• Hotels
  • 13Jul

    6 Comments

    Our trip to Sweden sadly came to an end this week.  But instead of opting for a sad goodbye and stay in a depressing airport hotel, we decided on another adventure.  To break up the four hour drive to the airport in Stockholm my friend Monica, Luke and I stayed overnight at Kragga Mansion, another one of c/o Hotels amazing old properties that dates back to the 14th century. Perhaps you read about last years stay at the haunted Haringe Castle?  These places make me swoon! If you ever visit Sweden, I highly recommend them.

    We started out driving three hours on one of Sweden’s biggest highways. Yes, this is what highways look like in Sweden. One lane roads….

    Just not enough people for the five lane freeways  I guess…

    After some maneuvering we finally found the entrance to this old place.

    Can you resist a tree lined street? It always makes me so curious what will be at the other end of it…

    This is what we found…Kragga Mansion.  You can read the history of the home here.

    My favorite part about staying at a property that c/o Hotels own and manage, is that you always feel like you are the private guest of someone.

    Photo op on the front stop. We stayed this casual all the way through dinner.

    The big decision of the night was deciding on what room to eat in…

    The dining room?

    Perhaps the living room?

    The pretty blue down stairs dining area?

    (I was obsessing over this great blue color – the back wall shows the color correctly.)

    Cool accessories!

    We decided since it was a perfect evening to dine outside.

    We would eat in front of the lake in these castle like dining sets. That’s the wing of the property where we stayed in the back.

    Next to beautiful roses!

    How could you not want to enjoy this view?

    The sun shines until late in the evening, so better bring your sunglasses when dining outside even late at night! Luke’s hat wasn’t enough.

    As the evening progressed it got a bit chilly and the blankets offered by the hotel came in handy. Luke wore his as a cape, and ran the length of the yard down to visit the lake cottage and famous sauna.

    The perfect spot to finish off a glass of wine! A lot of old Swedish homes built these little funny buildings down by the water to dine our have drinks in. The houses were built further away to stay away from the cold water front. Really anything to stay warm in Sweden!

    I love the dramatic Swedish summer sitting wrapped in a blanket and breathing fresh air.

    Ho cozy chic is this?

    Swedes are big on fur covered chairs, for one reason, to warm up your behind!

    L-O-O-O-V-E-D this spot!

    I want a space like this, a cottage just to sit by the lake and be cozy!

    And enjoy the natural beauty.

    We headed out to have a look at the sauna at the end of the dock.

    Just really enjoying the night.

    Checking out the hotel from afar, that was once a private home.

    And then we retired to our small but cheerful room.

    Have a great weekend!

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  • 29May

    8 Comments

    We’re spending the weekend in Newport, RI.  The air is cool and the fog rolls in every night.  Being here brings me back in time, envisioning the life of the colonialists in this beautiful port, and later the gilded era when one mansion outdid the next…

    The reminder of hundreds of years of life lived by the sea is everywhere….

    We took a walk along the “Cliff walk” high up on a cliff overlooking the ocean. On one side you pass empty mansions from a bygone era before income tax and the Depression, on the other a beautiful ocean view….

    The cool air forced me to wear my trench coat…Dan thought I looked like a spy…

    We passed beautiful grand old architecture…that sadly hardly ever is built anymore.

    The walk had a slight Hitchcock feel to it….

    …particularly if you looked down!!

    Mansion after mansion lay quiet….

    …only as a reminder of a lifestyle gone….A rich coal mining family once lived here, until the father suddenly died and the depression hit.

    Even though most mansions are now museums they have an eerie lonely feeling.

    One mansion is bigger than the next….

    (This image via Flickr-my Iphone went dead right before we got there)

    This is Doris Duke’s former home, where she supposedly killed her ex-lover crushing him against the gate, while driving drunk in her own driveway…but was never charged for murder.  Money buys happiness…yeah right.

    Beautiful old wishing well in someone’s garden. Hopefully they got what they wished for.

    We dined in old places…

    …that had served up food for wayward travelers for hundreds of years.

    Or in places by the bay that have fed hungry sailors and visitors for a long, long time.

    Down at the docks they were hard at work salvaging and rebuilding a large famous sailboat from the past -The Coronet.

