Chic in London: Edition Hotel

One of the places I was most excited to stay while I was recently in London was the new London Edition Hotel. It's a collaboration between Marriott hotels and hotelier and Studio 54 founder, Ian Schrager. There are bits of it that remind me of the Public Hotel in Chicago that Mr. Schrager also designed (read my review here). The pops of green and artwork by Belgian photographer Hendrik Kerstens are similar but the Edition is taking the chain hotel to a chic new level. The New York Times has more on the story here. The London Edition is the first of many Edition Hotels with Miami set to open this year and New York in 2015. After staying first at Firmdale Hotels in London, the Edition was a sexy switch up with a party going on day and night in the lobby.  I highly recommend staying on an upper floor to escape the sound. Even if you don't stay at the Edition, you should definitely make a dinner reservation at their restaurant, Berner's Tavern, which is the talk of the town. I can't wait to see what they do in New York.

Berner's Tavern

The check in desk and hallway to the elevators. 

This is what my room looked like during my stay. I was very excited to find plugs on both sides of the bed and an American outlet by the desk. Not having plugs on both sides of the bed in hotels is my biggest pet peeve while traveling. 

Photo by Hendrik Kerstens.

My bathroom did not have a tub so it's nice to see that some rooms have one. 

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Hot in Cleveland

Just a quick reminder that I will be at the Ohio Design Center in Cleveland on Thursday, September 26th to give the Keynote Presentation at 1:00pm at their Fall Market Day.  This is a "to the trade" only event after which I will be signing copies of my book Creativity at Work.  e will also be an Q&A event with another book signing open to the public on Friday, September 27th.  You can check out all the details here. If this trip goes as well as the one in Hot in Cleveland, who knows, I may never return.  

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Suggestions for Success

21 Suggestions for Success by H. Jackson Brown Jr. 

1. Marry the right person. This one decision will determine 90% of your happiness or misery.
2. Work at something you enjoy and that's worthy of your time and talent.
3. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
4. Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
5. Be forgiving of yourself and others.
6. Be generous.
7. Have a grateful heart.
8. Persistence, persistence, persistence.
9. Discipline yourself to save money on even the most modest salary.
10. Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated.
11. Commit yourself to constant improvement.
12. Commit yourself to quality.
13. Understand that happiness is not based on possessions, power or prestige, but on relationships with people you love and respect.
14. Be loyal.
15. Be honest.
16. Be a self-starter.
17. Be decisive even if it means you'll sometimes be wrong.
18. Stop blaming others. Take responsibility for every area of your life.
19. Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you'll regret the things you didn't do more than the ones you did.
20. Take good care of those you love.
21. Don't do anything that wouldn't make your Mom proud.

I came across this list yesterday and thought it would be perfect to start off the week.  The only thing I would add is to travel as much as possible.  It broadens your mind and is always inspiring.


Photo by me via instagram.

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Domaine de la Baume

I'm currently trying to figure out how I can spend the whole of August traveling around Provence starting with Domaine de la Baume. The property in Tourtour which opens July 5th used to be the home of expressionist painter Bernard Buffet in the 1950's. It looks like an absolute oasis to this overworked city girl.   A place where you could definitely recharge your batteries and get away from it all.  Who's with me? 

click to enlarge photos

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Chic in LA: Avalon Hotel

When I visited Los Angeles last year, I stayed a big "too cool for school" hotel where I felt like no one cared who I was or how I was doing.  That's why on this trip, I decided to stay at the Avalon Hotel Beverly Hills again.  I stayed at the hotel three years ago but that was before the rooms had been renovated so it was nice to see how they changed.  What's really funny is that I was booked into the exact same room from three years ago. You can see pics here. The only complaint I had about the upgraded rooms is that you can no longer open the windows and there aren't any places to hang a towel in the bathroom if you use the one hook for your robe. But the marble bathroom is a thousand times nicer than the previous one so that made up for the lack of towel bars. 

What I really love about the Avalon Hotel is that it is small so everyone knows your name and the entire staff is beyond nice.  Let me assure you that I am not just saying this because I received a free room. In fact, I paid for my entire stay myself and didn't have to write anything at all. I wanted to because if you like design and would like to be treated well while you are in LA, then I recommend staying at the Avalon Hotel Beverly Hills.  I don't think I will stay anywhere else from now on.  

Avalon Hotel Beverly Hills

9400 Olympic Boulevard

Beverly Hills, CA 90212

Reservations: 800-670-6183

Phone: 310-277-5221

My vintage Chanel bag felt very at home. 

The bathroom has lots of shelves for your toiletries.

The car that I saw from my window when I checked in. 

Photos by Heather Clawson for Habitually Chic

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