Kat Von D, the tattoo maven and beauty entrepreneur, is certainly creative.
Case in point: Her enormous home, which was recently sold for $7,750,000, is a mashup of 1890s ornate style with a good dose of modern goth, complete with a blood-red pool.
While the sale price is impressive, the splendid home was asking for $15 million when it came on the market last year (and topped the Realtor.com® most popular homes list). Still, Von D came out ahead on the home, which she purchased in 2016 for $6.5 million.
The storied estate served as a filming location for the 2003 movie “Cheaper by the Dozen,” and Von D added some cinematic touches while she lived there, including the very red pool.
The 12,500-square-foot mansion has eight bedrooms and 7.5 baths. There’s also a carriage house with two bedrooms and a bath.
This Victorian-era gem sits pretty amid rows of clipped hedges and swirly landscaping. Inside, it’s replete with dark wood paneling and floors, fairy-tale-like turrets, intricate scrollwork, leaded stained-glass windows, and elegant chandeliers.
A cavernous entryway leads to the main rooms, which include a living space, den/library, and sitting area.
The updated kitchen fits in nicely with the home’s original era, and a little chef’s garden is just steps from the cooking area. A hidden bar sits behind a secret door that opens outside to that scarlet pool and spa.
Upstairs you’ll find an automated theater with surround sound, an actual stage with footlights, and a handy bar in an adjacent turreted room.
The house also has modern mechanicals, including new HVAC, roof, plumbing, and electrical equipment. And there’s also a security system and a backup generator in case of power outages.
Von D is also a musician, producing her debut album, “Love Made Me Do It,” in 2021. That same year, she announced that she planned to leave California. According to recent reports, she shut down her L.A. tattoo studio, picked up stakes, and moved with her family to Indiana, where she had already purchased a home in 2020.
In high school, I babysat a kid whose parents were pretty well off. And by “well off,” I mean they were crazy rich.
One day I decided to take the kid out for ice cream — my treat. When we got to the ice cream shop, I only had enough money to buy him the small, and he wanted the large. What then followed wasn’t exactly a temper tantrum; it’s probably better described as a communication breakdown. He was legitimately confused as to why he couldn’t have the larger size.
He truly couldn’t understand the concept of “not enough money.” Price was not a matter of quantity to him, but simply a choice — it was like asking whether he wanted vanilla, strawberry or chocolate. The idea that his options were limited because of cost was beyond him. He also didn’t understand that I was treating him. From his perspective, the ice cream was always there for him to begin with — it didn’t matter who happened to be forking over the money.
I recently recounted this story to my mom, complaining about how this kid probably wouldn’t grow up to learn the tenets of financial independence like I did, because he was privileged, and I grew up so poor.
“We weren’t that poor,” my mom said, dryly. “You exaggerate.”
She then reminded me that she truly grew up poor. She had dreams about her next meal. She shared a single room with seven brothers and sisters. My mom reminded me that she lived in a remote village in Hong Kong, for crying out loud.
My own mother was one-upping me in the impoverished childhood department. And she definitely won.
But thinking about this situation, and my mom’s response, I’ve been pondering a couple of things:
1) Are privileged kids at a disadvantage when it comes to learning the lessons of financial independence?
2) Have I romanticized being poor to facilitate my financial goals, and what are the implications of doing this?
“There is No Success Without Hardship”
Sophocles said this. In my case, I’ve found it to be true. Growing up “poor” forced me to learn the tenets of hard work, responsibility and resourcefulness — qualities that have helped me find success in my endeavors. My mom had even less money, and she learned those lessons even more thoroughly. To this day, I’ve never seen anyone more frugal or with more self-control than my mother.
So I grew up believing that wisdom comes with adversity. But thinking in terms of financial independence, what does this mean for those who grow up privileged? It’s usually a parent’s goal for their children to grow up without financial hardships. Consequently, can those children learn the lessons of personal finance just as powerfully without going through all the tough stuff? Can we be wise without having to endure adversity?
How Much Can You Learn With a Safety Net?
Of course it’s possible for the privileged to learn to be industrious and diligent and all of that, but I feel like the lessons are much different when you have to learn them. Here’s a somewhat nerdy example.
In The Dark Knight Rises (spoiler alert) Bruce Wayne must escape his prison by climbing to the top of a deep pit and leaping out of it. He tries this a few times while secured by a rope — his safety net. He’s unsuccessful each time. Then, he decides to try the escape without the rope — the motivation is, if he doesn’t succeed, he’ll fall to his death. Of course, Wayne finally succeeds without the rope. His will to survive leads him to accomplish his goal. He succeeds when there is no other option but to succeed.
I know it’s just a movie, but it’s also a parable. So I ask myself: How successful can you be in learning the lessons of value, responsibility, etc., when you’ll be totally fine if you don’t?
The Problems With Romanticizing Poverty
I plan to have a safety net for my own kids. In fact, I don’t plan on having kids until I can afford to have a safety net for them. Does this mean they’ll grow up at a disadvantage when it comes to financial independence? Will they have less success because they have less adversity? How do I teach my kids to be financially independent when I plan to give them a financial safety net?
