Architecture Adoration

Something I love to look at but don't know much about is architecture.  I love to look at a home, assess what I like about it (or don't like, in some cases), and figure out why.  To like or dislike the way a place is built is such a personal viewpoint -- we all appreciate different things; this is why custom home building is such a luxury -- to be able to dream up a space and actually put that dream into action is an amazing gift.

{Source}

I love that the living room opens up to the pool area, almost with a sliding or folding door of sorts.  This creates a beautiful view whether the door is open or closed.

{Source}

This home is so unique.  It almost reminds me of a birdhouse -- do you see it, too?  That tiny balcony is simply sweet, and creates an easy way to communicate with the patio.

{Source}

I love how two separate areas are connected in this home.  An easy and beautiful way to get from A to B -- especially in the rain or snow!  ;-)

{Source}

I find this home to be almost Dutch-looking!  It reminds me of some of the homes that my Aunt has shown me around where she lives in the Netherlands.

{Source}

Entire walls made up of windows -- something I am incredibly in awe of but wouldn't necessarily want.  This is definitely a modern home, and I love the look of the sharp angles and glass-house-esque appeal.

{Source}

Another very modern home.  This time, a contrast -- nestled into the woods.

{Source}

I love the layered look of this home exterior.  Upon entering, you will seemingly walk through many connecting hallways to get to your destination: the door.

{Source}

Doesn't this home give the illusion that it is set upon a bridge?  I love that you have to travel upward in order to enter!

Do you have a favorite style of home?  Tell me what it is!

Which of these homes would you want to live in?

love, maria

The Stylish Hotel Trinity

There are certain hotels that I just love -- you know, those hotels where you feel cozy, chic, or trendy being inside of.  You can't help it.  By the way the hotel is designed and furnished, it makes you feel a certain way.  It's one of my favorite parts about staying in a hotel, the way that particular place can make me feel.  I find it to be one of the most interesting aspects of staying someplace new.

Alt Hotel Quartier DIX30 {Montreal, Canada}


{Alt Hotel is a modern, enlivening, and unconventional hotel filled with clean lines and exceptional color choices and design.}

{My husband and his family traveled to Montreal back in 2008, and they stayed at this amazing and architecturally interesting hotel for about two weeks.}

Modern, almost futuristic furniture with curves adds another element of design to the straight lines and angles found in each of these rooms.

Open shelving with symmetry can create coldness, but the addition of the colorful items grouped together warms this wall up quite a bit!

Here, a family photo of my mother-in-law in the same space as shown above.  I love the interesting furniture and bold background mixed with blinding white.

A simple shower flanked in wood paneling.  Paired in the right way, wood + white = the ultimate modern space.

And again -- sleek brushed-aluminum fixtures with white and wood, an absolutely perfect assembly of modern fixtures and additions.

The Rittenhouse Hotel  {Philadelphia, PA}

{The Rittenhouse Hotel is elegant in its existence, a true place to genuinely vacation in style and in the midst of grace.  It is ranked amongst the most prestigious places to stay in the entire world, and lies just steps away from Rittenhouse Square.}

{My sister-in-law and her husband stayed here just a couple of weeks ago.  They loved it!}

I love this bedroom's mix of deep reds, browns, and light blues.  The plant in the corner gives the room warmth, and the antique-looking side table adds an element of age that is absolutely pristine.

Again with the blues and reds, and the addition of prints.  With the carpet marked a lovely pattern and the chair at the side in a delicious textile, this room is the essence of effortless beauty.

I love the print on the wing chair in this room.  All of the wood elements added together make this room stand out as one garnering an ageless romantic quality.

Viceroy Santa Monica {Santa Monica, CA}

{Classic, contemporary, chic, and modern -- all words that can equally describe Viceroy Santa Monica.  I have to say, this is my favorite of the three hotels I am posting in this entry, and it is a hotel that I would love to visit someday!}

{Another stylish hotel that my sister-in-law and her hubby stayed at -- don't they just have awesome taste?} 

This is a photo that my sis-in-law (Jillian) snapped -- take a look at that gorgeous green chair in the corner.  And that mustard-yellow stripe on the lampshade?  Perfection.

How would you like to walk into a lobby that looks like this?  Um, yes please.  That green is reiterated again in a beautiful hue -- deep and luscious.  The best kind of green.  The white base of color makes this scheme pop even more.

A sitting room.  That chandelier is classic and chic, however there is furniture supporting the overall modern flair with curves and straight lines abound.  A perfectly put-together room.

A view of the room that my sister was staying in -- notice the slight attributes of color here and there.  The overall scheme of the room is a blank pallet, but the addition of deep color adds a complexity that is absolutely heavenly.

A photo that Jillian took -- her raspberry clutch against the green really pops both colors, don't you think?

Which of these hotels is your favorite?

Do you have a place that you (and your family) love to stay when you go on vacations?  A place that just feels good to walk into?

Love, Maria