Work has unfortunately come to a bit of a standstill on our laundry/bathroom renovation project, thanks to a few delays that are beyond our control. Ideally, we’d be painting the walls or tiling the floor this week, but it seems as though that might have to wait a bit longer. The thought of actually using my new 2 Note bath salts (that I clearly purchased too soon) while soaking in the clawfoot tub seems so far away right now. Until we get to the more fun (read: aesthetic) part of this project and we’re done with electrical permits and inspections, I’ll keep searching for the right vanity mirror and pondering which paint color will pair well with the marble hex tiles we’ve chosen for the bathroom.
Along those lines, I thought it might be worthwhile to dig back through the Map & Menu archives to see which spaces from our travels are inspiring me the most these days. It’s so interesting to see the number of hotels and restaurants that have left a lasting impression on us, aesthetically-speaking.
Pineapples and Pearls – Washington, DC
The perfect mix of tile patterns, combined with the brass, marble, and walnut accents, at this Capitol Hill coffee are still very fresh in my mind from our December trip to DC.
Toroso – Kennebunk, Maine
What I wouldn’t give to be able to tile our entire bathroom in blue & white azulejos, similar to the look of the bar at Toroso.
The Quirk Hotel – Richmond, Virginia
Nearly every inch of this hotel is worth noting, in a design sense. I even grabbed a swatch of the wall color of the room where we stayed, Benjamin Moore’s Love & Happiness, but I’m fully expecting Michael to veto the pink. The tiny square marble floor tile used in the Quirk’s showers would definitely be an option for our upstairs shower when we get around to updating that room, and we’ve already eyed the oak flooring in the hotel’s restaurant as a possibility for when we update our own floors.
The 404 – Nashville, Tennessee
While I don’t know that we’ll opt for the bold, bright look of the bathrooms at The 404, I love the crisp, classic design and, of course, the aged brass fixtures.
Eben House – Provincetown, Massachusetts
I think I’ll always be inspired by the rooms Kevin O’Shea creates for his properties at Salt Hotels. The suite where we stayed at Eben House will forever be a favorite.
Hotel Fauchere – Milford, Pennsylvania
While floor to ceiling marble isn’t quite a financial reality for us, it doesn’t mean I cannot daydream about the perfect marble-slate combination in the bathrooms at Hotel Fauchere. And the giant showers. And the multitude of Kiehl’s products.
The Marlton Hotel – New York, New York
Have I ever geeked out while photographing a hotel room as much as I did when shooting The Marlton? Every detail is so well-executed.
Bedford Post Inn – Bedford, New York
Another longtime favorite hotel design is the Bedford Post Inn. The cool, muted palette with the exposed beams and clawfoot tub is something we’re particularly drawn to in this old home of ours.
The Buchanan – San Francisco, California
We’re pretty set on some sort of dark green for the bathroom and now that I think about it, perhaps this wall in the downstairs of The Buchanan was one of the driving factors?
For more travel-inspired design posts, see our Bathroom & Wallpaper inspiration posts. Combining two of my greatest interests, design and travel, I love going back through old trip photos to create these posts.
Photos by Meredith Perdue for Map & Menu.