Hotel Tip: Motel One At The Vienna Opera

In my last blog post I've taken you along on a weekend getaway to beautiful Vienna. I showed you a few reasons why you should put the Austrian capital on your travel bucket list and enjoy beautiful architecture, arts, coffee and food in Vienna. Today I want to give you the ultimate hotel tip to make your Vienna trip perfect. Think of a design hotel that will not blow your budget, think of fantastic opulence and a location in the heart of Vienna: welcome to the Motel One at the Vienna Opera.

This brand new hotel belongs to the design hotel chain Motel One which stands for design at a very affordable price tag and their design signature are turquoise Egg Chairs by Arne Jacobsen. But this hotel in Vienna is special: its location next to the Vienna Opera has significantly influenced the hotel's interior design which is opulent and unique to say at least. This Motel One only opened its doors in November 2014 and its official opening party will take place this week. I had the great opportunity to get a better insight into the hotel's interior design thanks to the hotel's management.

When you enter the hotel you will immediately realize that the world renown Vienna Opera served as a design inspiration for the interiors. Luckily, the hotel resides in two connected historical buildings that have lots of character and style - just look at the amazing columns and stucco in the lobby! Everything exposed in the hotel has an artsy feel to it - the lobby is decorated with light installations describing famous ballet formations which are depicted behind the reception, the light pendants refer to the airy ballet tutu skirts, the chairs have ballet feet and behind the hotel bar you can watch real rehearsals from the adjacent Vienna Opera.

Unlike many other Motel One hotels, this one has around 200 rooms in various sizes due to the historical character of the building which prevented any substantial architectural changes. You can find cosy single bedrooms overlooking the Vienna rooftops, spacious rooms with glass front all around, comfortable double-bedrooms with balconies. Interesting fact: A few rooms have a sort of wall in front of the windows due to architectural restraints - the design team created private outdoor spaces and included an illuminated Vienna skyline to the wall creating a very special feeling even to those rooms. The stairways of this hotel are so beautiful, you will deliberately skip the elevator and enjoy the historical ironworks and beautiful old tiles.

My room was very comfortable with a big bed, free Internet and a great breakfast buffet with organic food. After breakfast I headed out to the main sights of Vienna - all of them in close proximity and reachable by foot. The central St. Stephen's Cathedral is a mere 10 minutes walk away, the buzzing market 'Naschmarkt' is five minutes away, so is the museums' quarter. Perfect for a weekend getaway!

I was invited by Motel One to stay and test their new hotel but my opinion remains untouched and honest. I really recommend this place if you want a nice hotel, if you want to be central and if you don't want to spend a fortune. I'll be back for sure.

Photography by Igor Josifovic

This blogpost has been brought to you in collaboration with Motel One

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From Place To Space: Go West - Portland

After my holiday announcements for San Francisco and Seattle, it is time to tell you also about my planned visit to the birthplace of hipsters and Kinfolk magazine, to über-cool Portland in Oregon. I am so so excited to visit this city as it's been on my travel wish list for quite a long time. 

I am equally excited as I will be staying in one of the coolest hotels in town - the ACE Hotel. The hotel is known for its cool design where each room has its own character and style. Moreover, it hosts the fab restaurant Clyde Common and is perfectly located to discover Portland by foot. Or bike for that matter, as the hotel offers free bikes to its guests. Yay!

Located in downtown Portland, it is just around the corner of the world's largest bookstore Powell's Books and the Northwest Pacific's landmark coffee shop Stumptown Coffee. They also serve Stumptown French Press for breakfast and that is all my coffee loving heart needs to know. Most everything served in the hotel is locally sourced or homemade, so another big plus for the ace among Portland hotels.

I can't wait to stay there soon and will make sure to report back here on the blog about my personal experience in the Ace Hotel and Portland in general. 

By the way, I will also travel to Vancouver in Canada, but I am short of pics of the cool airbnb home where I will be staying, so I will report on Vancouver upon my return.

Happy week, friends!

Photography: Print via Etsy, hotel pics by Jeremy Pelley and John Mark Sorum for Ace Hotel

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From Place To Space: Design in Copenhagen - Part One

Some of you know that I spent three days in Copenhagen, Denmark, full of design and blogger fun two weeks ago. Eight bloggers from eight European countries were invited by the DesignTrade show to dive into the essence of Danish design and get a profound understanding of the country's design scene. All this has a goal: our participation at the DesignTrade show later this year.

Now, I brought so many inspirations, pictures and stories back from Copenhagen that I've decided to split them up in a few 'From Place To Space' posts over the coming weeks. I hope you will enjoy!

So let us start with the first day of our Copenhagen adventure. Our first day was marked by a swift check-in at the boutique hotel 'Andersen' and getting comfy in our colourful rooms. Shortly after that, a small bunch of crazy bloggers set off to the headquarters of Muuto, probably one of the most gleeful Danish design brands. We were welcomed by Line, the press rep, who gave us a thorough introduction to Muuto and showed us around. We were even allowed to enter the design area where we got a sneak peek of the yet to come collection (though no pics allowed). As you can imagine I was all happy and jumping around with all the colours. Later, we joined the entire Muuto crew on their sublime rooftop terrace for a delicious organic brunch under the Danish sun.

