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

LA in a Nutshell

I arrived back in New York in the wee hours Monday morning and awoke to find it snowing.  Makes me wish I had stayed in LA.  While it rained there a few days, Saturday and Sunday turned out to be sunny and beautiful which was a relief.  I'm currently editing all my photos for blog posts but until they are ready, I thought I'd give a quick look at my trip.  

I stayed at the Avalon Beverly Hills Hotel and waited in one of the cabanas by the pool until my room was ready.  If you love design, this is a great place to stay.  Everyone who works there is unbelievably nice too. 

You are what you drive in LA and I saw this beauty on the ride to my hotel from the airport.  If I ever move to Los Angeles, I will definitely have to get a vintage car. 

I went to dinner with Fallon of A Lovely Being my first night and made her go to In-n-Out Burger.  I think she thought I was crazy but it was such a fun treat except that I didn't know about "animal style."  Looks like I'll have to try that on my next trip.

My lovely friend Taryn Cox who has the chic site The Wife was kind enough to take me out to the Brentwood Country Mart in the rain Thursday morning.  I went for the first time with Michal of Style Curator of last year and loved it.  I would go all the time if I lived in LA. I'll also have more picks from Taryn on the blog soon. 

They sell a lot of great products at Farmshop next to the restaurant. 

We had breakfast at Farmshop which is apparently popular with the celebs. 

I really wanted one of their bags but didn't think I'd ever use in in NYC.  It's another thing to buy if I ever move to LA or become bi-coastal. 

Sugar Paper is a very popular stationery store at Brentwood Country Mart. 

Cute cards at Sugar Paper. 

One of my favorite places in LA is Pressed Juicery.  They are so much better than the places in NYC and make me feel like a local. 

Taryn also took me by Blum & Poe gallery where her friend works.  We saw an exhibition of work by Brooklyn based artist Hugh Scott-Douglas that was really intriguing once you heard the story behind each piece. 

The most exciting thing on my agenda in LA was stopping by the Who What Wear offices.  I signed onto the Who What Wear blogger network Clique Media last year so it was so nice to meet founders Hillary Kerr and Katherine Power and everyone involved in person. I'll tell you more about this and show you more photos next week.

I was also able to chat with Mat Sanders about the upcoming launch of the new Who What Wear site Domaine Home. That's his amazing moodboard above. I'll be bringing you this whole story soon too. 

Every time I'm in LA, I love to catch up with Andrea Stanford of One Kings Lane.  The company has just moved into amazing new offices that aren't quite finished yet but I couldn't resist instagramming the chic vignette in her office. 

Another highlight of my trip was getting to spend time with interior designer Nathan Turner.  We're always ships passing in the night so it was such a treat to be able to stop by his store and chat especially since he is one of the nicest people on earth.  I'll be posting all my pics of the store soon. 

After stopping by a photo shoot that I can't give you any details about, I went shopping again with Taryn on La Cienega and Melrose. At Hollywood at Home, I fell in love with this fun map of Los Angeles by the artist Konstantin Kakanias who you might know from Million Dollar Decorators.  I bought the diary/agenda with the same map on it as a souvenir but they also sell candles and other products. You can see everything available at Hollywood at Home Shop. 

Here's a detail of the map. 

I'm so glad we popped into Jean de Merry.  The store was gorgeous and I loved this table piled with books and the red sea urchin light fixtures above it. 

Equipment just opened their first store on Melrose while I was in town. 

It was nice to see the sun and blue skies on Saturday after two days of rain in LA. 

Most museums are perfect to visit on a rainy day but LACMA is actually best viewed on a sunny day since so much of it is outside.  The Kubrick exhibition alone was worth the visit. It runs through June 30, 2013.

Movie posters from Stanley Kubrick films. 

There was also a Caravaggio exhibit that ends February 10, 2013.

Levitated Mass by Michael Heizer at LACMA. 

Urban Light by Chris Burden at LACMA.  

While at lunch in Beverly Hills, I spotted this chic lady.  I love how people in LA bring out the fur when the temperature dips below 70 degrees.  

When my Sunday meeting was cancelled at the last minute, I decided to just sit by the pool and soak up some sun before my flight home.  It definitely made up for the other rainy days but I still think I need a do over trip soon. In the immortal words of Arnold, I'll be back.

All photos by me. 

Chic in LA: The Avalon Hotel

As I've mentioned a million times, I had an amazing time in LA! I didn't think anything could top my trip to Paris but LA came very close! Paris was all about the architecture and beauty of the city while LA was all about the people and design stores. I definitely could not have experienced as much as I did if I had not had LA local Christian May of Maison21 as my tour guide! Not only did he take me to the best local haunts, he also drove me all around town to see the fabulous sites and joined me to meet some wonderful blogger friends including the lovely world traveler Lisa of A Bloomsbury Life, the ridiculously beautiful and thoughtful Taryn of Taryn Cox The Wife, the talented and tall Becca of Rebecca June Interior Design, and sweet and chic Style Curator who would like to remain anonymous for now!

I also owe a big thank you to Andrea Borda Stanford, the Design + Style Editor of C Magazine who planned the most amazing day of design which included among other things, meeting Kathryn Ireland, Madeline Stuart, Peter Dunham, Windsor Smith, and Kelly Wearstler! It was a dream day! I wasn't sure where to even begin but I figured the best place to start on my LA posts would be the very chic Avalon Hotel Beverly Hills that was designed by Ms. Wearstler and was home away from home during my stay in LA.

Uber chic interior designer Kelly Wearstler originally designed the hotel 10 years ago and is now updating it. The lobby and restaurant have already been transformed in her new 70's glamorous style and the rooms are next in line for a make-over.

The hotel sits on a corner lot and is only three stories so you're guaranteed great service! The hotel staff couldn't have been nicer and even welcomed me "home" when I returned back at the end of the day which I thought was sweet!

A fun fact is that Marilyn Monroe and Mae West both lived here in the 1950's when it was the known as the Beverly Carlton.

I absolutely loved the color scheme of aqua and gold in the lobby and that painted ceiling!

The colors remind me of the ocean and look great with the always blue LA sky!

I'm calling these sculptures modern totem poles.

The Oliverio restaurant is garnering rave reviews for not only the design but the great cuisine! It was packed for lunch and dinner during my entire stay too!

You can see through to the pool when you enter the hotel.

All the lounge chairs face the sun for the serious tanning enthusiasts!

I would sit in the sun by the pool every morning while waiting for Christian to pick me up. It was heaven!

The cabanas are the best part of the pool area and can be reserved for lunch and dinner.

I had a great view of the pool when I walked to my room!

For a small hotel, it was full of greenery!

The rooms on the left have little balconies. I'm kind of jealous that I didn't have one too!

I had fabulous weather for my entire trip to LA as you can see by the bright blue sky in this photo!

As I mentioned, the rooms have not been renovated yet so they still retain the mid-century feel of Kelly Wearstler's first design. They are large and comfortable and will only get better if they decorate them in the blues of the lobby. I especially loved the floor to ceiling windows that afforded me a great view of the sunrise every morning! The rates are actually quite reasonable as well. I paid $168 per night plus tax for two nights and was graciously offered two complimentary nights.

My room also looked out over the little building across the street that can accommodate more hotel guests. I really enjoyed my stay at the Avalon Hotel Beverly Hills and can't wait to stay again after the rooms are updated. I enjoyed this trip to LA so much that I think they are going to become a regular habit!

Photos by Heather Clawson for Habitually Chic