Hi everyone! How is everyone hanging in there? 2020 has been a wild ride, to say the least. Currently, I’m living on Waiheke Island in New Zealand, and I am loving this time to slow down and soak in my surroundings. It gives me extra moments to notice all the little things and appreciate the things we tend to take for granted during the busy day-to-day. I am fortunate enough to be living on a beautiful island surrounded by serene beaches, lush forests in every shade of green, and the songs of all the native birds…WOW what is life?!

My husband and I have been working at a winery for the past 5 months or so, and during this time of lockdown, we have been so appreciative to be able to work as essential workers. We’ve been working harvest and picking grapes for the 2020 vintage, and boy is it some back-breaking work. Through the sweat, sunburns, and bee stings, it has been incredible to get out of the house and connect with nature. In the vines, it has become meditative to snip the grapes and watch the leaves blow and turn as the season is transitioning into autumn.

I’ve always been one to be inspired by nature. As a kid, I would have buckets of collected rocks and seashells, and I would pick leaves and flowers to be pressed inside my books. Thinking back, you could probably still find some of the four-leaf clovers I pressed inside of my parents’ hardcover books at home. That being said, I still am one that gets filled up when I have those sensory overload moments in nature. It’s good for the soul!

I don’t know if it’s me being a little homesick, but lately, I’ve been so fond of that burnt, muddy, earth-toned, deep red hue. It reminds me of the stillness and solitude of the desert and has me reminiscing road trips through the Southwest. Here in New Zealand, I’ve seen that same deep red in the volcanic rocks in Wellington. As an ode to my current color obsession, I’ve compiled some of my favorite home items in an array of rusty red hues. Nature has and always will be a starting point for me staying grounded and an inspiration for what I incorporate inside my home.

I hope you enjoy the read and hope it temporarily takes your mind off of things. Stay healthy and stay well my friends!

Hello world! Wowie, it’s been a hot minute since I have gotten to post on here. For those of you who don’t know, my husband and I are currently working at a winery on Waiheke Island in New Zealand for the season, and WOW has it been busy and consuming most of my energy these days. It is peak tourist season out here, and we are HUSTLING the wine. Want to know about a fabulous island-grown Syrah or a Bordeaux style blend? I’m your girl!

On the more creative side of things, I am happy to present to you a new room design inspired by the lovely Hotel Les Roches Rouges – yep, you’ve most likely seen this beautiful space all over Instagram and Pinterest, but how could you not post tons of photos of this space? It is quite the photogenic scene. Hotel Les Roches Rouges is located in a town called Saint-Raphael in one of most iconic of places, the French Riviera. This gem of a vacation destination overlooks the Mediterranean, and it proves to me once again that the Mediterranean is having a major design rebirth over the past few years. 

Hotel Les Roches Rouges gives off an approachable and relaxed spot to vacation while also maintaining an aesthetically inspiring and coastal cool atmosphere. Created by the team of Perseus, Hotel Les Roches Rouges is designed for the modern traveler, and it has a modern design to match. The building originates from the late 1950’s; however, it has been reimagined by architects Hugo Sauzay and Charlotte de Tonnac of Parisian design firm Festen. The hotel gives a nod to the mid-century, French modernism that reflects the time of the 50’s and 60’s while also staying current with pops of earth tones, modern art, and custom-made furniture. I love the layers of natural elements like woods, wovens, linens, and terra-cotta. Sprinkled throughout are vintage finds making for a flawless balance of old and new. The entire vacation space feels abstract while also managing to stay organic and cohesive.

So here it is – a room design inspired by the glorious Cote d'Azur hotel. It’s warm, it’s relaxed, and it’s modern and refreshing. Perhaps this design is my way of manifesting a future Airbnb? Also, if you would like to see more beautiful imagery of what inspired me for this design, then please keep scrolling!