Second, even though I finally have some financial elbowroom and am able to live comfortably, I still have this “impoverished” mind-set. I discussed this a bit when I wrote about not buying a new computer because I didn’t feel like I’d suffered enough to afford a new computer. This mind-set has kept me from enjoying the fruits of my financial independence. Exaggerating my poorness has worked in my favor in the past, especially when I needed to save money to pay off my student loans. But these days, it’s given me a false sense of insecurity. And why else have I worked so hard for my financial independence if not to feel secure?
Another issue I have with romancing poverty is that it’s kind of condescending.
Like a lot of lower-middle-class families, in our household, we always had this subtle resentment of people who, as my dad would say, “had everything handed to them.” I have a friend who’s embarrassed by the fact that he’s had everything handed to him — there’s this unspoken shame you feel when you tell people you didn’t pay for your own lifestyle.
And that’s not really fair. Why should there be a sense of haughtiness for people whose parents provided for them?
My mom also pointed out that it’s about perspective. What I considered “poor,” many people in the world would consider incredibly wealthy. It’s insulting to call it “poverty” and say that I grew up poor when, really, we may have struggled to pay utility bills, but we always had food.
At any rate, I’ve been mulling over these thoughts in the past few weeks, especially in wondering how I’ll teach my own children financial independence. So I have a few questions:
Do you think impoverished kids learn the tenets of responsibility and hard work more intensely or effectively than privileged kids? Basically — is there a personal finance advantage to growing up poor?
How do I go about teaching my children the importance of finance, responsibility and self-sufficiency when I plan to give them a safety net?
Does an impoverished mind-set keep you from enjoying the freedom of financial independence?
Indigo has been permeating all things decorating for a while now – but the trend certainly shows no sign of slowing down. And it’s easy to see why. A lusciously deep blue anchors any space. There are so many ways you can play with it. If you’re a color-phobe, trying to figure out how to break your all-neutral decor habit, adding some blue is definitely for you.
Case in point, I want to sink right into that indigo living room above. The large scale rug gives the otherwise all-white room depth and dramatic dimension. I love the look of the tone on tone rug and sofa. I”m definitely taking note for our house.
Similarly, a dark blue duvet cover is the perfect way to anchor your bedroom. The great thing about blues is the ability to mix tone, texture and prints in one space. Play with mix and match sheets, a bevy of pillows and throws and the rest of your accessories. The options are virtually endless.
And blue can take on a glamorous turn when you add in some high gloss paint and dramatic florals like the above dining room (which belongs to A-Rod, of all people).
These days there are a lot of ways to incorporate a shot of blue into your home. Whether you want some vintage indigo textiles, a classic deep velvet or a modern rustic denim, really anything goes. My shopping list is starting to get a little long…
1 cube / 2 heather day art / 3 indigo throw / 4 phone case / 5 pillow / 6 sofa / 7 striped throw / 8 glassware / 9 glass beads / 10 madewell x abc carpet & home denim chair
Ready? Set? The time to prepare for your home sale is NOW!
Start now and you’ll be set to list during the peak home-selling season, ensuring you get top-dollar for your house.
Spring is almost here. Bears leave hibernation and people get moving. Literally.
That’s right. Spring and summer consistently see a greater volume of home sales than fall and winter. Why? Are you kidding? Who needs more reason than a simple aversion to moving in cold, dark weather? Besides that, moving in the winter interrupts the school year for those folks who have kids. Plus, homes show better when flowers are blooming and grass is green. You and the rest of the nation are probably dreaming of flowers this very February minute. It’s not a secret. Spring and summer pretty much rock for home sales.
Not only do houses typically move faster during the on-season, they sell for more money. This is probably due to the high demand for houses and a sense of “time running out” as autumn, and the school year, approach. An influx of buyers can create a situation called a bidding war, when more than one buyer offers on a house. This sometimes causes the house to sell for higher than the asking price as buyers compete.
How do you get in on this fast-selling, high-price season?
Imagine it. You wait until the weather is nice and buyers are already shopping. You start thinking about how you want to sell. Then you trip on the broken grate of your fireplace which you didn’t see because of the missing lightbulb overhead. You realize that fixing up the flaws in your home is 1) the only way to get the best price for it, and 2) a time-consuming process. Buyers are already touring the homes they will buy and you’re not on the race track. You’re not ready to list and you won’t be anytime soon, potentially for months.
Now imagine instead that you look February in the eye and declare that it’s no match for you. That’s right.
You prep your home now.
Start with these six steps and come back to our blog often. Over the weeks, we will dish out tips on what you can do to get your home sold at a good price.
Shop Homie and other websites as if you are a buyer looking for a home in your neighborhood. Learning a market is best done over time, not in a cram-session. For the next month, search new listings daily to get a sense of what sells quickly and where prices are at. This will help you know how to price and show your home.
List problem areas of your home. Walk the home and property. This might require a jacket, but it’s worth it. Write down everything that doesn’t function properly or is unsightly.
