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Open House Chicago 2016 Series – Part 4

This is my last post about Open House Chicago which I attended a few weekends ago. If you’ve been following along, you know that this one is going to be about the home and studio of the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright. I was the most excited about visiting this space because I studied a little bit about him in my interior design classes. He was a modern architect who wanted to steer away from European style architecture and build a distinct style for America. This style was known as the Prairie style. His home and studio in Oak Park is considered to be his first architectural masterpiece. This style emphasized homes with low, pitched roofs and long rows of casement windows which were made with local materials. The wood was always unstained and unpainted to focus attention on natural beauty. Unfortunately, on this tour, we were not allowed to take photographs of the inside but I did manage to take…

Atlantis Hotel – Dubai, UAE

*This post contains affiliate links. Clicking on them will not cost you anything. Should you purchase an item, I may get a set commission from it which will help me continue to run this blog.* A lot of you have probably heard of the Atlantis Hotel. It’s pretty famous and I had the opportunity to stay in the one in Dubai (there is one in the Bahamas as well). This one is situated on the iconic Palm Jumeira Island in the middle of the Persian Gulf. It has incredible views of the Dubai skyline and the gulf. Also, I just want to point out that the service and hospitality here was so good! When we were checking in, we hadn’t paid for the skyline view room, but they gave it to us anyway! Here is our room: There was a wooden sliding door that opened up to the bathtub in the bathroom. There…

Burj Al Arab, Dubai, UAE

*This post contains affiliate links* Now on to the things I did in Dubai! My first post is about the iconic Burj Al Arab hotel that Dubai is so famous for. It sits in the Persian Gulf on a man-made island in the shape of a sail. The idea behind it was to have an icon that Dubai would be known for much like Eiffel Tower in Paris or the Statue of Liberty in New York City. The structure was designed by Tom Wright and completed in 1999 just in time for the millennium celebrations. The interior was designed by Khuan Chew and is a fusion of contemporary and classical design. When you enter this self proclaimed seven star hotel, you find yourself in a sea of vibrant colors and shapes. Then, you are pulled towards the escalators that lead you to the atrium (my favorite part). When you look up,…

Emirates Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi, UAE

When I was in school, I randomly used to look up luxury hotels and go through their photo galleries for inspiration and also just for fun. The Emirates Palace Hotel was one of the first ones I had heard about in the UAE (besides the famous Burj-Al-Arab). When a friend told me about it, I immediately looked it up. From the pictures, I remember being more impressed with the exterior design and architecture of it rather than the interior. When I finally went and saw it with my own eyes, I still felt the same way. It definitely lived up to it’s name in that it looked like a palace.We didn’t get to go in any of the rooms or suites (I’m sure they are magnificent) but we did get to go inside and see the main areas like the lobby and the courtyard. When you enter through the main entrance, it is…

Valpo Velvet – Valparaiso, IN

Continuing with the exploring Indiana theme, it’s time to tell you about Valpo Velvet. When I was looking up things to see, do and eat in Valparaiso, Indiana, I kept coming across Valpo Velvet. It’s an ice cream shoppe! And such a historic one as well. They’ve been making ice cream in this location since 1947. And what’s great is that they continue to make all their products from scratch! The picture of the ice cream featured above may not look as exciting but the flavor definitely was. There are about 50 different flavors of ice creams, sherbet, frozen yogurt, etc. to choose from and I got Salted Caramel. It’s one of my all time favorite flavors of ice cream along with cookies and cream. It was delicious! I really liked the inside of this shoppe as well, it was really cute. In particular, I enjoyed all the colorful chairs, almost each…

Mindy’s Hot Chocolate – Chicago, IL

In my last post I was remembering the warmth. However, since I have no control over the weather, I embrace winter by drinking lots and lots of hot chocolate. And lucky for me, there are several places in Chicago dedicated to just that much like Mindy’s Hot Chocolate. One of my friend’s had been wanting to try this place after reading so many great reviews. So a couple of weeks ago we finally got the chance! It’s located in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood in the middle of shops and restaurants. As soon as I walked in, I loved the interior. And the very first thing that I noticed when I walked in was a beautiful brick wall that was painted white and embellished with wall planters made from glass bottles. So simple, yet so eye catching too. I was happy when they seated us right by it. We both ordered the Medium Hot Chocolate made…

The Millworks – Harrisburg, PA

I am so excited to share this post with you! The last time I went to Harrisburg was in November, on the birth of my niece. That is when I discovered The Millworks. Well, technically I didn’t discover it on my own. My friend suggested we go here (I love it when my friends know exactly the kinds of things I would like and appreciate). So basically this place is for anyone who enjoys art and food. As you walk in, you are immediately greeted by artwork on the walls. Inside, there is a shop which features prints, jewelry, pottery etc. from local artists. They have several art studios on the main floor as well as the upstairs. I fell in love with the architecture and the interior design immediately. The lumber utilized inside was re purposed from whatever was left inside when the building was originally purchased. The design up…

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