Had a chance to stay in the adorable Landsby Hotel in Solvang, California, a weird adorable little Danish town nestled in Santa Ynez Valley (of Sideways fame) that was settled by Danish pioneers in 1911.
Having been to Solvang previously, I never understood why the town didn't capitalize more on the trendiness of the Danish and Scandinavian aesthetic and interior design. The majority of the buildings feel like they're out of a Hans Christian Anderson storybook, replete with windmills and thatched roofs. The majority of the hotels are motels, and the stores are stuffed with touristy tchotchkes with little windmills and angelic dolls. It's cute and all, but certainly on the campy side.
But then in sweeps the Landsby, like a hurricane of interior design and good taste. Somebody realized that Danish modern was, like, a thing, and finally decided to capitalize on it. And they did it beautifully!
The hotel is decked out with some seriously gorgeous design choices. Check out the waiting area by the check-in desk:
Love that bench! The hotel bar...
Small tile details on the stairs...
The restaurant/breakfast room:
...and the gorgeous lobby:
Well done, Landsby! For this appreciator of modern Danish furniture, you certainly pressed a few buttons. Of course, when I wanted my thirst for camp quenched, there was still plenty of that in the rest of Solvang. Plenty of quaint little streets and adorable stores:
In an old book store, I found these awesome old Time-Life Mysteries of the Unknown books- a series I used to beg my parents to mail-order for me (they didn't).
What's that, you say? You want a toy that was made to capitalize on a NASA launch that later became a national tragic disaster? Here you go:
Who wants a horse-drawn carriage ride? How about a trolley ride? No? How about a horse-drawn trolley ride? (Has anyone called the ASPCA about this?)
Last but certainly not least were these delicious Danish pancakes with Danish sausages and cinnamon-spiced apples from the historic Paula's Pancake House. If you go, make sure to go early, or else expect to wait in line.