Sources: Art , Ceramic Vase , Ceramic Pot , Terra-cotta Candle , Frida Kahlo Book , The Smiths Book , Oak Sideboard , Ceramic Planter , Lamp , Wooden Stool , Rug , Leather Chaise , Basket

Photo by Nicole Franzen

Hi friends! A little behind on my blogging game as I just started a new job, but better late than never I suppose! Today, I am shining some spotlight on one of my all time favorite sources of inspiration, Elizabeth Roberts Architects. There are too many good projects to count coming from this architecture and interior design firm. I could go on and on about the perfection and beauty of the Calderone Townhouse (which if you are not following @eyeswoon on Instagram, you’re missing out on so much goodness).  

Today, I bring you two other favorites coming from ERA, the Union Square Loft and the Cobble Hill Townhouse.  Elizabeth Roberts and the team are known for respecting the history of a building and perfectly blending the old with modern newness. With these two projects, they do just that which brings life and warmth into each newly renovated space. Each space is clean and minimal but also perfectly thought out with the use of artful contemporary elements as statement and focal pieces. The use of natural yet bold materials mixed with contrasting hardware or the perfect pop of earth-toned color reiterates one of ERA’s best design skills, which is the art of balance. The perfectly curated furniture and home accessory pieces are the cherry on top of these masterfully made cakes. My eyes could stare at each of these spaces for hours studying every little detail - the marriage of the millwork, marble (that Calacatta Viola in the Union Square Loft is to die for), custom cabinetry, open shelving, custom built bookshelf, brick fireplace, I could continue all day here. It is Scandinavian beauty perfectly integrated with modern cool. So without further adieu, please enjoy photos of two of the best designed spaces that, in my eyes, will forever be on the top design charts.

Hi guys! I would like to introduce you to a new series that I will be doing here on en shell. It’s a series of room designs that are inspired by some of my favorite hospitality spaces and hotels across the globe.

Why hospitality? Ohhhh where to begin? I think single handedly hospitality design has got to be one of my favorites to watch come to life. The design of a hotel or accommodation space involves so much more than the visual design that you see, and there are so many layers to what make a space so great. It is creating an entire atmosphere and an environment that feels like a sanctuary. The design involves creating a place that quite literally take guests out of their day-to-day routines and can even spark a sense of creativity within them. It is a space that will positively imprint travelers’ brains and will help create memories that will perhaps last the rest of their lives. A well-designed hotel is more than just a place to stay for the night, but it is an overpowering feeling that takes over your whole being and allows your mind to escape and go elsewhere. The hotel should take you to some alternate world as soon as you step onto the property. It engages all of your senses. The music that is playing, the scents lingering in the air, the graphic design you see on your hotel key card, the taste of the tea you receive upon arriving, the texture of your bed sheets, the feeling of escape and sense of relief that you get when realizing you get to submerge yourself into a piece of paradise for a few nights. Hospitality is that moment where you feel welcomed and feel taken care of. It is a place for you to rejuvenate and let things go. I have got to say some of my most inspiring times and moments of epiphany have all stemmed from being able to wind down and melt myself into an environment of hospitality.

So that being said, say hello to Laguna Beach’s Hotel Joaquin. It’s been pretty hard to avoid the beauty of Hotel Joaquin all over social media, especially if you are from California. Hotel Joaquin, made from the hotel group Auric Road, is a boutique style hotel and is the sister property of Palm Spring’s Korakia Pensione. (If you have never been to the Korakia, go book it ASAP! It truly does the job of transporting you to Morocco or the Mediterranean as soon as you step foot onto the soil. They nail every. single. detail.) Hotel Joaquin is the perfect mix of that laid-back, artful Californian bohemia with a refined, perfectly put together French ease.

Designed by one of my favorites, Studio Robert McKinley, HJ instantly gives you all of those vacation sunshine feels. It has a warming palette from its use of organic materials, natural oaks, caned furniture, and terra cotta and brick colored tiles. The hotel not only shines in an array of golden hues, but it masters that effortless French cool-kid style. It is dressed in timeless Danish and French mid-century modern furniture and lighting, the walls are filled with abstract art and pieces that are handmade, and hand-selected vintage décor pieces are sprinkled throughout each room. Hotel Joaquin is taking a French artist colony and blending it with California surf retro, then *poof* magic is born.

So I bring you my room design inspired by all of Hotel Joaquin’s glory. Hope you enjoy!