CasaSugar

Design Ideas From My Tour of the Ace Hotel New York! Part II: The Lobby

CasaSugar — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 07:00:00 -0700

If you saw Part I of this slideshow (The Loft Suite), you know I was recently invited to tour the new Ace Hotel in New York. I've always been a fan of the boutique hotel chain's vintage industrial aesthetic, but I particularly loved the prep school/university library feel of Ace NY's lobby. Tall ceilings, original floor tiling, old wooden tables, giant columns, cozy, quiet seating, and a well-bound collection of dusty books made me feel like I'd stepped into a scene from School Ties - although Matt Damon was nowhere to be found. There are plenty of clever design ideas for you take from this lobby, even if a trip to the Big Apple isn't in your plans.

View Slideshow ›

Design Ideas From My Tour of the Ace Hotel New York! Part 1: The Loft Suite

CasaSugar — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 07:00:00 -0700

During a recent East Coast getaway, I was invited to tour the new Ace Hotel in New York, and I've got photos to prove it! My love for Ace is no secret, but until now I haven't had the chance to visit one. I hoped the hotel would live up to its good press and photos, and let me tell you, I was not disappointed. As with the boutique hotel chain's other outposts, a campy, vintage-industrial aesthetic rang true here, and inspiration was also drawn from the history of the building and city. First, take a peek at the loft suite and get some clever design ideas for your home. Each floor boasts only one of these 825-square-foot corner rooms, so you're in for a treat!

View Slideshow ›

DIY: A Fab Photo Wall

CasaSugar — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:00:36 -0700

I love this instant-art idea, used in one of the Superior Deluxe Rooms at the Portland Ace Hotel. It also seems like it's begging to be DIYed.

Find out how to create something similar when you read more.

You can re-create this look by measuring your wall, and then selecting white matting for each photo, and mounting the matted photos along your wall. Or, you can simply use a découpaging technique to fasten the photos to your wall directly. See how to do the latter below.

Measure your wall, and then estimate the number of photos you want to use for each row. Space the photos evenly. You may want to cut out pieces of paper that are the same size as your photos, and then gently tape them to the wall. Experiment until you have the dimensions and spacing that you like the best.
Lightly pencil in the space where each photo should be. Use a ruler, measuring tape, and level to make sure the photos are even.
Lay down a drop cloth or newspaper on the floor below the wall you're covering.
Open up your windows, and make sure the room is well ventilated.
Using a sponge brush, apply wheat paste to a small portion of the wall.
Now, line up the first photo, and apply it, burnishing out any bubbles with your hands as you press it onto the wall.
Continue to apply wheat paste and press your photos onto the wall, lining them up neatly until the wall is covered.
Make sure you've burnished out any bubbles. Sometimes using a credit card here will help.
Now, allow the wall to dry.
Using a synthetic bristle brush, apply a coat of Polycrylic Protective Finish, which will protect the pages from peeling, scuffing, and other damage.
If your adjacent walls get messy from applying the Polycrylic, you can easily clean it up with a sponge and some warm, soapy water.

Source

May Must Haves

CasaSugar — Fri, 01 May 2009 09:00:59 -0700

Happy May Day! This month, get into the full swing of Spring with fun interior design events, cool hotel openings, and new ways to have fun in your casa. Stay tuned this May for great ideas for celebrating at home. Want to throw a craft party? Start a movie night for friends? Check back for my suggestions for making the most of entertaining at home. In the meantime, see what other great events, products, and openings are happening around the country.

View Slideshow ›

Casa Quickie: Alterna-Hooks For Curtains

CasaSugar — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 15:00:15 -0800

Take a cue from the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs when you're tying back your curtains. Use an inexpensive industrial hook instead of curtain ties. I love the gleaming, red contrast that this one has against the natural canvas curtains. Check at your local hardware store to get your own industrial hooks.

Photo courtesy of the LA Times

Found It! Ace Hotel Table

CasaSugar — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:42:12 -0800

The Side by Side Suite at the new Ace Hotel in Palm Springs cultivates a moody vibe with its curtained-off, king-sized bed and vintage furniture as well as great tech products, including 42-inch flat screens, MP3 plugs, and vinyl record players.

My eye was drawn to this great vintage coffee table. I'd seen it before. Do you remember it as well? To jog your memory, read more.

It's the Vintage Industrial Peg Leg Cart ($799) from American Furnishings. It was also seen in this Coveted Crib post.

