The Design Tips to Steal from the World's Best Hotels
We may not be able to make your bed and put a mint on the pillow each night, but with these takeaways, you'll be able to create a home that's every bit as relaxing (and stylish) as your dream getaway.
By Candace Braun Davison
Take the Shortcut to Luxury with Accessories
One of the easiest (and most affordable) ways to get the high-end, collected-over-time look of a boutique hotel is with the accessories you use. Choose items that bring in at least three textures in the room: one plush, one sleek and one natural, recommends Jay Jeffers, author of
Collected Cool and designer behind the
Ritz-Carlton Residences, Lake Tahoe. Cashmere throws—particularly in not-too-cutesy patterns like herringbone—and Lucite trays that catch the light are two of Jeffers' go-to additions.
Photo from Jay Jeffers: Collected Cool (Rizzoli), 2014
Photo: Courtesy of Congress Hall
Upgrade Your Lampshades (and Wake Up Feeling Gorgeous)
Part of the feel-good experience at a hotel is making sure you look good, too. At
Congress Hall in Cape May, New Jersey, the lampshades in the bedroom are lined in pink silk to cast a soft, warm light. "It makes your skin glow when you're in bed," says Colleen Bashaw, the resort's interior designer. She recommends painting the inside of an ivory paper lampshade a pale pink, like
Benjamin Moore's Ballet Slippers.
Go for the Most Drama in the Smallest Spaces
If all-white bathrooms read more "bland" than "spa-like" to you, steal this decorating idea from the model bathroom in
the Solaris Residences in Vail, Colorado: Cover the walls in a low-contrast, nature-inspired wallpaper. Vertical patterns, like the Lee Jofa tree wallpaper the Solaris uses (
you can find it at Anthropologie), emphasize the walls' height, making the ceilings look taller, explains designer Susan Moon. As long as the colors are all in similar, muted shades—think pale gray and blue, not sunshine-yellow and burnt orange—the room won't look busy and jarring. (The unconventional look pays off: the Solaris won Best Hotel in the U.S. in 2013 by The International Hotel Awards.)
Photo: Courtesy of Pottery Barn
Add a Different Kind of Mirror
We've all heard that the bigger the mirror, the more spacious a room feels, but modern hotels are going beyond hanging them on the walls: "Mirrored dressers and side tables are becoming much more mainstream," Bashaw says. (You can find the one shown at
Pottery Barn.) To make the room appear even bigger, choose side tables that are leggier (versus cube-like). The more space you can see under and around the table, the less space it seems to take up.
Pick Lighting That Doubles as Art
Many people worry about choosing the perfect painting to hang on the walls, which is why some hotels skip it altogether and hang a bold chandelier in the lobby. These lights do double-duty, brightening the room while catching your attention. Try hanging three pendants at varying heights in a corner of the room, or buying side table lamps with sculptural bases, says Jeffers. If you're looking for an overhead light, try a rock crystal style over the classic chandelier or uber-trendy star pendant.
Photo from Jay Jeffers: Collected Cool (Rizzoli), 2014
Photo: Courtesy of Congress Hall
Find Your Beach Bungalow, Minus the Maintenance
White furniture has long been a standard trick to brighten a room, but what interior designers often don't tell you is how easily the paint gets scuffed and scratched. That's why Congress Hall tops its desks and nightstands with 1/4-inch sheet of glass, Bashaw says. It keeps the tables looking fresh longer. For that island-getaway feel, she recommends painting your nightstands and headboard a creamy white, which hides dust and scuffmarks a little better than a pure white.
Give Your Window Boxes a Rest
When you walk into a hotel, you're supposed to be leaving the commotion of the rest of your life behind, which is why you'll often see lush plants—or, in the case of the Pershing Hall Hotel in Paris,
a landscaped wall—to get your mind off to-do lists and traffic jams. While a vertical garden can be pricey, there are a few affordable ways to get the look:
Urbio sells magnetic planters that can be easily installed on the wall, and
Home Made Simple's
Kenneth Wingard has a surprisingly simple upside-down hanging planter DIY that's just as attention-grabbing.
Published 04/30/2014
