Vacation Inspiration

This past week I’ve been in Hawaii for a much needed vacation.  Last month was incredibly busy for me so I welcomed the week long break where I (attempted) to stay away from internet, work, and anything design related.

But the funny thing is that being a designer, you really never can escape design.  It’s too challenging to turn off your design radar for a week and ignore the beautiful interiors that surround you.  While the other people that I was with would notice the amazing beaches and exotic plants, I found myself walking into a space and commenting on the glass tile or funky fabric on a wing chair.  I always had my camera with me so I couldn’t help but take pictures of what I saw to share with you all!

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For the first half of our trip, we stayed in Kapalua (in Maui).  We decided to venture out one day to The Four Seasons in Wailea which was about an hour away.  I think my boyfriend thought I was crazy that I wanted to spend a day touring hotels when we could be touring something else- like maybe a beach? Ok maybe touring hotels IS a bit nutty but it comes with the territory of dating a designer- we are constantly needing to feed our desire for eye candy!

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The Maui Four Seasons is known to be one of the “world’s most acclaimed resorts”…and the interior certainly proved that!

Two large sculpture heads greet you at the front entry.

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Oversized sconces were prevalent throughout the hotel interior.  The one thing I kept noticing about every hotel I visited (including mine) were the light fixtures.  Huge lanterns, sconces, and pendants adorned the hotel lobbies and corridors.  I even spotted some Visual Comfort ones at a historic Westin in Honolulu!

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I loved how everything in the lobby was so airy and open.  White walls enveloped the space with shots of color thrown in unexpectedly.

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The seating areas were a lot of fun.  I like how the colors don’t scream “beach” and are very understated.  But at the same time, the space isn’t stark or uninviting.

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The golden ceiling and coordinating pillows warm the space up- breaking up all of the white.

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No spa time for me on vacation- but I would have loved to have seen what was beyond these doors!

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What was so interesting about this hotel is that they had lots of cool art on display- like these pieces of colorful and intriguing blown glass.

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And the vendors weren’t overbearing either- (which was a huge plus in my book).  They weren’t stalking you down to take a look at their stuff or have you listen to their life story (which happened to us in Costa Rica!)

Gorgeous gorgeous paintings!! I wanted one of these so badly- didn’t even bother looking at their price tags.  They looked a little out of my souvenier budget.

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The artwork on display in the hotel was equally amazing.  I had to get a close up of this so you could see the detailing.  A multitude of holes were burned (from a cigarette?) through Japanese rice paper to create this piece.

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I thought this piece of art was a great idea for a DIY project- framing a large quilt.  I am always looking for eye catching ways to take up space on a large wall.  The wall below wouldn’t have looked right with lots of smaller pieces- instead, one large one really jumps out at you and makes a statement.

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And another massive sconce!

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The designer certainly took “sconce it up” to a whole new level!

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The art work in this place was amazing- fascinating statues to boot!

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Me and my sister Catherine in front of the rice paper art

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(see Cath, I told you that you would make it on the blog one day! 🙂

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What was most inspiring about this hotel was the intricate detail on everything- notice the coffee table, sofa arms, bar face and cabinets.  So much texture- love!

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