Seattle Times: Hip Hyatt Hotel

Well Friday evening Mr. Monkey and I headed up to Seattle, WA to visit our good friend Music Monkey. We were there to see Music Monkey sing in the Seattle Men's Chorus with none other than the Unsinkable Debbie Reynolds! She exhibited a spunkiness for a 30 year old let alone her actual age 77! She's quite the inspiration. Once in Seattle I surprised Mr. Monkey and we stayed at a hotel instead of Music Monkey's apartment.  We stayed at the Hyatt at Olive 8 (Olive and 8th Ave.). I was first attracted to the Hotel during my Trip Advisor search by their Grand Opening special - stay 2 nights, get the 2nd night half off. My attention was also caught by their clearly modern design and the promise that this may be the first hotel in Seattle that receives LEED certification. I was not disappointed by the rooms. Although a touch small (typical of big cities I guess) they had some space savers that I've never seen in a hotel room.

 Next to the bar is a bench that I wish I had taken a picture of. The bench is built in, firm, but covered in a green shiny fabric - it's better than I'm describing. Three other major space savers are 1) sliding doors for the closet and the bathroom, 2) a sliding surface that slide out from under the dry bar, and 3) bed side tables that are attached to the wall, are floating and so can have bags and bed pillows placed under them. 

Other great details  - check out this electronic board! I was pretty in love with it even though I didn't even get to use it. We had my laptop but not the cords to hook it up - I suspect that we could have played a movie from my laptop on the T.V. Also in regards to electricity the only way to engage the lights in the room was to place the key card in a slot next to the door when you entered the room. This way folks can't leave the lights on unless they leave their key card in the slot in the room. It also helps scatterbrains like me to know always where the key is! Love it! We also checked out the bar Urbane - you'll have to check out Hyatt's webpage to view a pic - super sleek white and silver  - and the spa where we went for a swim in the saline pool and jacuzzi. We were disappointed that the steams rooms weren't open. Anyway this was the first time Mr. Monkey has been to a swanky hotel like this and while he's not super impressed by fancy money environments he did like the green edge to everything. Apart from a B & B on the Oregon Coast called Ocean Haven it was the first hotel we've stayed at to have recycling in the rooms. Hopefully good modern and green design will move beyond trendy to common practice. Be modern, live well. 

Bathroom Update

Our bathroom leaves much to be desired. It's teeny tiny and there's only one. We really wanted a 2 bedroom house when we were shopping but had a really hard time finding houses with 2 in our price range. So you can say we settled - it's true. Our hope for the future is to add a bathroom to our bedroom - creating the oh so desirable "Master Suite" - that's a bit down the road now with the financial status of the world today. So a few months ago I was looking for a quick and easy way to update our bathroom. What's easier than changing the curtain? The first 3 pictures are the before. These final 3 are the after including this detail shot of my lovely little vintage hamper picked up from the famous Oak St. Vintage for a cool $30!

At one of my favorite Eugene stores - Modern I found the Marimekko print that I have as a mousepad too (see here in earlier post). The two decals above the towel hooks are from Blik. I had purchased this set for my office at work and had a few odd people left. Mr. Monkey doesn't love that his guy is wearing pink tights but I told him that all Bullfighters wear pink tights and it has no reflection on whether they're super hip monkeys or not. And since he was having troubles remembering which towel was his he had little choice about the decals. I also said he could be the girl and I would be the guy as long as he would remember which towel was his. Well we kept the genders appropriately assigned and we haven't had a problem with towel confusion ever again! So while this mini-makeover isn't spectacular it helps to hold me over until we have a redo or addition. 

Living Modern in Boston

Greetings Friends. Well I've been on the road like Willie but instead of a bio-diesel bus I've been in boxy hotel rooms. The one I'm in now is spacious but gaudy - it's going for ancient Italy but it's capturing an "Off-the-strip" Vegas version of Italy - yes, it's that bad. Needless to say I won't be highlighting my current crash pad here at Eugene Modern Monkey. Instead I have a highlight for you from my recent trip to Boston. I was left out of the conference hotels - Westin, Sheraton, and the Marriott. I registered too late and was forced to find a room close by. Boy was I ever thrilled! Here are some pictures from my luxurious accommodations at the Copley Square Hotel. 

The back story: The hotel has been recently remodeled and just reopened in February after a year long 17 million dollar renovation. Let's just say it was worth it. Some aspects of the hotel are still a work in progress - their restaurant was not yet open but that meant they were offering a complementary breakfast. Another perk - in the evenings from 5 - 6pm the have "wine hour" in the living room like lobby. As for the rooms I had an especially spacious one with this comfy chaise lounge. Overall I loved their use of patterns in the rooms. Even though the room was an array of shades of gray it felt light and airy. The floor to ceiling curtains were a great touch and the layering of patterns gave the room a rich feel and was not overwhelming at all due to the same color palette.  I'd like to work on the layering of patterns in our modern monkey cottage. In time . . . once my plane lands back home and rests there awhile I'll share with you all the updates that Mr. Monkey has installed in the front yard.  If you're in Boston check out the Copley and even if your house does not embody modernism in every inch you can catch some inspiration by visiting this small hotel with smart and chic design! 

Thrift Store Art: Berghoff Print

Well my friends I know that many times you have heard my praise the attributes of thrift store shopping. And really even I'm getting a little tired of telling people where I got something - the answer is usually a thrift store. This time I took a step up and went to an Antique Store. Mr. Monkey and I spent a lovely Saturday afternoon in a local antique store (on Willamette St. for those local readers).  They had lots of fun items. My favorites were an over sized whisk - maybe a fun decorative for the kitchen and a wooden movable artist's figure.  Pictures to follow. First up, I came across this print entitled "Gusty Wind". I didn't particularly like it but I did notice that it was strangely similar to a print I dug up at Goodwill (the first one pictured). Can you see it? Can you see it too? Well I didn't even know who made my dug up print. So I took these pics on my phone and came on home and as my niece would say "wowie wowie zowie kaplowie" it was by the same artist. So my question now goes something like this, "Did the antique store over price it or did I make a nice little score at the good Goodwill?" Oh and I think I paid 20 bucks at the good Goodwill. I have yet to do any internet sleuthing so if you know anything do tell. I bought "daises" because I need some cheap art quick for our bedroom. I was tired looking at a blank wall. Anyway it's doing the trick and I'll think I'll hold onto it for the time. So whaddaya think? Over priced or send it Goodwill? That is the question!