Category Archives: Interior Design

Inside the SLS Hotel in Las Vegas

September 7, 2017 romicortier@yahoo.com Leave a comment

Elevator Art, SLS Hotel, Las Vegas, Photo Romi Cortier

SLS Hotel, Las Vegas, Photo Romi Cortier

SLS Hotel, Las Vegas, Romi Cortier Selfie

I recently spent a night at the SLS Hotel in Las Vegas. I was there in late August of 2014, just a week after it opened, and I promised myself that I’d return. It took me three years, but I made it.

I’d never seen the rooms before, only the lobby, which I loved!! To be honest, I’m not a big fan of Vegas, where every hotel is pumped up on steroids. So I instantly fell in love with the scale of the SLS, as well as how artfully the interiors were laid out. In fact, I previously wrote about the hotel in an earlier blog post, and I’m thrilled to be able to follow up that post with some images inside the hotel rooms.

In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a big fan of all things black and white. It’s such a strong design trend right now, and includes everything from luxury auto’s, to building exteriors, as well as commercial and residential interiors.

It took my eyes a moment to focus as I entered the hallway leading to my room. Yes, it was disorienting, but I loved it. I forced myself to move slowly so that I could absorb every detail: the chrome door handles, the textured carpet, the ah-mazing wall paper with the organic grass vibe… it was fantastic. And then I entered the room itself. What a great color pairing, palest pinky salmon, mixed with black and white. It felt oddly 1940’s, in a good way. I turned on every light in the room and marveled over how brilliant it was. Soft soft soft, setting the mood for a perfect selfie. And that really cool chrom-ish tree stump as end table has been on my must have list for ages. Yes I left it behind when I checked out, but I did wonder if they’d notice. And to make things even more perfect, they had a large scale piece of black and white art in the bathroom. Love it!!

I hope you’ll consider the SLS Hotel the next time you visit Vegas. It’s a little off the beaten path in the north end of town on the site of the former Sahara Hotel. They also have a dedicated stop for the hotel on the Las Vegas Monorail.

And lastly, while we’re talking about Artful Living, check out the sizzle reel for my new TV Pilot Artful Living with Romi Cortier, produced by Red Carpet Recio Productions. The full 22 minute pilot can be seen for free on Go Indie TV. It’s a celebration of Art, Architecture and Interior Design… all things that are very close to my heart.

Art, Decorative Arts, Interior Design

Meeting Peter Shire

July 26, 2017 romicortier@yahoo.com 2 Comments

Belle Air, Chair, Peter Shire, Photo Romi Cortier — Belle Air, Chair, MOCA, West Hollywood, Peter Shire, Photo Romi Cortier

Chair, MOCA, West Hollywood, Peter Shire, Photo Romi Cortier

Chair Installation, MOCA, West Hollywood, Peter Shire, Photo Romi Cortier

Belle Aire, Chair, 2010, MOCA, West Hollywood, Peter Shire, Photo Romi Cortier

Bel Air, Memphis, 1981, MOCA, West Hollywood, Peter Shire, Photo Romi Cortier

Olympic Lamp Installation, MOCA, West Hollywood, Peter Shire, Photo Recio Young — Olympic Lamp Installation & Romi Cortier, MOCA, West Hollywood, Peter Shire, Photo Recio Young

I never imagined that I’d have the distinct pleasure of meeting Peter Shire, the only American artist to serve as part of the Italian based Memphis Group…. but I did!! It happened on the last day of his recent exhibit at MOCA, West Hollywood, down to about the last hour of his show that closed on July 2, 2017.

I kept nudging my fiance that morning… lets go, it’s closes at 6. Him, you still have a few hours, why rush. Ugh. You know that feeling when you’re so excited like a kid who wants to go to the carnival? Well that’s me when it came to seeing this exciting show, because it held so much history for me. I’d been aware of the Memphis Group, since they burst on the scene in the early 1980’s. As a young guy who’d just moved to Seattle from the boonies, I was awestruck by the bold and colorful furniture that I’d seen in a few of the Italian based furniture stores. And then, there was that crazy fun movie ‘Ruthless People’ starring Better Midler and Danny DeVito in 1986 which solidified the outrageous design movement known as Post Modernism. To be honest, I think they were poking fun at the Memphis furniture style by stuffing the characters Bel-Air home on Belagio Drive with loads and loads of it. But it made an impact that stuck.

