In cities like Toronto, where skyscrapers and other manmade structures tend to dominate features such as lakes, rivers and ravines, a disconnect from nature isn't uncommon.
(One of my favourite exchanges on the subject was overheard some years ago in St. Lawrence Market, where a visitor asked his wife if, after they had finished shopping, she would like to walk down to Lake Ontario. Her reply: "There's a lake here?")
But in places like Hawaii, which I visited recently, nature is very much front and centre, even in big cities like Honolulu. There, ocean meets urbanity at eye level and Diamond Head looms almost everywhere you turn, so it's saying a lot when a building has the power to distract.
The Royal Hawaiian Hotel, though, is no ordinary building. Built in 1927, the pink-toned, Moorish-style icon is almost as symbolic of Waikiki as Diamond Head. That's why a lot of locals were nervous when it closed in 2008 for an extensive renovation. When it reopened last year, a few grumblers grumbled but mostly the reviews were positive. I can see why.
As executed by the award-winning interior design firm Philpotts & Associates, the last vestiges of dated Hawaiian kitsch were replaced with a sleeker, chicer look combining pan-Asiatic style with a dash of South Beach glam. Think lots of pastel and jewel tones and bright white rattan furniture. I especially liked how the pink scroll patterns in the rugs lining the colonnades appeared to flow from one carpet to the next, suggesting a garland of pink tropical blooms.
Needless to say, you would need a pretty long hallway to affect the look at home, but that's not say you can't own a similar-looking rug. Through the magic of the Internet, an almost identical design is yours for the "assembling" on a British site called RugCouture.com, which offers a nifty build-it-yourself feature that walks you through pattern choices and colour picks until you create the rug of your dreams. The site ships anywhere in the world and delivery is free. A hand-tufted 8-foot-by-10-foot rug featuring the scroll pattern shown below costs £1,443 ($2,223), while a hand-knotted one costs £1,556 ($2,397).
As for as customized rugs go, that's not terribly pricey. And RugCouture.com couldn't make the process easier. Nonetheless, I wouldn't rule out going to Oahu to examine the originals. Think of such a trip as on-the-ground research.