Prioritize your repairs and upgrades. Organize your list of problem areas from the most to the least important. Think small-to-large and front-to-back. In other words, now is not the time to tackle large renovations, which do not always give a full return on investment. List first the small things that will repair quickly and inexpensively, with an extra focus on items that will be seen first by potential buyers. So, the front of the house, the front rooms, and the kitchen. You may not get to all items.
Get estimates for the repairs you hope to make and set aside money for them. Putting money into the house during this phase of home-selling is a wise investment, as serious buyers often walk away from homes that need too much work. Other buyers will give low-ball offers because they sense that the seller is not truly prepared to show the home well.
Set a deadline for when you hope to put your house up for sale. You can always bump it back, but having a goal helps to organize your repair personnel and your own time. There will be bumps along the way. Don’t lose hope! The housing market is strong and by starting early, you have more time on your hands than most.
Contact Homie. When it comes to selling homes, Homie’s got your back. Homie quickly and painlessly walks you through the first steps to the last without the traditional 6% commission fees. Some of the steps to selling a home can even be done with the touch of a button on your phone! So relax. Selling a home has never been cheaper—or easier. Sign up to sell with Homie today.
Note: This post is the first of our Home-Sellers’ Journey series, where we walk you through every step of selling a home during peak season. For more details on selling your home, visit our post How Homie Helps You Sell Your Home and be sure to check back soon for our next post in the series, Tips for Staging Your Home.
Looking to purchase a home and not waste any time doing so? Well, a new company called “Skupit” might be just the ticket.
The website allows you to make offers on homes in your desired area in a matter of minutes, if not seconds if you’re really good with a keyboard.
At first glance, Skupit looks like most other listing websites, such as Zillow or Redfin, but gives you the option to place an offer as well.
The listing pages are actually a bit more bare bones than what you’ll find at the aforementioned sites (no Zestimates or Redfin Estimates, for example), but you do get the ability to make an offer.
Redfin allows you to make an offer too, and Zillow allows you to contact an agent if you’re interested, but Skupit does it without the buyer’s agent.
Skupit Relies on Single Agent Transactions
Instead of having your agent call their agent, you can make an offer for a home all by yourself on Skupit.
The listing agent will help you with the paperwork and connect buyer and seller, but it’ll be a one-agent deal, not the typical two agent situation most conventional home sales involve.
Speaking of the listing agent, they can increase transparency by allowing the seller to receive a notification every time an offer is made online via Skupit.
This way buyers get to review all offers, instead of being in the dark about who’s interested and who the agents think should buy your home.
If you’re a home buyer, you simply click on the “make an offer today” button on the listing page and you’re on your way.
You can fine-tune your offer by putting in any amount you wish, and by selecting all cash or financing with a mortgage.
If you choose to customize the terms you can adjust the length of escrow, whether you want to buy site unseen or do an inspection, and if you do inspect, how long you want that period to be.
If you tell them you plan to use a mortgage you can also indicate your down payment, whether you have a pre-approval, and if/how long you want the loan/appraisal contingency to be.
That’s it. From there you’d just hit submit and wait to hear back from the listing agent.
I suppose the beauty of this system is that your offer will automatically be stronger than a typical agent-submitted offer because the listing agent can earn the full commission.
So two similar offers might go the way of the Skupit buyer if all else is equal.
Skupit Provides Access to Pocket Listings
Skupit is also trying to separate itself from the crowd by offering up lots of pocket listings, those which are not listed publicly on the MLS.
The company claims to get access to these listings first so you can jump the queue and make an offer before it goes live.
These off-market listings are generally listed several days before being thrown on the MLS and then onto Redfin, Zillow, Trulia, etc.
If inventory in your particular area of interest is low, these could come in handy, though you may not get a tour of the home or lots of time to do research.
As it stands, Skupit has nearly 36,000 listings nationwide, both public and private, which seems like a drop in the bucket compared to the some two million real estate listings out there at any given time.
I’m assuming they have good coverage in certain metros but not others, possibly because they are new.
It’ll be interesting to see if they gain any traction, or if larger competitors add similar functionality somehow without upsetting real estate agents.
Read more: Opendoor Wants to Help Sell Your Home in 3 Days
Skyfall, the childhood home of James Bond, did more than just give a catchy title — and provide a nice explosion site — for the 23rd movie in the James Bond series.
It put James Bond’s story into context and gave us a glimpse into how 007 was born (both literally and figuratively), serving as a backdrop for the closest thing we’ll ever see as an origins story for the iconic character.
And since the house itself is a memorable presence and many have been wondering whether James Bond’s Skyfall home is a real house — and if they can go visit it or not — let’s separate facts and fiction for a sec, and see if we have any real-life brick-and-mortar locations we can scout or if everything was born in front of a green wall.
Skyfall house in the 2012 James Bond movie
Said to be located in the barren rural lands of Glen Coe, Scotland, Skyfall is the Bond family estate in the Scottish Highlands.
Left in a state of disrepair, with only the faithful gamekeeper Kincade left to look over the estate, Skyfall is by no means dear to James Bond’s heart, something that the spy doesn’t try too hard to hide.
