I was perusing one of my favorite celebrity gossip blogs and came across this photo of Dita von Teese, Claudia Schiffer and Victoria Beckham sitting front row at Roland Mouret’s Spring/Summer 2008 Haute Couture show in Paris last week. With their makeup, the lighting and their nearly identical poses they sort of look like plastic dolls. And I’m not sure how well they can even see the clothes through their dark shades! Still, I have to admit they look tres chic! What do YOU think?
I travel to Boston for work quite a bit and every time I go I make sure I stay at one of my all-time favorite hotels, XV Beacon. The intimate and uber chic boutique hotel is located in downtown Boston in the historic and charming little enclave known as Beacon Hill. The tree-lined, picturesque streets are filled with red brick Victorian and 20th century colonial town houses, many bearing American flags on their facades. Home to the likes of John Kerry and other prominent residents, it’s one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the country and one its most notable streets, Beacon Street, is where the namesake XV Beacon is located.
XV Beacon Lobby
Entering the hotel feels more like you’re walking into someone’s living room, rather than a hotel lobby. A luxuriously upholstered sofa surrounded by several armchairs sits facing the fireplace and the seating is enhanced with throw pillows in rich fabrics and wool throws which give the room an even cozier feel. The color scheme consists of warm neutral tones accented with unexpected pops of deep red. The atmosphere is so inviting you almost want to skip going up to your room and just curl up right there in the lobby with a good book and a glass of red wine! The interiors were designed by Boston based interior designer Celeste Cooper, who is also an Interior Design Magazine Hall of Fame inductee. The décor is the perfect mix of old and new with modern furnishings and accessories juxtaposed with traditional architectural details. The building, originally designed in 1903 by famed Boston architect William Gibbons Preston, is now a registered landmark with the National Register of Historic Places. Many of the original architectural details were preserved including the tall crown moldings, grand marble staircase with decorative brass handrails and wrought iron cage elevator. And I just love how Cooper covered the elevator walls in read leather…every chic little detail was perfectly chosen!
XV Beacon Guest Room
The hotel’s guest rooms are just as warm and inviting as the lobby. I’ve stayed there several times and the rooms all seam to have different layouts but one commonality is that every room features a fireplace…a wonderful luxury especially if you’re visiting in the winter months when it’s freezing outside. Aside from the gorgeous décor, the impeccable service and amenities are what keeps me coming back to XV Beacon. When you check in you’re provided with a stack of business cards for your stay with a direct line and fax number to your room. Upon entering your room for the first time you’ll find the drapes closed, the lights dimmed, the fireplace on and jazz softly playing on the room’s surround sound system, which even extends to the bathroom so you can listen to your favorite tunes while showering or taking a relaxing bubble bath.
XV Beacon Bathroom
Speaking of the bathrooms, they don’t skimp on luxury either. With a simple scheme of white marble and dark wood cabinetry, what makes these bathrooms so great are the elegant little details such as the fresh orchid blossoms, chrome towel warming racks, monogrammed bath linens and the most beautiful Lefroy Brooks faucets you’ve ever seen! (Yes, it’s the small things that get me excited!)
I would highly recommend a stay at XV Beacon if you’re ever visiting the Boston area. At the very least, stop by to check out the lobby and have drinks or dinner in the hotel’s adjoining steakhouse, Mooo… (Love the name!) which, aside from their amazing steaks, offers the best lobster bisque ever. I’m going back to Boston in April and can’t wait to call XV Beacon home for the one night I’ll be there. During my stay, I’ll make sure to take some close-ups of the bathroom faucets to share with you!
My dream bedroom. Room by II BY IV Design Associates, photo via Desire to Inspire.
I am an addict…a design blog addict. I’ve been utterly obsessed with them ever since my accidental discovery of Apartment Therapy a few years ago. I now have close to 100 bookmarked on my browser and must confess that keeping up with all these blogs is starting to decrease my productivity! I can’t help it…I absolutely love interior design!
My love and appreciation for beautiful interiors was cultivated long before I discovered design blogs or even the internet. My mother, now a custom window treatment designer/drapery maker, used to be an interior designer. I grew up accompanying her to show houses and watching her work in her studio in the basement of our house. I especially loved going with her to the show houses where I would wander off, admiring the beautiful rooms while daydreaming about which ones I’d want inside the dream house I’d own when I grew up. As an adult, I continue to come across endless sources of design inspiration and I’m still fantasizing about my future dream house!
So…I decided to start this blog as a way to indulge in my love for design by chronicling all of the amazing places, people, things and ideas that inspire me. I hope you enjoy and please check back frequently as I blog about interior design, fashion and other stylish things!
