architect design™

While planning my trip to Rome everyone told me to stay at JK Place Roma.  Instead I stayed in another more central location in the city but after spending a relaxing afternoon at JK Place my next trip will definitely be spent at JK!
We made the library our home-base for a few hours after exhausting tours around the city, perusing the collection of books with cocktails and nibbles. The only way it could have been perfected was if the fire had been lit!
 After the hustle and bustle of Rome, even during non-peak tourist season, the quiet and sophisticated interiors were better than a nap.
 The staff made our afternoon so comfortable we decided to stay for dinner!
 The stylish restaurant is adjacent to the library (seen at the end of the enfilade above).
Great use of mirror and reflective surfaces make this the most glamorous restaurant in the city.

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure to leave the summer heat of DC to spend a few days with friends in Maine (photo of landing into Portland above and leaving DC below, I never tire of a window seat).
Our host was one of my best friends, the talented interior designer Michael Hampton, at his beautiful cottage in Rockport.
Rockport is a charming village just south of Camden with a small 'downtown' looking over a beautiful harbor below (with some great restaurants!) .
 Every house was more beautiful than the last.
 A true old house lover paradise (as is most of Maine).
What Maine lacks weather-wise in winter is more than made up for during their gorgeous summers where everything is in bloom; a gardener's paradise
 The town is rather hilly so nearly everyone gets a view.
 One of my favorite houses was this old farm house that was added onto over time; just the right size. Love the picket fence and bay window on the side of the main house.
 Others had charming details like this screened door with sailboat cutout.
 This house had very unusual brackets holding up the front porch.
 A lovely chapel over-looking the water was a great destination on one of our many walks.
 Many people get married here and you can see why!
 Boating is huge in Maine -it must be the state's official hobby! Everyone has a boat.
 And not just little canoes we're talking MAJOR boats, many of them in picturesque wood.
 So many gorgeous Hinkleys and traditional sail boats line each town's harbor.
 One of the highlights of the trip was a ride out to North Haven Island.
 We went directly to Nebo Lodge which is renowned for their restaurant.
 They also have a beautiful garden!
We didn't eat at the lodge however but were fortunate to get tickets to one of their barn suppers hosted at Turner Farm. Everything at these meals comes straight off the farm from cheese to produce and meat.
I'm always a tad wary of communal tables (call me anti-social....because I am) but within seconds we were best friends with everyone at the table - one of the most magical meals of my life.
 The farm overlooks Penobscot bay.
 None of us wanted to leave -but we had to get back to shore!
I love German food and the other great meal (out of so many) was at Morse's Sauerkraut -a specialty grocery story with a small 6 table restaurant. Here Michael shares a bit of his yummy Reuben with you.
 We were on our way to Round Pond, Maine, for a bit of shopping.
 The Art of Antiquing was well worth the drive; Gorgeous continental antiques at very reasonable prices.
I could have bought everything in the shop including this pair of neoclassical side chairs which will always be the ones that 'got away'. I wanted them so badly (esp when I found out the low price) but they would make for rather strange carry-on luggage.
 A set of 6 antique leather french side chairs with original turquoise leather was also tempting.
Not sure why more people don't buy antiques - these chairs had gorgeous patina and a set of 6 was less than some new SINGLE dining chairs! And yes, they were very sturdy. How can you hurt a 100 year old worn chair anyway? New furniture will always show your booboos!
Another highlight was an evening spent at the delicious restaurant at Whitehall Inn in Camden. Rocking chairs on a large porch may very well be my particular vision of heaven (particularly when margaritas and champagne are at the ready)! This piano in the lobby was once played by a famous guest in 1912, poetess Edna St.Vincent Millay who was from nearby Rockland.
If you haven't been to Maine, what are you waiting for? I can't wait for my next trip!

The Arizona Biltmore is not only a hotel as I've mentioned but a huge resort regularly used for conferences, weddings, and other events. Many of these spaces are original to the hotel and in the main building and I thought I'd share them with you here today!
One of the first rooms one comes upon while entering the hotel is the Aztec Room which was designed as a lounge and theater in the original to the 1929 hotel.
Featuring a spectacular gold leaf ceiling, 2 fireplaces, garden access, and a curtained stage, no wonder this is so popular for weddings!
One of the 2 unusual fireplaces in the Aztec Room.
The Gold Room off the lobby was originally designed as the main dining room and also features a stunning gold leafed ceiling.
Much larger than the Aztec room it also features french doors out to a terrace.
I love the unusual shape to these windows!
This beautiful wood and metal screen was near the entry.
Two enormous murals featuring Native American scenes add color to the room flanking the wall of glass.
As you can see the room is enormous!
Upon entering the hotel you don't enter directly into the main 2 story lobby but rather a discrete anteroom which features an unusual water feature built of the textile blocks. Here you can see how some of the textile blocks are actually glass and provide ambient light.
Also in the lobby is a stained glass window designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1927 (Saguaro Forms and Cactus) and donated to the hotel by his wife after his death.
One of numerous hotels is named after the architect who inspired the design, Wright's.
This pleasant sunny space was at one point the hotel's sun lounge or conservatory. It also features a gold leafed ceiling and pleasant garden views as well as an enormous terrace.
This pretty little garden is the view from the restaurant.
And rising above the restaurant is the hotel itself. Notice the unusual pierced roof overhang above.
The hotel has become a campus and the outbuildings which host conferences, apartments, and other guest rooms are designed in the same Wright'ian style incorporating his textile blocks. As you can see despite the warm weather the trees do loose their leaves which surprised me!  This brings to an end my sharing of the Biltmore Hotel but I will be bringing you Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West shortly!