    I love going back in time…

    This is where I’m sitting now writing this…

    The Francis Malbone House in from the 1700′s. Staring down at me is an old portrait. It’s very easy to imagine people scurrying about in long dresses on the merchant street outside, and the sound of hoofs hitting the road.

    Hmm, don’t know just something mystical about it…

    Maybe it was the fog that rolled in from the ocean at last nights dinner….

    Hope you’re enjoying your Memorial Day weekend wherever you are!

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  • 4Jan

    16 Comments

    I hope you all had a great New Year’s!!  I was fortunate to kick off 2011 with a short trip to Miami. I was excited to stay at one of our favorite hotels, The Raleigh.  I’ve always adored the design, the swimming pool, the vibe- it’s so relaxed and inspiring. But there seemed to have been some changes  since my last visit and NOT for the better. So I would like to make a few suggestions….curious if you agree with me….

    The hotel website has this photo below, which is pretty true to the way it looks.

    Image The Raleigh hotel

    Beautiful, retro black & white & red design in the garden.

    Image The Raleigh hotel

    The swimming pool is the best in Miami, and again looks like it does in the hotel brochure.  Just imagine the design inspiration you could get for the lobby and the rooms from the outdoor design.

    They have no image of their lobby on their website, but here is my snapshot….

    HUH???

    What happened? I know the hotel likes to have a relaxed, somewhat earthy feel. I’m kind of seeing a chandelier instead of that…artwork?

    Is it only me or do you agree this needs work?

    The entry has so much potential!

    So dear hotel management company, please don’t be offended…I love the hotel, but may I make a few suggestions for your lobby? I’ll resist my temptation for too much color because I know you like it relaxed…

    How about a couple of custom sofa’s by Patagonia Trading company? This color or more towards aqua with white piping.

    Some artistic crazy chandelier like this would stay in the vein of what you’re doing, but would be way more elegant and cool I think.

    A nice vintage Beni Ourani rug will keep it earthy and not too Hollywood regency.

    …or an LuluDK bamboo carpet?

    An octagon shiny leather ottoman from Patagonia Trading Company….


    And some earthy side tables?

    Some different chairs…hmm maybe, maybe not, just thinking quickly….

    Maybe this…

    Couple of cool garden stools?

    Image The Raleigh Hotel.

    All this would blend nicely with your cool coffee bar in the lobby.

    Anyone have any great design suggestions for their lobby? Seriously…I’ll send it to them.

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  • 22Nov

    5 Comments

    The holidays are here. Thanksgiving, and next up Christmas. Being Swedish Christmas is my favorite of the two, particularly since I get to travel home and visit my family. Due to the bad economy they’ve canceled all the flights from Stockholm to my home town.  So the only option after we land is a 3 1/2 hour train ride or car ride.

    That means we need to spend the night somewhere close to the airport in Stockholm to make the early return flight. Just the perfect excuse I needed to try and book a room at a place I’ve been dreaming about going for a LONG time…Gorvaln’s castle. It’s my hotel “design crush”. I posted about it on the blog before. I don’t know about you, but this hotel castle leaves me speechless..

    The hotel owners design many of their own furniture pieces. Adding fun fabrics or finishes. The style in the rooms range from dreamy rococo to a more stern black and white.

    Wild rococo headboard with navy velvet and purple…hard to resist.

    A dreamy romantic room with pale wood floors and fun wallpaper. And the bed….!!

    One of the black and white rooms. I am definitely going to ask for a tour of ALL rooms. If we can get a room I’m sure I’ll be one of the most annoying hotel guests, because I don’t want o miss a thing!!

    I had this room on the blog before. Great color combinations!!

    Dreamy wallpaper.

    I think this is one of the new bedrooms, and the most photographed with a ornate silver headboard.

    Super cool.

    Getting in the Christmas spirit.

    This image and the two following are from a Swedish wedding magazine that did a shoot there. Check out that nice wallpaper and the gray tweed on the antique chairs. All the colorways are superb.

    Not a bad place to get married.

    Hopefully this will be me in a few weeks lounging on a fancy ornate bed with a fun feather lamp in the background…

    …having just arrived in from a cold, snowy walk around the property….

    …..aaahhhhh.

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