Kelly Wearstler’s chic design concept for Santa Monica Proper introduces understated luxury to Santa Monica

Within walking distance to the beach, each of the 271 rooms, suites and spaces at Santa Monica Proper successfully optimise the city’s abundant ocean breezes and natural light, while the interior design finds inspiration in the organic tones and textures of the local coastline.

Using the locale as her muse, design visionary Kelly Wearstler took cues, motifs and hues from classic Santa Monica history. With room designs distinct to each building, these clean- lined environments are grounded in a bold, neutral scheme of subtle organic textures, materials, and natural elements: sandy palettes, light hardwoods underfoot; grasscloths, and floor-to-ceiling windows. To further enhance the site-specific, artisanal feel in public spaces, Wearstler has collaborated with the finest names in L.A. art for original artworks and monolithic installations, such as Ben Medansky, Morgan Peck, Tanya Aguiniga, Len Klikunas, and Bradley Duncan. 

The chic rooms of Santa Monica Proper all meet the needs of the modern traveller, each one well-appointed with specially designed furniture and signature Proper beds dressed with Bellino and Fili D’oro linens. State-of-the-art technology includes the Proper App and mobile room keys and checkout. In addition to curved floor-to-ceiling windows, balconies and garden terraces offer plenty of natural California light.

The dining scene here is also a delectable one. Proper's signature restaurant marks a global collaboration with Jessica Koslow (Sqirl) and Gabriela Cámara (Contramar, Cala). These award-winning, tastemaker chefs draw from California and Mexican flavors, techniques and ingredients in the open kitchen, at the bar, and on the table. Palma, the art-filled lobby lounge is an intriguing setting for light bites, a deep dive on small-batch mezcals, and boutique wines by the glass. And on the rooftop, Calabra, the indoor-outdoor bistro and beach-inspired lounge/bar pairs ocean views with Mediterranean and California cuisine by executive chef Kaleo Adams.

A stay here is incomplete without experiencing the 3,000 square-feet Surya Spa with celebrated wellness practitioners Martha and Roger Soffer. Following a philosophy that bridges the physical, mental, and spiritual, hotel guests and locals can explore 10,000 years of Indian wellness principles through therapeutic massage, steam and oil treatments, cooking, yoga, and meditation. Wildcrafted, plant-based ingredients are blended and created daily for each individual, to relax and rejuvenate. Guests may enjoy single treatments like Ayurvedic facials and scrubs, or the residential series—Panchakarma—lasting 3-21 days. Other spa features include an intimate retail space, yoga and TM classes in partnership with the David Lynch Foundation.

A Proper amenity encourages wellness, satisfies cravings, or is simply on hand to please: a rooftop swim and ocean-view cocktails by the bar. Boards and bikes at the ready for a surf or ride on the beach path. Ayurvedic spa treatments. Yoga on Olea Terrace. A state-of-the-art fitness centre. A lobby lounge that’s more like a living room. What you want, precisely when you want it is as easy as texting or using the Proper App.

The district around 7th and Wilshire is a rising hub of creative energy with upscale conveniences and wellness activities in any direction and the beach and bike path only blocks away. Walk to boutique shopping, studios, health-conscious cafes; and eclectic fine dining, as well as the world-class Wednesday Farmers Market. This close to the beach, guests are guaranteed front-row for rooftop sunsets over the Pacific Ocean.