78 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM mantels and hallways of Enchanté. An experienced collector with 40 years of finds (many dating back to the Napoleanic era), she’s tracked down hidden gems tucked into the corners of antique shops and concealed deep in the maze-like Marché aux Puces, a huge flea market in Paris. While she may have been new to the hotel business, Abby brought her vision to life by harnessing her decades of experience as a real estate agent and home developer with a reputation for bestowing buildings with European spirit. “I’ve always been fascinated by history and architecture,” shares Abby, who has also preserved a number of historic buildings over the years. This includes the Heritage House, a 1909 bungalow thought to be the first building in downtown Los Altos, which Abby relocated to a site in Los Altos Hills. It’s safe to say that Abby has poured herself into Enchanté. To make this passion project a reality, she even sold her own home—a place she’d lovingly customized with a door from Provence and reclaimed windows from Paris—and moved into a suite at her new hotel. Guests can ask about any of the property’s distinct furnishings, and Abby’s got its backstory ready to go. “Every room really does tell a story,” she says as she heads down the hall, past a row of promising doors. “We’ve started to add [something] to the website called If Rooms Could Talk.” In the Musique de l’Opera room, framed vintage sheet music decorates the walls, while over in the racehorse-themed Cheval de DINING ROOM PHOTOGRAPHY: JOHANNA HARLOW Course room, a lamp has been fashioned from antique trophies. The Marie Antoinette room features a poster of the renowned lady herself above the fireplace, while blue and white china plates matching her blue dress adorn the walls. “The entire feel in the room—the colors, the four-poster bed—just feels like something she would have loved cozying up into,” reflects Abby. Another room, dedicated to Madame Curie, celebrates the French physicist and chemist who pioneered research on radioactivity, with scientific illustrations, dried herbs and antique apothecary jars. “The idea was to make it look like a laboratory,” Abby explains. The room also boasts antique compounding scales. Abby received these from the daughter of a longtime pharmacist in Los Altos. “She explained {home & design}
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