James Bond’s house serves more as a battleground, meant to attract the story’s villain, Javier Bardem’s calculated (and down-right scary) Raoul Silva.
And Skyfall serves its purpose right, attracting both Silva and his small army in its booby-trapped grounds, for a memorable confrontation that ends is Silva’s death — and the utter destruction of the property, as the Skyfall home explodes and is left to burn to the ground at the end of the movie, with James Bond’s words echoing his utter lack of interest in preserving the old Bond family home, saying: “I always hated this place.”
The real Skyfall house
Surprisingly enough, especially given its tragic fate, the Skyfall house was real, but not in the traditional sense.
The property was purpose-built from scratch at Hankley Common, in Surrey, England (and not in Scotland, as the movie would make you believe.)
Skyfall Lodge, the brainchild of art director Dean Clegg, was built to resemble the weather-beaten stone builds of the Highlands, complete with creeping moss and small mullioned windows.
The property was designed, built and used as a filming location all within the span of six months, culminating with a fire that engulfed it into flames.
Inside James Bond’s Skyfall home
While the exterior of the Skyfall house may have been real, the interiors were not.
All shots from inside the Bond Skyfall house were created and shot on a soundstage at Pinewood Studios, but the filmmakers went to great lengths to make sure viewers will not be picking up on that while watching the movie.
The made-for-screen interiors featured all the classic amenities of an ancestral British country lodge, such as wood panelling, oil paintings, grandfather clocks, stone fireplaces, stag-themed paraphernalia and antique furniture.
More homes from movies
Bruce Wayne’s Manor in Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy is a Palatial Estate Fit For Gotham’s Prodigal Son John Wick’s House is Real – And Just as Complex as Our Favorite Badass Character Rick Dalton’s House in ‘Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood’ Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis House is So Much More Than Just ‘the Blade Runner House’
I barely brushed the surface of combating food waste in a recent article, but the comments added so much to the article that I thought I could stop at just one. And then I found some more statistics.
In the U.S.:
We waste 40 percent of edible food
It costs $750 million just to dispose of the food we waste
And when you consider the extra costs of packaging, transporting, and storing wasted food, the overall cost of wasting food goes up to $165 billion.
But there’s more — 33 percent of purchased meat is wasted, followed by 25 percent of seafood. Even 15 percent of purchased fruit is wasted. That’s not good, especially when you consider that meat is so expensive, not to mention all food.
But what matters most is what happens in your household. And according to the same statistics, each U.S. household wastes between $28-43 per month on food. I’ve seen other statistics that put that number closer to $600 annually per household. That’s not a huge amount of money, but wasting money on food doesn’t make sense any way you slice (or dice or julienne or…) it.
Smart storage
Food storage has changed a lot since my grandparents were growing up in the 30s. They preserved their meat by smoking it. They killed a chicken after lunch and dressed it for dinner. They say that they ate bad apples all winter. They started out eating the not-so-good apples first, but by the time they got to the good apples, they weren’t very good, either. (But I don’t know. This comes from the same grandfather who walked up hill to school both ways. And I think he was barefoot in the winter, too.)
Without question, freezers and refrigerators have extended the life of produce and other foods, but I still waste food. I am getting better as using up the produce, but I am also trying to learn the best ways to store produce so it lasts as long as possible.
This winter, I noticed that my onions were getting moldy more quickly than they ever had before. After throwing out a handful of onions three times, I looked at how and where I was storing the onions. In a plastic bag, in a warm cabinet, next to a heat register. Well, according to the National Onion Association (doesn’t that make you want to cry?), there was nothing right about that. Onions should be not be stored in plastic bags; they need to breathe and prefer a cool, dry, well-ventilated environment.
Potatoes also prefer a cool and dark, ventilated environment. A refrigerator, kept slightly warmer than normal, was recommended as a good place to store pounds of potatoes through the winter.
Refrigerator management
If you have produce drawers in your refrigerator that have different humidity settings, in general, vegetables should be at a high humidity setting. This keeps the water vapor inside the drawer which prevents vegetables from wilting.
On the other hand, fruits usually emit more ethylene gas and need low humidity settings. Some vegetables, like peppers and mushrooms, prefer low humidity. In general, foods that emit more gas usually have a shorter shelf life.
If you don’t store your greens in the high humidity drawer, you can wash the greens and wrap them in damp paper towels. That makes them last much longer.
Tomatoes get mealy when placed in the refridgerator. So when we have a garden, I leave the tomatoes on the plant as long as possible. When we don’t have a garden, I let the supermarket be my storage unit for tomatoes. But if I must store them at my house, I do my best to eat them quickly. If not, I may store them in the refrigerator.
Consider the temperatures of different parts of the refrigerator. The door is warmest, so foods with lots of sugar, salt, or vinegar are fine on the door. Milk can be kept on one of the middle shelves. Since the bottom of the fridge is coldest, keep meat there.
My leftovers get stored in a selection of containers, but my favorite ones are clear glass. Why? I waste much less food when I can see what’s in each container when I open the refrigerator door.
