Mondrian Hotel, LA

While in LA last month, we stayed at the Mondrian Hotel on the Sunset Boulevard strip in West Hollywood.

While alarmingly trendy and popular a few years ago, the hotel has calmed down (a bit) and was a comfortable and pleasant place to stay.

The lobby featured this fun lounge area and bar off to the side of the entrance. The hotel was originally designed by Ian Shrager in 1996 and was more recently freshened up by Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz. I loved some of the details such as the ball and claw foot stools and the Venetian white glass sconces.

Our room faced the strip with lovely views of the Hollywood Hills (and the restaurant Katana above). Per that time of year, fog romantically shrouded the hills each morning.

Looking down the strip you could see the Sunset Tower Hotel (on the right) where we spent the majority of our time in the lovely restaurant and bar. Just across the street from there is the Chateau Marmont.

The room was enormous, by any standards, and featured this sitting area above seperated from the bed by a bizarre 'stripper pole' with framed tv set behind mirrored glass.

While a cool feature, it was a bit uncomfortable to watch yourself lounge in bed or on the couch staring at yourself. I wish there was a way to turn the mirror off when the tv turned on! Above you can see the reflection of the bed in the tv mirror.

The bed area was draped on one side against the windows while the other side was draped to hide the enormous CLEAR glass shower which could easily hold 4 people at once (or more). Can we say peek-a-boo? Fun feature but hard to maintain privacy in a shared room.

A desk area greeted you as you entered the room via a long hallway with a 12' long kitchenette behind (bigger than my kitchen at home!).

The bathroom had amazing lighting (with a lot of control) including a lamp on the double vanity; a feature I love! The hotel offers Malin & Goetz products which I came to love -especially the rum body wash. While I'm not sure I would stay here again as it's just not my style, it was really a fun hotel and a great location. Be sure to check out out if you make it to Hollywood!

They have purple trees

Another fantastic doorway from West Hollywood near the Beverly Hills one I talked about earlier. This gave access to an entrance courtyard which just seems to me the height of Southern Californian living.

The other highlight of the area are the Jacaranda trees which fill the streets with a lovely scent and the most beautiful purple flowers you have ever seen! The cherry blossoms of the west coast perhaps?

The Getty Museum

I realized that while I have been showcasing some of the decorative arts and period rooms of the Getty Center, I haven't been showing anything of the actual building's themselves.The morning we visited was characteristically foggy (June mornings in LA!) but the location and buildings could not be more beautiful.

Designed by Richard Meier and completed in 1997, the complex sits high on a hill overlooking LA and the distant Pacific Ocean. In fact, one enters the campus via a tram which takes you up a steep hillside.The buildings terrace down the hill, following the slope and allowing for magnificent views throughout the property.A shallow water feature is the center point of the main courtyard.Designed in Meier's trademark post-modern style of white metal panels with travertine floors and accent walls, the architecture is the perfect foil to the musem's collection of European decorative arts, in my opinion.The gardens, by Laurie Olin, also complement the modernist structure and soften its' hard edges.

If not for the collections, your next time in LA, be sure to visit the Getty Museum for the architecture at least!

The charming Chateau Marmont

While in LA, friends stayed in a bungalow at the famous Chateau Marmont and we spent a lazy afternoon lounging at the pool. I just had to share it with you!

Nestled into the Hollywood Hills above Sunset Boulevard, the hotel offers extreme privacy and actually feels more 'east coast' then Hollywood.

Right under the disturbing billboard James Franco put up in honor of Brad Renfro (seen above) is the pool where we had bottles of rose and fresh cherries delivered while dangling our feet into the near bathwater temperature water; heaven.

Built in 1929, the hotel feels like a relic stuck in time, in the best way possible. I loved this patio furniture.

The bungalows are behind the pool along a series of heavily planted pathways with charming surprises around each corner like this little water feature.

The doors have arched sidelights and beautiful stained glass which look to be inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright. The front door leads directly into a casually furnished living room .

The design throughout speaks of the arts and crafts movement and every little detail could be original to the hotel's building.Each bungalow has a small kitchen that I imagine myself spending most of my time.

Love the high painted wood wainscoting and wallpaper.

No dishwasher here - we're back in time afterall! I'm not sure I'd want to cook a full meal on this vintage stove, but it's a charming place to warm up water for tea or leftovers. My grandparents had a similar stove and refrigerator in their basement that were original to their house and I always just loved the look of them.If you ever find yourself in LA, I highly recommend a stay at the Chateau! For more pictures and information -visit the post by HabituallyChic from last year HERE.