Design Destination: Hotel 1898 in Barcelona

I've not yet been to Spain and I'm definitely getting an itch to visit there...despite the fact that I speak no Spanish, and that language barrier is a bit intimidating. Nevertheless, the country's art, culture, and exquisite hotels have lured me in. 

One of those hotels is Hotel 1898 in Barcelona, which is a Núñez i Navarro Hotel. The hotel is rich in history...built in 1891, the colonial-style structure was designed by architect Josep Oriol Mestres and later served as headquarters for the Philippines Tobacco Company. Not long ago, Núñez i Navarro restored the building and focused on updating it to modern standards while preserving the historical significance. The result is Hotel 1898 and it looks pretty spectacular from a design standpoint.

Besides the high marks in design, the hotel seems to be teaming with amenities. I honed in on two in particular: free high-speed internet and completely sound-proofed rooms. Not going to lie - I love free internet at hotels, especially in Europe! They also have a pillow menu, and that sounds pretty awesome.  Finally, the Hotel 1898 has a rooftop deck and an indoor pool that are absolutely incredible. Have a look...

 

Here is the phenomenal indoor pool. According to the site, this area is the building's basement was originally a coal bunker for generating heat, then the armor-plated safe for storing Philippines Tobacco Company money, gold, and documents, and now the space has been outfitted with a pool. Quite a lineage, isn't it?

And here are some interior shots. I adore all of the bold black and white striped textiles. Plus, the light fixtures and hardware used throughout the hotel is awesome...

Masculine-chic guest rooms...

Random, but I'm crazy about these doors...

And these are scenes from their Colonial Suite's private terrace and pool...

And to wrap up, these images showcase some of the building's incredible architectural details...

Looks like a pretty nice place to stay, right? Have any of you stayed here before? Any other Barcelona hotel recommendations?

If you happen to be planning a trip to Barcelona, be sure to take a look the hotel's top 10 list of things to see and experience. Although I've never been and am therefore by no means a Barcelona expert, it seems like a nice, succinct set of things to build an itinerary around.

Mercury Rising...at least in Austin

I live in Dallas, which means that today it's almost 70 degrees and yesterday there was snow on the ground. Our weather is notoriously unpredictable, but hopefully that was the last cold spell of the season. I got spoiled when we were in Austin last weekend and it was warm and sunny. I'm so ready for consistent poolside conditions!

Speaking of Austin, we stopped in the most fabulous shop during our visit. It's called Mercury and I was in heaven perusing their funky-chic merchandise. They sum up the store concept on their business card as artifacts, gifts, and design studio. Here's a sampling...

This book nook is the coolest.

Art-o-Mat (guarded by a stuffed fox) is a brilliant concept. Basically, retired cigarette machines are converted to art vending machines. There are only 82 machines in the US, most are in museums and galleries.

I'm sure you'll be shocked, but I'm obsessed with this black and white accent wall. Trying to figure out where it could work in our house.

Missoni-eque chair.

They have the Temple of Flora book! This is the source for many of the framed botanical prints around our house.

Needlepoint zebra chair + Thomas Paul pillow.

What a great centerpiece this pedestal bowl would make!

Patent, tufting, cane, Greek key, and black/white all in one pic! I would take it all aside from the skunk. I can only imagine what my dogs would do to a piece of taxidermy.

Turquoise and orange phones...so cute. After dealing with the insane amount of calls my cell phone drops, I wouldn't mind going back to the good old days of corded telephones!

For purchasing inquires, check out their website or call 512.236.0100.

Hotel Saint Cecilia

We were in Austin earlier this week for SXSW. My husband's company helped develop a super-cool iPhone app called Tabbed Out that was part of the interactive conference. I've been dying to stay at the Hotel Saint Cecilia for a while now, and was thrilled to book a room there for this trip.

The design aesthetic of this hotel is beyond amazing...it's unique, fun, stylish, and luxurious in an un-stuffy way. I was so impressed with the overall vision/concept of the hotel. It definitely effused a cool, Montmartre-meets-Austin vibe. Kudos to whomever designed the place! They masterfully mixed old, new, traditional, and modern. There were countless details that made it one of the most memorable hotels we've ever stayed in.

Suite 4 was our abode which included this private, fenced backyard and firepit. We did a little post-dinner fireside drinking on Sunday night.

This is the patio off the lounge. Black and white stripe heaven!

Some sort of vintage car...sorry, that doesn't fall into my realm of interests :)

Old house...our suite was located at the back corner of this structure.

View from the pool area.

Most amazing umbrella ever!

Poolside

Suite living room complete with a turntable (they have a vinyl library for guests). The decor mix in here is pretty awesome...suzani-covered chair, Noguchi coffee table, Chesterfield sofa, huge red Chinese chest, gilded mirror, and brass chandelier.

Swanky mini bar area in the living room...they take it to the next level with fancy cheeses, caviar, booze, etc.

Dog biscuits for our girls...as with most high-end hotels, they are dog friendly so we brought the pups.

View from living room to patio.

Homemade caramels - delicious and prettily displayed in a vintage silver/crystal coaster.

I must have a black and white chair like this.

Boudoir - I took this pic as soon as the bags were set down before anything could get messed up! The headboard is a tufted peacock blue number.

Gorgeous chandelier and rockin' curtains. Note the Saarinen Tulip table too.

Close-up of the pelmet boxes. 

The black bathroom was neat but a little small. It had great fixtures, tile, and toiletries!

A parting shot of their quaint little sign.