To be clear about this design movement, a lot of people hated it. But I’ve always believed in it. My professors at the UCLA interior design school taught us that it takes at least 20 years for the scholars to look back on a design movement and put it in perspective. Well… it’s been 30 years, and guys like Peter Shire and Ettore Sottsass, who founded the group, are getting museum shows all across the country. That’s a good sign. And auction sales for their work are also very strong, another good sign. I own a few pieces of furniture from this era, and I’ve used them daily with great pride. In the photo below you can see the First Chair by Michele de Lucchi (blue disc on the right), that I’ve owned forever. I use it as my painting chair in my art studio because it’s durable and resistant to paint.

Romi Cortier painting in his Art Studio, Laurel Canyon, Photo Sylvan Scott

So, back to the exhibit. When we walked into MOCA, the receptionist mentioned that Peter might still be upstairs. Whaaaat? Oh my god, really? I was so nervous as I climbed the stairs to the upper gallery. He was there. In the corner. Chatting away. Well…. I circled the gallery, enjoyed and photographed my favorite pieces… but I just couldn’t bring myself to say hello. I was chickening out, but my fiance pushed me: say hello, say hello. You would have thought I was trying to work up the nerve to say hello to Brad Pit or some Hollywood A Lister. The thing is, in my eyes, men like Peter Shire are way more important then Hollywood celebs. They’re artists. They create something from nothing and change the way we view and experience the world. I was just as giddy meeting the iconic photographer Julius Shulman and artist Francoise Gilot.

Mr. Shire was very kind and easy to talk to. He also thanked me for taking the work so seriously and for coming to his show. Please… I would have gotten down on my hands and knees and polished his shoes in that moment. I went downstairs, purchased a book from the show, and went back up for an autograph. He asked his famous architect friend to hold the book while I looked on: Too many famous people!!! In one room. To two very nice people!!!

www.petershirestudio.com

Romi Cortier, Peter Shire, Friend and Architect, MOCA, West Hollywood, Photo Recio Young

Interior Design

Artful Living with Romi Cortier

October 13, 2016 romicortier@yahoo.com 1 Comment

Artful Living with Romi Cortier, After photo

Artful Living with Romi Cortier, Photo Recio Young

Artful Living with Romi Cortier, Romi Cortier, Coco aka Malibu Pom, and Recio Young — Artful Living with Romi Cortier, Romi, Coco aka Malibu Pom, and Recio Young

Artful Living with Romi Cortier, Romi & Coco, aka Malibu Pom

Artful Living with Romi Cortier, Coco aka Malibu Pom, Photo Romi Cortier

Artful Living with Romi Cortier is a new hybrid reality show that I’m currently working on with my fiance Recio Young. The show will be co-created with Red Carpet Recio Productions, Recio’s newly launched production company. Initially it will be viewable on my YouTube Channel Romi Cortier, and our longterm goal is to sell it to a network.

The concept for the show is an upscale reality show that’s hopefully drama free, with a focus on the arts and interior design. Imagine Huell Howser’s California gold combined with Paris Hilton and her cute little dog. Cue Romi and Coco walking into Lalique on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills having a conversation with their manager about what it took to bring one of their finer pieces to market. Or having a private tour at LACMA or MOCA, discussing the latest acquisition to their collection. Or better yet, how about a trip to a thrift store looking for a few lost gems to add to a newly styled room. I want to help my viewers develop their eye to better appreciate the beautiful things around us.

One of my passions when it comes to interior design is how we curate our spaces, adding in family heirlooms with new modern pieces. It’s about mixing the old with the new, creating an environment that’s not full of disposable goods from China. I’d rather have fewer but finer things… they always last much longer. Take for example the blue rug seen above. I purchase it over 20 years ago for about $1500 from the now defunct Dialogica furniture store. It’s made of wool and features 5 different shades of blue. It’s still stunning after all of these years, with an average cost of $75 per year. On the other hand, I’ve got beautiful paintings in my personal art collection that I paid as little as $50 for at auction, and I love them just as much as my expensive pieces. It’s all about how we mix and match.

The educated eye is a marvelous thing, and it doesn’t happen by accident. Hours spent window shopping or going to art openings, ultimately pays off. I want to share that journey with you. Stay tuned for our sizzle reel coming soon. In the mean time, show a little love to my co-star Coco by following her on Instagram at MalibuPom.

