Architecture & Design
The historic Hotel La Tabaccaia is smokin‘ cool!
What was once a factory that dried tobacco for Tuscan cigars has been transformed into the architecturally impressive Hotel La Tabaccaia located on the 11-square-meter-sized Toscana Resort Castelfalfi estate in Tuscany.
This three-star luxury boutique hotel is now welcoming guests with 31 traditional Tuscan rooms and suites that combine restored beams and tiled ceilings with modern, understated décor. Materials and palettes used in the renovation reflect the shapes and colours of the surrounding Tuscan landscape.
Guests will be treated to an indulgent breakfast buffet, and Italian espresso in the hotel lounge or a glass of Castelfalfi’s own house wine in the bar – whatever your pleasure.
All rooms are appointed with free Wi-Fi, a 32” LCD TV with satellite channels, air conditioning and a rainforest shower.
Looking for an inspired place to hold your next meeting? The Hotel La Tabaccaia can also accommodate small business gatherings and events.
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A classic, five-star hotel is born in Florence, Italy
This May, Landmark Hotels will reopen the Villa Tolomei as a five-star luxury boutique hotel and resort. The repurposed Villa Tolomei Hotel & Resort offers a cozy setting to guests, with 27 double rooms, three suites with a view and a Junior Suite with a private terrrace.
You’ll feel like you have stepped onto a Tuscan estate during the Renaissance, with its classical furnishings and frescoed ceilings in the suites that you could spend hours staring at from the comfort of your relaxing bed.
The swimming pool offers up panoramic views of nearby Florence and the lush, surrounding hills. In the restaurant, enjoy a blend of traditional Tuscan cuisine and sophisticated, classic dishes.
Just a short five minutes from Florence, this 17,000-acre villa offers the perfect escape from city life. Free Wi-Fi and complimentary parking. For more details, send an e-mail to: info@villatolomeihotel.it.
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Berlin's Mari Otberg of justMariot captures the whimsy of the city in her designs
Check out her chic boutique and fiercely feminine designs next time in town
By Karen Loftus
Berlin is a breeding ground for creative people and ideas. At every turn you can see the creative side of the city. Be it an architectural twist on a building, a provocative piece of art, a street performer or the many inspired designers, this city has something to say. From a visitor's standpoint, the city was seemingly civilized. Unlike New York, I never heard a voice raised or the all too common road rage one is privy to in the LA landscape. The expression is saved for the canvas, the page or the fabric.
In its heyday in the roaring 20's, Berlin once paralleled Parisian fashion. A bit more avant-garde in nature, but no less inspired. Today, Germany is breeding some of the best designers in Europe garnering attention worldwide, from the purity of Jil Sander to the Lagerfeld's and the Hugo Boss', Germany is a firm fixture on the fashion map. But, it's Berlin in particular that is of interest to the fashion set. Berlin's experimental edgy, avant-garde fashions rival the French and the cutting edge Brits. Drawn to Berlin, Britain's own best Vivienne Westwood teaches a master class at Hochschule der Kunste (The Art Academy) in Berlin
It was on a recent trip to Berlin that I met local designer Mari Otberg of justMariot. I was immediately drawn to Mari and her designs while walking the market floor at Bread and Butter in Berlin, the biggest international market for fashion and design in Europe held biannually.
Mari is a bit of Vivienne, Sex and the City's stylist Pat Fields, LA's own Petro Zilla, Debbie Johnson, and a pinch of Nanette Lepore and like no one you've ever seen before. Her line is fiercely feminine with a sense of whimsy weaving through each thread and each piece.
Uninhibited with her colors and unapologetic with her patterns, Mari uses the best fabrics, wools, silks and cashmeres, while playing with some of the season's best trends; jewel tones, black and white, plaids, ruffles, small cape like crop jackets and sexy reds. She's too chic to be trendy, yet a trend worth a following.
While visiting her boutique in Berlin I was offered a glass of wine, poured from the restaurant next door. I love Europe! Like Alice in Wonderland, I fell in to this other world, a truly creative fashion fairyland. The muse is alive and kicking in the world of Mari as her shop is feminine gem.
A true artist with playful applique caricatures that she draws herself, Mari had an art showing of her many sketches at Berlin's new hip restaurant Shiro Shiro at The hotel of the moment, Lux 11 in the stylish neighborhood Mitte (think Soho) during Bread & Butter.
I stood alongside the most stylish group of people I have ever seen assembled in one room. More intimidating and far more inspiring than the celeb set on the red carpet, they sipped champagne while I ogled at Mari's live fashion installation. The wait staff, too chic to serve, danced around in Mari's whimsical waitress wares as she designed the staff's uniform. Berlin Bliss!!!
For more information on Mari Ottberg, her line & her Berlin boutique:
JustMariot www.justmariot.com / 9 Gipstrasse 10019 / # 49 (0) 30 46 60 45 14
For more info on the many creative aspects of Berlin and their many chic boutiques contact The Berlin Tourism Board www.berlin-tourist-information.de
Check in to Lux 11 Berlin's Design hotel in the uber chic neighborhood of Mitte. Shop at Ulf Haines, wine and dine in the newly renovated LUCH's restaurant and bar or experience BEAT KAHLCKE an ayurvedic salon. If after experiencing a few chic sleeps is something you can't live without, you can opt to take up permanent residence in one of the apartments. For more information: www.lux-eleven.com
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