Wednesday, February 16, 2011

San Simeon: The cloisters

While I continue to sort through hundreds of photos taken last week in Miami and Nassau, lets take a look back at San Simeon and the cloisters.
Located on the second floor, this grouping of 4 guest bedrooms have hallways on either side which were originally left open to the elements. This way, when the windows were open on each side of the room, an ocean cross breeze would blow through. To help preserve the furnishings, the hallways have been enclosed with glass. One of the hallways seen above
The views, as throughout the house, are spectacular; of the ocean to one side and the mountains on the other.
The rooms have similar heavy 'antiqued' wood Spanish ceilings as throughout the estate, but these rooms have a pleasing intimacy to them.
They're cozily furnished with armchairs and desks as well as the requisite beds; don't forget the Renaissance art too, of course!
I love this desk with all of the little drawers, but if I were a guest, I'd be afriad to unpack into it; You know you'd leave SOMETHING behind! Note the clerical vestment above the 2 twin beds (old fashioned, no? So Ricky and Lucy!)
Each room had a private bath which was, and still is, quite the luxury. Not the fanciest guest rooms on the estate but also not too shabby! I imagine on the hottest of days that breeze made them quite popular.
As with all of my San Simeon posts, written permission was kindly granted to post my interior photos of the estate on this blog only. Please respect that and do not copy. Thanks!

10 comments:

Renée Finberg said...

i was wondering about the permission thingie.
i wondered if they encouraged the interior shots or not.
i am usually chased and caned when i try to take pics {hehehehe}
i have never been
and i love the peeks into the past
and the magnificent-ness of it all.

xxx

ArchitectDesign™ said...

Renee, at san simeon interior photos (without flash) are allowed -but you just have to receive special permission to post them online. I wish more places would allow photography. Occasionally you can get special permission (such as I got at vizcaya).

The Swan said...

The Cloisters were the rooms set aside for the Bachelor guests...in other words - The Gentlemen.

WR forbade anyone from sleeping together unless married under his roof...whether this worked out is another story.

Did you know William "Billy" Haines was a great friend of Marions and Hearst? He spent so much time up there with them that he credits his first lessons of decorating as the Castle. The Della Robbia Room was a special room he loved to stay in. Can you picture he and Marion telling workers to move this here and hang that there! What fun.

Vargueno - a Spanish 17thC desk you love so much.

ArchitectDesign™ said...

Swan, I wondered if that was the reason they were a bit more more spare!
I had no idea about Haines -how fascinating!

Mark D. Ruffner said...

I love the guest room light fixtures - they are what I imagine to be a Turkish style, not what I would expect with Renaissance furnishings. Could they be Venetian?

ArchitectDesign™ said...

Mark,I suspect the sconces above the bed #1 are venetian while the hanging light fixtures are turkish. But what do I know!

Janet said...

I love the feel of this room. It is quite simply, comfortable. Comfortable AND stylish!

Robert Webber said...

Love the ceiling of that corridor and as you say the bureau is a big draw. The pun was unintentional!
Thanks so much for this series. I have LOVED it!
Best Wishes
R

quintessence said...

I love the ideas of the hallways - not only for the breezes but it's like having little vestibules or terraces - another space you can enter and be "halfway" outside.

smilla4blogs said...

Oh my, the second photograph of hallways on either side of the bedrooms....That is exactly what I would design for my dream house! What a wonderful trip...thank heavens spring is just around the corner in D.C.!!!

Thank you for stopping by with your comment, so appreciated.