Anyone who knows me or my design sensibilities knows that I LOVE the designs of Philippe Starck, that crazy, arrogant Frenchman. And it has been a goal of mine to view as many Starck hotels as possible, even if not to stay in them all, which would be nice, but my pocketbook cannot afford too many nights in Starck hotels quite yet. A few weeks ago I was in San Francisco and while I was unable to get a room at a Starck hotel, I was able to stay in another icon of early boutique hotels, the Hotel Monaco by Bill Kimpton, which happened to be just one block from the Starck San Fran original- the Clift. The best part of the whole experience was that while I did not realize the proximity of the two hotels before arriving, as I drove down the street towards Monaco, I KNEW I was approaching a classic 90s Starck hotel long before reading the very discreet sign that marked it as the Clift. It was a wonderful experience, much like the first time I could truely tell a Neoclassical chair from a Rococo one. The exterior, while quite plain, had the telltale narrow white brick and the narrow vertical bushes in large pots out front. That is Starck, I know it.
Here is the Hudson in New York with similar exterior treatment:
So of course I had to have a drink in the lobby...which of course was appropriately dark, so I apologize for the photos.
The highlight of the experience was seeing in person and actually sitting on the hotel's iconic shiny gold, vinyl upholstered, rococo revival style chaise...
One more off the list....