Along with all these other tips, one more method of food storage extension is to not wash your produce until you’re ready to use it (with the possible exception of greens).
Products to extend produce life
Other than storing items properly, using up produce quickly, and selecting quality produce in the first place, there are also other ways to extend the life of produce.
The BluApple absorbs ethylene gas which hastens ripening. When used in fruit bowls, dark areas where you store potatoes and onions, and produce drawers in the fridge, it triples the life of the produce — at least, that’s the claim. I haven’t used this product, so I can’t say for sure. It costs $19.90 for two BluApples and a 12-month refill kit.
Tupperware sells another option. The FridgeSmart containers regulate airflow and have ridges on the bottom to prevent the fruits and veggies from sitting in condensation. I have used these. Not only do they keep my fridge organized, but things like celery seem to last much longer. A four piece set is $84, though you can purchase different sizes individually for less than $20.
Some people choose to fight food waste by allowing the supermarkets to store the produce for them. I think that’s a great idea, but I live 15-20 minutes from a decent-sized grocery store. Also, we’re going to be growing more of our own food this year which means I will probably (hopefully!) have lots of produce life to extend.
Many factors increase food waste which means there are many factors to improve to decrease food waste. Which methods do you use? Do you think you waste as much food as these statistics say you do?
Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Empire continues to spread its wings worldwide. The British billionaire is well known for tearing up the rule book and pushing the envelope with aviation and cruise ships to great fanfare, and his Virgin Hotels brand is slowly but surely opening properties across the U.S. and the U.K.
Built in 1928, the Old Dearborn Bank Building on North Wabash Avenue in Chicago, Illinois, was purchased by the Virgin Group in 2011. The hotel finally debuted in 2015 following refurbishment delays due to the building’s landmark status.
How does Virgin’s modern and unconventional approach to hospitality mesh with an iconic century-old building?
Here’s what you need to know about Virgin Hotels Chicago.
Snapshot
In the heart of the city, Virgin Hotels Chicago adopts an unstuffy, more casual approach to hospitality, focusing on youthful fun and a hint of British cheekiness. Room rates are lower than nearby luxury properties, though guests may find the informality that can stretch to service standards and food quality too much to bear.
What you’ll love about Virgin Hotels Chicago
Virgin’s fun style is evident throughout the property, providing an alternative to cookie-cutter corporate accommodation offerings. You might feel like you’re staying with a cool friend rather than at a chain hotel.
A location that is close to everything
In downtown’s vibrant “Loop” area, the property is an easy walk from some of Chicago’s most popular attractions, including the Magnificent Mile and Millennium Park with its iconic Cloud Gate sculpture (affectionately known as The Bean). The Chicago Theatre is the ideal Instagram backdrop for your vacation photo just a few blocks away.
Chicago’s elevated trains (the “L”) pass right by the hotel for journeys that cannot be made on foot, with a stop for the Brown, Green, Orange, Pink and Purple lines directly across the road from the hotel.
Rooms that feel like home, with some fun bells and whistles
Virgin Hotels calls its guest rooms “Chambers,” with 250 rooms that start at a generous (in this zip code) 350 square feet and feel homey yet luxurious with furnishings like leather armchairs and gold side tables.
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At the base of the bed in the spacious, airy bedroom is a new option for remote work, allowing guests to sit on the bottom corner of the bed, facing the bedhead while working on a laptop — a chiropractor’s nightmare. It’s an interesting idea, but not very practical or comfortable for extended periods.
The bathroom, storage and vanity areas are combined into a single walk-through room, “The Dressing Room,” with plenty of space to unpack and stretch out.
A comfy makeup chair between the double vanity is ideal for preparing for a night on the town. You can keep your glad rags catwalk ready by using the fluffy bathrobes provided. A huge walk-in shower with a rain shower head and a handheld fixture also has a tiled bench for tired feet and Red Flower toiletries to match the occasional red tile, a constant subtle reminder of the Virgin brand.
In many ways, Virgin’s Chambers feel more like a thoughfully-designed and well-equipped city apartment than a hotel room.
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A Smeg minifridge (bright red, of course) stocks minibar favorites at surprisingly reasonable prices, including $6 for a large can of First Pils lager, $3 for pretzels and just $2.50 for a bottle of Coke — a bargain compared to many big city minibars where a tin of nuts can easily cost upwards of $15.
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While the round tables are not the most practical to work at, the Bel & Bel Vespa high-back cream leather chair is a fun feature to swing around in this already bright and playful space.
The whimsy continues in the hallways with statues that make no sense but bring a smile to guests’ faces among the splashes of Virgin red.
Affordable last-minute suite upgrades
Base rooms at Virgin Hotels Chicago start at a reasonable $198 per night in the low season to a less justifiable $436 for peak summer dates.
While suites are priced around $100-$120 per night over the cheapest Chambers, guests should watch their inbox a few days before departure when Virgin offers suite upgrade email offers at dramatically discounted prices.
