This weekend = awesomeness.

I was extremely fortunate to get last minute tickets to the Structures and Styles hotel tour in West Hollywood. They were sold out but I called and said we were out-of-town guests are was looking forward to this event so the event coordinator pulled some strings and was able to squeeze us in. She was so sweet! So we ventured to some of the hottest hotels in the city and got a review and a tour of them. We even got to meet the artists, designers, and chefs of the places. So cool.

From a designers stand point, I must say LA's hospitality design has a completely different approach than Las Vegas's hospitality design. I am jealous and quite envious really! There are so many rules & codes that we need to follow here in Vegas that it limits the designs tremendously. For example- furry/hairy pillows. I LOVE these things. I'm already a pillow whore and having one furry pillow makes me all warm and gushy inside. Here in vegas though, we would never be able to use them. It a) doesn't meet flame requirements; b) doesn't meet durability rubs; c) will not uphold to stain resistances; d) investors note that it may offend certain guests (PETA & other organizations) even if it is faux fur. Crazy right? Well not so much.

In defense to vegas design, we have a completely different clientele to think about. Lets be honest, our clients come to vegas to behave badly. We have to imagine designing for the drunkest/craziest person on the planet and what they could possibly do. Coffee tables need to be durable (just in case clients dance on it), sofas have to withstand cigarette burns & be resistant to alcohol and other substances (eww..), there must be NO sharp edges on any of the furniture pieces, etc. It's like designing for an adult baby. It's amazing how these people are usually the most professional in real life.

In LA, the hotels seem to be geared toward the residential feel. Most of the suites didn't even feel like a hotel. It was more like staying at your rich hip uncles guestroom. No joke. Natural light seemed to be a must, and all of them had a very clean smell (a very high importance to me). Also, their spas are more private. They had this idea of designing large suites with your own personal spa amenities. You don't even have to leave the room if you don't want/feel comfortable to. Here in vegas, we design for the masses with large areas to soak, relax, and lounge. Both are great experiences, but the physical dynamics are completely different.

I can go on and on, but I'll spare my few readers since i'm sure this stuff goes right over their heads. In other news, we saw a few celebrities out there while cruzing WeHo. Jay from America's next top model was buying furniture at one of the stores on the avenues, and I saw John Krasinski (Jim from the Office) having an outdoor lunch at one of the cafes. My co-worker and I could barely contain ourselves. Talk about star struck-

Yeah so after our Structures tour and the 12th Annual Art & Design Walk, we stopped off at the Abbey to have cocktails & a bite to eat. Shit that place was hella crowded, especially for a time around 6-7ish. The music was going and the boys were flowing. Man there were so many hott professionals there I could barely contain myself :) The last time I went (like a few years back) i was sick and couldn't really enjoy myself. This time though, was a totally new experience. I'm now older, not so "twink" looking, and can easily fit right in (with the right passe of course). And did i mention i'm learning how to drink mojitos? Yeah before I was constantly digging leafs out of my mouth (real attractive) but now I've learned to drink from the top of the glass because all of the leaves sink to the bottom. Yay I finally grew a brain!

On the drive home, I passed out two hours before we made it back to the city. Damn, I was so close to staying awake the entire drive home. Oh wells. I got home, passed out, woke at around 10:30 for breakfast and some lite tv, then took a nap from noon till about 4:30. UNBELIEVABLE! I didn't realize how low my EP (energy points) was.

It is now Monday morning, and tonight I plan to watch mtv's award show ( i heard many good things) and probably do all of my errands I was supposed to do yesterday. I have no food and I was supposed to clean the apartment. Oh that reminds me, rent is due today. Shit. My lease is up at the end of next month so I have a lot of thinking to do. I better make a checklist and start getting with it.

Till then,
-wicked