Aspire Design and Home | Designer Travels: in Patagonia, Iguazu and Buenos Aires
“Our inaugural Designer Travels contributing editor, designer Laurie Blumenfeld, is back with more travel insight ? this time, sharing her recent trip to South America.
Destination: Torres de Paine in Patagonia, Chile; The rainforest in Iguazu, Argentina and Brazil; Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Month traveled: October/November 2024
Duration of trip: 2 weeks
Temperature range: Patagonia: 50 degrees Fahrenheit, occasional sunshine, high winds; Iguazu: 85 degrees and humid; Buenos Aires: 75, no humidity.
Solo trip or vacation with family/friends? I traveled with my husband and a couple who are close friends.
First visit or repeat destination? First time to Patagonia and Iguazu. Second time to Buenos Aires.
What drew you to this locale?
This was my husband?s dream location to celebrate his milestone birthday. We tapped Erica Gragg, founder of Escape Artists Travel, to plan the trip, as she has planned many spectacular trips for us over the years.
The lodgings?
We stayed at the Awasi Hotel, owned and managed by Relais & Chateaux. It is a small collection of boutique hotels located in South America. Last year we fell in love with the Awasi Hotel located in the Atacama Desert, Chile. This year, we wanted to go back to SA and visit their other locations. Each resort features 14 villas on the property, private guides to help plan your personalized daily adventures, incredible chefs and the best sommeliers. They all made the trip unique, special and personal but never ostentatious.
Must-sees for design and architecture enthusiasts?
The Awasi hotels are brilliantly designed, each thoughtfully reflecting its locale and the tailored excursions of that area. Material selections, decor and ambiance were perfection. For example, the Awasi Patagonia bathroom installed authentic tree branches for the robe hooks and river stones for the towel ?hardware?. Native to Patagonia is the Lenga tree, this wood was used to envelop the walls of our villa. Each room was fitted with a fireplace and hot tub, to luxuriate in after a long day of hiking in the extreme elements.
Nature is the best designer. This absolutely rang true as we traversed Chile, Argentina and Brazil. The deep greys of the snowcapped mountains contrasting the turquoise blue water and green terrain make a designer?s dream palette. The ice-cold blues and whites of the glaciers; the rich greens and the colorful flora in the jungle create endless color combinations. Both locations are breathtaking and inspiring. They gave me new ideas for fabrics patterns, decor and especially panoramic wallpaper concepts.
From an architectural perspective, Buenos Aires is known as the Paris of South America. It is filled with 19th-century architecture and street art. Due to flight cancelations, our time in Buenos Aires was quite short, just 24 hours. We crammed a lot of exploring, eating and shopping into a short period. I was inspired not only by the architecture but by the street art. Vibrant murals in stunning colors and incredible museum-esque sculptures peppered the streets.
Postcard moment?
Patagonia: Epic sunsets over the three towers of Torres del Paine, the turquoise blue lakes and nature walks through enchanted forests.
Buenos Aires: 19th-century architecture and street art.
Iguazu Falls: The waterfalls plummet from a 200-foot drop, crashing through a subtropical jungle, alive with wildlife and teeming with a vast variety of butterfly species in endless color combinations.
Shopping for objects, furnishings, textiles, and more?
Typically, shopping for interesting objects and fabrics is always part of my travel agenda. This trip was all about nature so I did not come home with any objects for my clients? home or ours. We did manage to run by Murillo Street (the leather district) in Villa Crespo, Buenos Aires for a power-shopping quickie where I purchased a fabulous leather jacket, belt and handbag. My husband picked up a cowboy hat and loves wearing this Argentinian memory around Brooklyn!
Greatest takeaway?
The sense of awe when gazing out upon the magnificent Torres del Paine National Park ? the grandeur of it.
The breathtaking Iguazu waterfalls (and being right underneath them while on the raft, getting sopping wet!).
Once again, I was reminded we are just little dots in our magnificent universe. This experience inspired me in my work life to use sustainable materials as much as possible. And bring nature?s color palettes/patterns and magic to my clients? homes. In my personal life, it has inspired me to work even harder toward protecting our environment and the animals.
Lasting influence?
One of my dreams is to design a boutique hotel. As my business expands, we are exploring making that dream a reality, adding boutique hotel design to our portfolio and creating lodgings that combine our global design sensibilities with my passion for travel. I was particularly inspired by The Awasi Hotels? design on this trip. They brilliantly captured each location?s surrounding environment and translated it into the villa?s design through chic and sustainable material choices, and furnishings.