by We’ve gotten a notebook and pen from a fake hotel and thrown it in a junk drawer at home, never to look at it again. But take a leaf out of LA-based artist Michael McGregor’s new book, Room Service – a collection of more than 100 colorful Hockney-esque illustrations of hotel stationery from around the world. The Ritz Carlton, Chateau Marmont and even our very own Claridge’s will be in attendance (look over for inspiration to steal the next one. We’re after the perfect pink Madonna Inn notebook). When ES Magazine catches up with McGregor, we find him sick in bed in a Paris hotel — arguably less chic places to be poor.
ES: How are you feeling?
MM: Terrible. It’s so cold here.
We’re here to talk about your book Room Service, so… what’s your typical room service order?
If it’s breakfast, definitely an omelette, orange juice, grapefruit juice, coffee. Maybe some yogurt. And if it’s a night, there’s usually a bottle of wine and a burger and fries.
The book is a triumph. Did you draw on the spot at the hotel or did you take the stationery home and draw from memory?
It’s a mix. Sometimes it was in bed in a hotel or maybe on a balcony or in a cafe in the same city. At other points, it was just when I was bored at home.
Where did the idea come from?
I think I liked the interrelation between the tree head (a very classy rigid logotype) paired with a loose drawing style. I think there is something nice in the tension. Also, you get a lot more context through type and location and all that kind of stuff. I think on regular paper you don’t get that same connection. There’s something about setting it in a place that lets your mind wander a little more.
Tell us about the most incredible hotel you’ve stayed in?
There is a hotel in Big Sur in California called Deetjen’s and it is magical. It has been around for 100 years. They are just these little log cabins in the middle of ancient redwood forests. Every room has a fireplace and it feels very mystical and beautiful. You feel like you are in the 1850s. He has the most amazing charm.
What is the worst?
Years ago, I spent a few days on Ko Bu Bu, a tiny island in Thailand. I don’t know the name but it was like six little bungalows, all cute and rustic in that perfect Thai way. That being said… when I came home one night after swimming in the bioluminescent algae, I saw a spider the size of my fist casually hanging out on the wall. A moment later … a lizard the size of my foot … and moments later, the lizard was no more. The spider quickly took him down. It was not as relaxing as expected to sleep in that peaceful environment, bugs buzzing, moonlight falling through the palms…
You grew up on the East Coast and now live in LA. How do you find the lifestyle comparison?
I prefer to be in a sunny climate where there are orange trees and orange blossom. Those things don’t exist on the East Coast. I also live in Athens.
How did you move to Athens?
I love Greece. Recently, I had an opportunity to rent an apartment for a year and I just took it. A big contrast to Paris at the moment when it was 20 degrees in Athens and negative three here.
What is the best hotel or place in Greece that you have been to?
Hydra for sure. There are no cars and there is something magical about the village there.
Do you prefer hotels or Airbnb/rentals?
I don’t like Airbnbs very much. Ten years ago they were fine but now they’re all the same, like anti-design, stupid cheesy tourist shit. I would rather stay in a hotel. In Greece, I rent houses through someone I know. Those are more homey, which I like.
You quit your more corporate job in your 30s and entered the art world. How did you find that change?
I think I knew that if I wasn’t going to put all my efforts into making visual art I would probably regret it. And so when I quit my job and moved to Mexico, I just wanted to immerse myself in my work and explore different things.
What prompted the move to Mexico?
I had a radio show in New York with a guy named Gerónimo Giménez (he’s Mexican). We started going to Mexico a lot. I befriended his friends and they all kept telling me, obviously you’re moving here. So I did, to Mexico City.
If you could exhibit your work anywhere in the world, where would it be?
A city I haven’t shown in that I really want to is Seoul – it’s a very modern and ancient place, it has its own unique energy.
What is your favorite piece from this collection?
Impossible to say. They are all my children (I don’t have any, so even more so!) but I really enjoy the meta feel of this pair of lamps from Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle. Ludwig Bemelmans painted all the lamps and murals there, while living there. He is an inspiration, and he felt it appropriate to render those lamps quickly on Carlyle’s paper while sitting in the bar, listening to the piano.
You compared your style to that of Hockney – why is Hockney a big inspiration for you?
Well, Hockney is British, but I would consider him a Californian artist. I think if he had stayed in the UK, his work would have been much different than what he developed. And I always thought that if I had stayed on the East Coast, it would be kind of the same. The environment is dark greens and grays and in Mexico, LA and Athens, the sun and bougainvillea are ubiquitous and the colors are much brighter and more open than in Paris, London or New York.
Which hotel has the best stationery?
Chateau Marmont is pretty good. The Ritz London and the Ritz in Paris are both quite good and there is a place in the South of France called Hotel La Ponche in Saint-Tropez which is also quite good.
What lies ahead?
The book comes out soon and there’s an exhibition in LA, then I’m working on shows in New York and Berlin.
Is there anything else you collect on your travels?
Bar coasters — I like the ones from Harry’s Bar in Paris.
‘Room Service’, by Michael McGregor, is out on March 26 (Paragon Books)