Architecture, Interior Design

Inside the How House, by Architect R.M. Schindler

July 21, 2016 romicortier@yahoo.com Leave a comment

How House, R.M. Schindler, Architect, Silver Lake, Ca. Photo Romi Cortier

I walked into R. M. Schindler’s How House cold, knowing absolutely nothing about it. An hour later I left feeling like a Buddhist monk… zen, grounded, tranquil and full of love. It’s rare to experience this sort of transformation while moving through a home.

A decade earlier at the Farnsworth House in Plano, Illinois I had a similar experience and it literally brought me to tears. It was designed by Mies van der Rohe in the late 40’s, and is an iconic masterpiece of the International Style of architecture, just as this home is. The International Style began in the late 1920’s and continued into the early 1980’s. Hallmarks of this design movement include: rectilinear forms, open interior spaces, a visually weightless quality engendered by the use of cantilever construction, and light, taut plane surfaces stripped of applied ornamentation and decoration. I know that’s a mouthful for non architectural enthusiasts, but it helps give words to the ‘visual rhythm’ that a trained eye can identify.

When I first stood outside this home, I thought of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water, one of his most famous homes with overlapping horizontal and vertical planes. As it turns out, Schindler worked with Wright for nearly a decade on several of his most significant residences. One of the aspects of this home that really moved me, was the use of poured concrete walls with horizontal bands. As you can clearly see, that ‘banding’ theme was also applied to the exterior and interior woodwork of the home, as well as the windows and fireplace.

While conversing with Brian Linder, AIA, in the living room of the home, I learned that the home had been meticulously restored by Michael LaFetra in 2007. The original redwood wall panels were replaced by retrieving logs from the bottom of the riverbed where the original trees for the wood had been milled. How’s that for going the extra distance to keep the home as original as possible. You can read more about LaFetra’s restoration by following this link: Michael LaFetra.

Lastly, when I toured this home on Sunday July 10th, I had no idea that it was the first ever open house to the public. I’m so glad I opened my email from The Value of Architecture… it was gift from the heavens for those of us obsessed with important architectural gems like this.

See more photos, as well as the MLS listing, HERE

Interior Design

Neoclassical Paneled Room @ The Getty Center

June 8, 2016 romicortier@yahoo.com Leave a comment

Neoclassical Paneled Room, Getty Center, Los Angeles, Photo Romi Cortier

Neoclassical Paneled Room Detail, Getty Center, Los Angeles, Photo Romi Cortier

I love this French Neoclassical Paneled Room at the Getty Center in Los Angeles. It’s so rich in neoclassical details from the Louis XVI (16th) period. Chairs with thin fluted legs, decorative items with garlands, swags, palmettes, and flowers, and a return to simplicity in shapes, such as the rectangular and circular motifs in the doors. Yes, there’s a lot going on here compared to todays much simpler rooms, but the attention to detail and the subtle gilded ornamentation helps the viewer experience the refined joy of this period.

The end of the Louis Louis’s, as my art history teacher used to say, was the lightest and leanest of the three periods. You can see by these delicate and symmetrical details how pleasant this room must have been to live in during the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. The heavy Baroque and Rococo period gave way to these refined details thanks in part to Louis XV’s (15th) mistress Madame de Pompadour. Additionally, the discovery of Roman ruins at Herculaneum and Pompeii (1738-50) helped to turn the tide on the previously decadent and ostentatious period, with a return to the classicism of Greece and Rome. Note the grecian inspired women on the doorknob mechanism and the stunning wall mounted candelabra.

Visiting this room makes me feel as if I’m back in Paris visiting any number of my favorite places… I love to linger here and soak it up whenever I visit the Getty. It’ll have to hold me over until I can plan my next visit back to the mothership.

This salon, or main reception room, is from a residence in Paris called the Maison Hosten. It was built for Jean-Baptiste Hosten, a plantation owner from Santo Domingo. He Commissioned the architect Claude-Nicolar Ledoux to design his residence as the focus of a larger house complex that was to include fourteen other surrounding town houses. The Maison Hosten and six of the others were completed by 1795, when building stopped after Hosten fled the country during the French Revolution. The whole project was dismantled at the end of the 1800s. The complex is considered to have been among the most significant works of French domestic architecture by one of the leading architects of the 1700s. (per the Getty Center placard)

Getty Center

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