For just $20 per night extra, you’ll get significantly more usable space — a 150-square-foot living room complete with a huge ottoman and flat-screen LG smart TV is an excellent deal at 83% off.
Everything about dining with Miss Ricky
On the ground floor, the hotel’s main restaurant Miss Ricky’s is open from morning to night and offers an outstanding hospitality experience.
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The staff is incredibly upbeat and enthusiastic when welcoming bleary-eyed guests starting their day. In addition to bottomless coffee, expect Mexican favorites like chilaquiles, a nod to the city’s large Hispanic population, and omelets with herbed breakfast potatoes.
Room service is also available from Miss Ricky’s. While the breakfast sandwich is an odd combination of savory fillings inside a sweet croissant served with strawberries and grapes, it is filling and the flat white coffee is perfectly crafted.
In the evening, the mood at Miss Ricky’s is more formal, with an Italian and Spanish-inspired menu featuring an elegant cured Atlantic salmon and black cod ceviche ($20) for an appetizer and a luxurious lobster spinach ravioli in a Champagne cream sauce ($29) for an entree.
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Virgin has done an excellent job with this space, and the staff here should be commended.
Why you might not love Virgin Hotels Chicago
Virgin’s alternative approach to hospitality won’t be for everyone. Some staff take the relaxed attitude too far with groups of business guests baffled by the lack of professionalism and “can do” attitude.
A head-scratching loyalty program
Rather than being an obvious earn-and-burn partner of Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club program, Virgin Hotels instead has its loyalty program called “In The Know,” teasing room upgrades, welcome gifts and invitations to special events. Even if guests carefully fill in all of their personal preferences, it is unlikely any tangible benefits will actually be delivered, and it all seems far from rewarding.
The promised 2,000 Virgin Points for booking directly and signing up for In The Know may never arrive either, and even if they do, guests still cannot redeem Virgin Points for Virgin Hotels.
This separate vague “loyalty program” seems needlessly complicated and likely to lead to disappointment compared to Virgin Points, which can be a terrific value.
Rooftop frustrations
On Level 17, Cerise enjoys breathtaking views across downtown Chicago.
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Unfortunately, guests may find the view is the only reason to visit.
The signature Lil Smokey cocktail with Conejos mezcal ($17) had far too much sweetness with little balance of smoke, and the presentation wasn’t much to write home about either.
Even worse was the food. A seemingly simple request to remove gluten from the caramelized Brussels sprouts and charred broccolini lead to both dishes being stripped of all flavor and seasoning, then boiled, with no explanation. Neither tasted pleasant.
The pork carnitas tacos were greasy and heavy, the grilled octopus was tasty but tiny, and the fries were served lukewarm with sauces in ballgame-style plastic tubs.
The food, cocktails and service at Cerise could be elevated to match the amazing view.
Potential guests should note that the flagship on-site food and beverage destination, The Commons Club, is closed, seemingly a lingering victim of the pandemic. Fortunately, this vast space has been converted into a co-working area that is quiet, civilized and great for working outside guests’ Chambers.
Do you work here?
Smartly dressed reception staff at the front desk provide a warm welcome and explain the amenities available to each guest on arrival.
However, after leaving the front desk, the service varies wildly. Almost every staff member seems to be dressed differently, from formal to sloppily casual.
My room service was delivered by an employee wearing sweatpants and Timberland work boots. Every staff member at Cerise was dressed in different variations of non-uniform, casual black clothes, making it difficult to guess who was working and who was not.
The casual presentation doesn’t automatically equate to casual service, but appearance and professionalism seemed to be directly correlated here. Cerise seemed to have more staff than was necessary, but they seemed more interested in mucking and joking around with each other rather than serving customers or displaying a professional attitude.
Alternatives
Business travelers looking for service and atmosphere that is more corporate than casual should consider the nearby Kimpton Gray Hotel, also inside the Loop.
IHG One Rewards members can earn and redeem points at sensible rates while enjoying luxurious accommodations and mixing with other business travelers for after-work drinks at the popular Vol. 39 bar with its library aesthetic.
Alternatively, the Thompson Chicago, part of World of Hyatt, offers memorable room designs with masculine dark and creme color tones and views of Lake Michigan while adopting a more grown-up service culture.
Accessibility
Rooms and all public areas can be accessed without needing to tackle stairs, holding a gold level 8.7/10 accessibility score by Mobility Mojo. Guide and service dogs are welcome, guests can borrow wheelchairs, and there are a dozen accessible bedrooms available.
Buying a house is like dating: When you find the right one, things will fall into place, and it usually happens when you least expect it. For my husband, Scott, and me, that house took the form of a 1950s-era brick ranch house. We envisioned it as a place of weekend escape from our busy work lives in New York City. We were newly married with no kids (yet), and we were full of excitement and possibilities. Of course—having worked at interior design magazines my entire career and having a firsthand look at the most exquisite living spaces in the world—I was eager to finally try out interior decorating for myself.
ELLE DECOR’s style director Parker Bowie Larson standing in the entryway of her home.
