories so you're guaranteed great service! The hotel staff couldn't have been nicer and even welcomed me "home" when I returned back at the end of the day which I thought was sweet!
A fun fact is that Marilyn Monroe and Mae West both lived here in the 1950's when it was the known as the Beverly Carlton.
I absolutely loved the color scheme of aqua and gold in the lobby and that painted ceiling!
The colors remind me of the ocean and look great with the always blue LA sky!
I'm calling these sculptures modern totem poles.
The
Oliverio restaurant is garnering rave reviews for not only the design but the great cuisine! It was packed for lunch and dinner during my entire stay too!
You can see through to the pool when you enter the hotel.
All the lounge chairs face the sun for the serious tanning enthusiasts!
I would sit in the sun by the pool every morning while waiting for Christian to pick me up. It was heaven!
The cabanas are the best part of the pool area and can be reserved for lunch and dinner.
I had a great view of the pool when I walked to my room!
For a small hotel, it was full of greenery!
The rooms on the left have little balconies. I'm kind of jealous that I didn't have one too!
I had fabulous weather for my entire trip to LA as you can see by the bright blue sky in this photo!
As I mentioned, the rooms have not been renovated yet so they still retain the mid-century feel of Kelly
Wearstler's first design. They are large and comfortable and will only get better if they decorate them in the blues of the lobby. I especially loved the floor to ceiling windows that afforded me a great view of the sunrise every morning! The rates are actually quite reasonable as well. I paid $168 per night plus tax for two nights and was graciously offered two complimentary nights.
My room also looked out over the little building across the street that can accommodate more hotel guests. I really enjoyed my stay at the
Avalon Hotel Beverly Hills and can't wait to stay again after the rooms are updated. I enjoyed this trip to LA so much that I think they are going to become a regular habit!
Photos by Heather Clawson for Habitually Chic
If The Beverly Hills Hotel is like Doris Day, then the Chateau Marmont is more like The Doors. Instead of shiny and happy, it's dark and brooding and beyond cool. It was modeled after a royal chateau in the Loire Valley of France and since it opened in 1929, it has been the hot spot for celebrities and rockers to hide out and party. I originally thought about staying at the Chateau but since I just heard that it may be haunted, I'm glad that I stayed elsewhere! I'm more bright and sunny than moody and dark anyway! I did get to have an amazing first night dinner at the Chateau with Christian of Maison21, Lisa of A Bloomsbury Life, and Christian's very chic client Cristina. The food was delicious and we drank copious amounts of prosecco until I looked down at my watch and realized that although it was midnight in LA, my body knew it was really 3:00am in New York! That's when I turned into a pumpkin. Since I can no longer party like a rock star it's probably best that I didn't stay at the rock star hotel! But that's not to say I didn't have fun trying!
The hotel is also in a lovely part of Beverly Hills that makes it quiet and peaceful. You can stay at the hotel or in the bungalows which I can imagine would be very chic!
I couldn't visit the hotel without photographing the famous Beverly Hills Hotel wallpaper now could I?! It lines the stairs down to 
One of the best things about LA are all the leafy green trees and palms and it's fun that they brought the look inside the hotel.
We wanted to use this paper for the powder room for one of my projects but we ended up using a similar vintage paper. Can't wait until you can see it!
Around the corner is a display case with historic photos from the hotel and down the hall is the gift shop where I had to buy a few souvenirs! Don't forget to ask for the matches too!
As fate would have it, she and her granddaughter walked down the hall when we were checking out The Fountain Coffee Room! We had to talk to her now! She was so sweet and could not have been nicer! Turns out her name is Gerry Sinclair whose nickname is GiGi is also known as Gorgeous Grandma! When we mentioned that we were all interior designers, she informed us that her husband had founded Sinclair Paints! How perfect is that?! Also, Kelly emailed me after she read my coverage to tell me that she works for the 
She even posed like a movie star! My advice is that if you ever see someone who you think looks interesting or who you would like to meet, go for it! She was a spitfire who even took the necklace her granddaughter Kelly was wearing to lunch! She also told us how there used to be a hair salon on the same level that she used to visit, after which she would head to The Fountain Coffee Room to eat. She absolutely made our day!