Source

Home Away From Home: Ace Hotel New York

CasaSugar — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 09:00:00 -0800

A Big Apple outpost of my beloved Ace Hotel Portland will open its doors March 1. Staying true to its "low card and high card" motto, Ace New York will offer affordable rooms replete with bunk beds and cool amenities for $99; a luxury loft outfitted with a built-in banquette and clawfoot tub for $679; and everything in between.
Price tags aside, Ace's distinctly original design makes it a breath of fresh air in a world where "boutique hotels" have become as remarkable as your Garden State Parkway variety Motel 6. Ace New York seems to follow suit, tapping into Gotham's melting pot style and vibrant arts scene. Collaborations with design firm Roman & Williams and local designers have elevated the former 1904 Breslin Hotel, a majestic building with original architectural details like Greek key pattern mosaic floors, coffered ceilings, and massive columns, to new heights of hip. To hear about the rooms and see photos, read more.
Rooms are outfitted with a mix of vintage and custom furnishings; clothes racks made from plumbing pipes; SMEG refrigerators fully-stocked with real food (gasp!); artwork by both locally and nationally recognized artists; customized Gibson acoustic guitars; and Music Hall turntables with a hand-picked selection of new and used vinyl. For all you digitalists, rooms also come equipped with high speed wireless access and speakers for your iPod.

View 13 Photos ›

Source

Home Away From Home: The Ace Hotel, Part 2

CasaSugar — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 11:00:53 -0700

Earlier today I began my tour of Portland's Ace Hotel. Welcome to Part Deux.

As they planned the hotel, the designers were interested in instilling a real sense of Portland life into the rooms, top to bottom, so they sourced lots of quirky vintage elements locally. Since the city is somewhat of a vinyl collector's mecca, Ace rocked out 14 of their suites with high-quality turntables, and allows guests access to a record library. Room numbers were inspired by the simple coding found on most Portland telephone poles, and Ace tracked down the Irwin-Hodson Co., WWII specialists in embossed metal tags, to create them, along with directional signage and graphics throughout the building. Edison light fixtures were sourced from Schoolhouse Electric, the 150-year-old locally based lighting company. Ace also commissioned Pendleton Woolen Mills, a 100+-year-old firm, to create custom wool blankets with a bunk-y, period feel, featuring a local icon, the Thompson Elk. And big fun—there's a working old-school photo booth in the lobby!

What really sets this hotel apart is that no room is alike, and most are decorated to feel like real bedrooms. Half of the rooms are decorated with the work of artists, local (Brent Wick) and international (Kenzo Minami), and the rest by Ace's in-house graphic team (and they ain't bad either). They also feature green mattresses, headboards upholstered in recycled army ponchos, U.S. domestic mailbags turned laundry bags, and lots of other cozy, vintage elements, all used minimally and with clean lines, not flea market clutter. The rates are also really affordable: with budget 'band rooms' (named for penny-pinching touring musicians) with bunk beds and shared baths at $95 a night to giant, airy deluxe rooms at $250 a night. I don't know if I'll make it to Portland, but if I do, you can find me there. Until then, I'll just be drooling over these photos—and the founders, 'cause they're dreamy too.

View 17 Photos ›

Source

Home Away From Home: The Ace Hotel, Portland, Part 1

CasaSugar — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 07:59:05 -0700

Thanks to a tip off from neekoh, I learned about the Ace Hotel in Portland, Oregon, and I'm already thinking about booking my flight to the Northwestern city. This 79 room hotel is the sophomore effort by Ace Hotel Group founders Alex Calderwood and Wade Weigel, opened as a sequel to their Seattle rest stop, and as a place for their creative pals (DJs, artists, musicians, designers, bona fide hipsters) to stay.

The hotel, built in 1912, and what used to be the Clyde Hotel, occupies an entire city block. Calderwood and his cronies wanted to maintain as much of the building's historical character as possible, and were sure to refurbish original details like the deep cast-iron roll-top baths, polished wood paneling, patterned mosaic-tiled flooring and ceiling moldings. The results are astounding, and a flawless nod to both the local arts scene and the beloved Portland of yore.

Check in later today, when I continue my role as Ace Hotel tour guide. But for now, enjoy the photos.

View 17 Photos ›

Source

Love It or Hate It? Chrissy Homeland Security Blanket

CasaSugar — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 04:15:30 -0800

New York-based artist Chrissy Conant's work is about her dealings with her ultimate fears and insecurities. With her Chrissy Homeland Security Blanket ($850), she "confronts her fear of terrorism by designing a blanket to protect herself against all levels of threat." This limited edition blanket is made of 100 percent virgin wool and was woven by Pendleton Woolen Mills, who was also commissioned for the Ace Hotel's elk blankets.