Beaux-Arts terracotta ornament frames the entrance arch of a 1920s office building on the corner of Olive Street and Fifth in Downtown Los Angeles — a facade so elaborately worked that the tall dracaena and columnar cacti flanking the door feel less like decoration than a continuation of the building's own botanical exuberance. That counterpoint between historic architecture and desert planting sets the terms for everything inside: the Proper Hotel Los Angeles, which opened in 2021 within the former Hamburger's department store building, gives Kelly Wearstler her most theatrically layered commission to date, the interiors moving between a coral-washed, hand-painted lobby corridor and 148 guest rooms furnished with an accumulated warmth that suggests a serious collector rather than a hotel decorator. Wearstler's signature is the productive collision of references — woven-check upholstered headboards paired with worn Oushak rugs, rush-seated dining chairs pulled up to oak tables beside checkered tile columns planted with full-canopy olive trees, rooftop loungers in broad stripe linen facing the downtown skyline across a Talavera-edged pool. The palette throughout runs from terracotta and sage to warm walnut and cream, grounded by wide-plank timber floors and a density of textiles that prevents any single surface from dominating. Where most hotel design resolves into a legible mood board, Wearstler's rooms at Proper sustain a productive tension — old and new, refined and rough — without ever quite settling.

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Set within a restored Renaissance Revival landmark in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles, Downtown L.A. Proper Hotel brings together historic architecture, layered interiors, and a distinctly modern sense of California luxury. Designed by Kelly Wearstler, the 147-room property blends bold color, vintage influences, and curated artwork throughout spaces that feel both expressive and deeply lived-in. Guests can dine at Cara Cara, the rooftop restaurant and bar with panoramic city views, or settle into Cabrillo for all-day dining rooted in California ingredients and relaxed Downtown energy. Dahlia offers a more intimate setting for tea, cocktails, and conversation. The hotel also features a rooftop pool, fitness center, and two signature suites created from the building’s former basketball court and indoor pool, offering a thoughtful nod to the property’s storied past.