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Needless to say, we were in the dark—at times literally. We spent our first night without light because we didn’t consider the fixtures the home had. Then there was the time the heat didn’t turn on and we slept through the night in 40 degrees thinking that the burner must be broken, only to learn from the heating company that we were out of oil and why didn’t we call them immediately? As my husband and I talked about our budget, it became clear that we would need to do the house in stages and live happily with folding tailgating chairs as an excuse for living room furniture longer than we thought. Thankfully, the previous owners had left some beautiful blue-and-white curtains by Kravet, so we had some semblance of ambience.
The living areas of Parker Bowie Larson’s house were railroaded, so she chose a round clamshell-top dining table and Rajasthan bone inlay chairs by Made Goods to break up the rectangular shape of the spaces.
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Mishaps aside, the first challenge was to figure out how to use the living spaces. Our house had three and followed an odd railroaded floor plan where one space flowed directly into another. The first one had a sloped wooden ceiling, which felt befitting of a cozy TV room. I ditched the tailgating chairs in favor of a David Easton sofa from Kravet, a small antique desk and chair for writing letters, and a lounge chair and ottoman upholstered in a Hill Brown fabric.
The larger of the three rooms, complete with a beautiful working fireplace, felt perfect for a more formal living room. Luckily, thanks to those blue-and-white Kravet curtains, I was able to stick to my favorite color scheme and reupholstered two antique bergères in a Manuel Canovas Bagatelle fabric with a coordinated houndstooth pattern for the back. To break up the combined spaces, I went with a circular table and Indian bone inlay chairs by Made Goods for the dining area. But my favorite pieces arrived via truck from my alma mater state, North Carolina: antiques from grandmother. I have always been very close to my grandparents and having their furniture surround us felt particularly comforting. My grandmother’s accompanying handwritten note listing where every piece was from made it even more special.
See More of Parker’s Long Island Home
For years, we lived with only half of our house done, but once we found out we were expecting our first daughter, it was time to decorate the rest. Even though I was having a girl, I painted her room my favorite color, Carolina blue, using hot pink fabrics for the window shades and upholstery paired with a painted white floor. For the second bedroom upstairs, which we made a guest bedroom, I went with a hot pink paint color called Peony from Benjamin Moore, contrasting it by using an indigo blue Indian floral pattern from Les Indiennes for the bedding and curtains. This was the first floor that felt truly “done” to me, thanks to our elbow grease, and I was so proud to bring my daughter home from the hospital and see her wonder at the colors and patterns (although her favorite thing was looking at the trees through the window by her changing table).
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During the pandemic, we felt lucky enough to move out to our house full time. With daughter number two on the way, we quickly realized we needed a space for toys and for our little ones to play, so the next and final project was finishing our basement. I collaborated with Denise Davies and Karri Bowen-Poole from Project Playroom, whom I had recently worked with on a kids’ room story, to create the playroom of my girls’ dreams. Smart play is critical to Davies and Bowen-Poole’s ethos, so we installed a rock climbing wall, monkey bars, and swings, which allowed my daughters to work on their motor skills and saved us on many a cold and rainy day. California Closets designed and installed shelving to store and organize their games, toys, and crafts, and I used a fun macaron wallpaper from Wallshoppe to complete the whimsical look.
Larson collaborated with Project Playroom to create the perfect recreational space for her kids.
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With the kids’ spaces complete, I had to surmount perhaps my biggest challenge: convincing my husband of the merits of bold wallpaper. We redid our own primary bedroom using the Oiseaux & Feuillage pattern from Antoinette Poisson for the walls and a simple blue check by Chelsea Textiles for the window coverings, adding in molding for extra architectural detail. For the entryway, I decided to go with a beautiful floral from Raoul Textiles and complemented it with one of their blue moiré patterns in an adjoining hallway. Strategically, I installed everything while my husband was away. When he arrived home, he commented, “It looks like a bunch of girls live here.” It was an apt statement as I reminded him we had a third daughter on the way.
After eight years feathering our nest, we put our home on the market to find a new place that would accommodate our growing family. It was bittersweet. But despite my husband’s opinions, all the painting, wallpapering, and decorating paid off: We were in contract within a week of putting it up for sale. Even the rock climbing wall and swings were a huge hit (one real estate broker told us it was the best playroom he had ever seen), and we were so happy when we learned that the new homeowners wanted us to leave them.
Read McKendree
Your first love always sticks with you, and so does your first house. Our home started out as our escape and became our haven during the pandemic. It will always be part of our family as we remember how it welcomed each of our three girls home. As we settle into our new place, I’ve taken the lessons from our first one with me, first and foremost the idea that it’s OK to take your time. The second, and most important, is that your home is an expression of who you are, and you should never be afraid of choosing the patterns and objects you love. But, perhaps, I will leave those tailgating chairs behind.
Style Director, ELLE Decor
Parker Bowie Larson is the Style Director for ELLE Decor, covering everything interior design-related ranging from tabletop to furniture to kitchen and bath, and has previously worked for Architectural Digest and Cottage Living.
Are you thinking of designing a smoking haven in your house or apartment where you can retreat to after a long day?