Afterwards we headed off to the famous Royal Danish Playhouse, an award-winning landmark building situated on the harbour front with spectacular views. We were welcomed by the crew of the Rosendahl Design Group who invited us over for a Danish luncheon in the stylish reception area fully equipped with the iconic Verner Panton Tivoli chairs. Swoon! After lunch we had a guided tour through the theater's premises including backstage area, costume design, actors' restaurant, and all topped with amazing skyline views over the Copenhagen harbour.

The first day was rounded-up with a Kinfolk-esque dinner at a stylist's home. I blogged about it HERE and HERE.

So enough daydreaming this time, off to tackle this Monday. Next week we will continue the Copenhagen adventure. Happy new week, friends!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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From Place To Space: Cassis & Marseille

Like every week I want to take you on a little inspiring voyage to yet another place. Even though I am just back from Copenhagen, I still want to share my last impressions from the Provence, France, with you. You remember my first coverages HERE and HERE, and today I am taking you to the last stops on my sunny trip - to Cassis and Marseille. Ready? Here we go!

Cassis is a charming little fisher town on the Provence coast not far away from the region's capital Marseille. I spent my birthday in Cassis and had one big plan in mind: to swim in the Mediterranean for the first time this year. And oh yes, I did it! Even though the water was pretty cold, I couldn't resist its crystal clear appearance and shimmers of all kind of blue and turquoise hues. Moreover, the way to the beach was pretty short - my swanky little design 'Hôtel de la Plage Mahogany' was just across the Bestouan beach. After a refreshing swim, I decided to hike a bit and discover the famous 'Calanques' of Cassis. 'Calanques' are steep-walled inlets and bays on the French coast. After a little hike I was rewarded with splendid views of the bays. A place to return again! A birthday dinner and the inevitable glass of champagne was later savoured with relish in the town's cute little port. Bliss!

Tomorrow, I headed off to the capital of the Provence, to Marseille. I went to Marseille a few years ago and blogged about it HERE, so I was pretty excited to see the city's development ever since as it is currently the 'European Capital of Culture'. And yes, there was lots of improvement visible. The entire old port area has been revamped and transformed into a cool pedestrian zone with interesting art and architectural installations like the mirrored ceiling of the 'Vieux Port Pavilion by Foster + Partners' and further on the brand new MuCEM museum that opened this month. Opposite of the MuCEM museum you will find the 'Musée Regards de Provence' with art from different eras representing the Provence, its nature, its people, its culture. 

So if you need a little inspiring voyage for one of your upcoming weekends (if you are in Europe), why not head to the bustling city of Marseille and its surroundings for sun, sea and culture. All in one! 

Happy week, friends!

P.S. Have you noticed all the Happy Interior Blog colours on the first picture? I LOVE it!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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From Place To Space: Hotel L'Ecrin in Honfleur, France

Traveling is one of my unrivaled passions besides interior design. Traveling the world invigorates my senses, liberates my mind and deeply inspires me - in any aspect of my life including the decoration and styling of my own home. Now when it comes to choosing a suitable hotel at my destination, I tend to favor hotels with a designy edge. Last month, when I went on a weekend to the Normandy in northern France, more precisely to the quaint town of Honfleur (I blogged about it HERE), I'd gone for a completely new approach: I picked a hotel that took me on an inspiring nostalgia trip to past eras. Welcome to the hotel L'Ecrin in Honfleur!

The hotel L'Ecrin is a former mansion and located in the old town of Honfleur. The building reflects the traditional Normandy architecture and its surrounding garden full of blossoming trees and flowers is more than inviting for a sunny breakfast alfresco. 

The entire atmosphere commences right at the check-in. The reception desk is located in a former salon with a huge marble fireplace and ancient furniture. The ground floor consists of two more salons for the guests - these are fabulously equipped with a decoration of the French bourgeoisie of the past century. A piano, massive chandeliers, big oil paintings, busts and voluptuous flower bouquets reminded me of a film set. To be honest, I felt a bit like in Downton Abbey, one of my favorite TV series.

The rooms are on the first floor and take you back to the 19th century, too. Canopy covered beds, massive wooden furniture, huge mirrors, chandeliers and heavy velvet curtains as well as classical lamps and vintage rugs make for a full 360 degrees experience - you'll feel like a lord or lady, hello Downton Abbey!

Well, for the rest I'll let the pictures speak. Even though this is not the kind of decoration and interior design I would ever consider for my own home, it was beyond beautiful and inspiring to be surrounded by a completely different look and style than I am used to. Sometimes we need this kind of contrasts to clear our mind and freshen up our view on new endeavours. Happy new week, my friends!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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