Not only can a personalized smoking room be helpful in reducing the exposure of smells and smoke throughout the rest of your living space but creating your very own smoking sanctuary can also add character and a high-ly unique style to your residence (see what we did there?)
Plus, you get your own personal space to dedicate to an activity that brings you joy — you get an extra thumbs up from Marie Kondo for that.
While brainstorming your in-home dream lounge, there are a few key points to keep in mind.
First, you will want to decide on the best location for your set up. Second, you’ll want to focus on the furniture and décor of the room.
Lastly comes the selection of smoking accessories. These are often the most important in that they are what you’ll be passing around and consuming with, ultimately completing your overall smoking experience.
Location, Location, Location
Choosing an appropriate location for your smoking room is half the battle.
Whether you plan to designate an entire room, basement, attic, or shed, you will want to make sure that the location you choose is not exactly smack dab in the middle of your main living space.
Smoke has a tendency to spread quickly through a home (and, let’s face it, weed stinks), so allocating a relatively remote place will grant smokers the freedom to enjoy their cannabis consumption without any negative impact on non-smokers, or additional members of your family or household.
If ventilation is of any concern, you can consider installing an exhaust fan (which can be as simple as a wall mount, or as complex as a professional-grade air ventilation system).
Let’s be honest, we’ve all spilled, or been in a room where someone has spilled, bong water and it is less than pleasant (to say the least), especially when not cleaned up quickly or properly.
To get ahead of these, you can use candles, incense, or essential oil diffusers to reduce unwanted odors while also creating a relaxing ambiance. Otherwise, incorporating trees and large plants in and around the room will help to clean and recycle the air while also adding to the overall atmosphere.
Furniture & Decor
When laying out your smoking room, you’ll want it to match your own personal style.
Whether you decide to design a psychedelic, retro, modern, or traditional stoner-style space, there are a few key things to consider in regards to furniture and décor.
Comfortable seating is an absolute must. Floor pillows and bean bag chairs are often a rather cheap and comfortable way to provide seating for multiple people, while also making it easy to add, reduce, or rearrange your seating set up.
Hanging chairs are more costly, but also provide a more unique look, while a loveseat, futon, or couch can always do the trick and can seat several people at a time for those larger sessions or parties.
By hanging some colored LEDs or black lights around the room, you can reduce harsh lighting and help achieve a relaxing vibe in your area.
With black lights, you can add some reactive wall art, such as tapestries, decals, or paintings, and further set the mood. If you want a more energetic feel, look for warmer colors with hues of red, yellow, and orange with matching LEDs (which are very energy efficient).
For a more chill and calming feel, utilize more soft colors like blue and violet. For the animal lovers out there, consider adding a fish tank with neon reflective fish!
Decorate the tank as you wish and enjoy zoning out on your new beautiful swimming companions. Just don’t forget to feed them and clean the tank regularly.
Blankets and pillows of different fabrics will not only add to you and your guests’ comfort, but the different materials will also be fun to feel and cuddle up with when your sessions conclude.
Having different items around like musical instruments, games, speakers for music, picture/activity books on the coffee table, and other tactile objects will also add some fun to your smoking sesh, whether you are sparking up alone or with others.
Smoking Accessories
Perhaps the most important feature of your newly designed room will be the equipment you use to consume.
As with most pieces you use to smoke, you’ll want to have somewhere to trash the ash, especially if you prefer to use rolling papers like our Rowll All-In-One Rolling Kit.
It might seem obvious, but it isn’t uncommon for people to ash in whatever they can find, be it a water bottle, on their leg, or the floor.
We recommend our Glow In The Dark Cup Ashtray, or our Silicone Ashtray. Silicone is great for those who prefer to smoke out of pipes or bongs, since you won’t break your glass against silicone.
If you are looking for a full setup, without having to shop around for each individual piece, you will be relieved to know that at everythingfor420.com/ we offer several bundles to cover everything you could need!
Our Green Herbalist bundle, which includes rolling papers, hemp wraps, a rolling tray, 3-layer kief-catching grinder, and a beautifully crafted 10-inch tall Highlander Bong, is one of our best.
This bong features a tree percolator, diffused downstem, and an ice-catcher to filter, cool, and deliver the super smooth and super potent hits.
There is an endless amount of ways to personalize your smoking room.
Once you have your location selected, the rest is simply personal preference. Whether you are the type to prefer black lights and glow-in-the-dark decorations, or a more simplistic vibe like tapestries and LEDs, the world of design is your oyster.
Regardless of the style you choose to go with, it’s always fun to have a poster, book, chalkboard, or whiteboard that can serve as a stoner guest book where all who enter can leave their mark and keep the memories alive.
But, more importantly, making sure you get the highest quality smoking accessories on the market is where we come in.
More tips for your fancy home
Top 4 Safety Hazards Around the House and How to Address Them The Benefits of Massage Chair Recliners and Why You Should Get One for Your Home 3 Things to Consider When Buying an Air Filter for Your Home How to Safely Light Artwork in Your Beautiful Home