Inspired to recreate the level of luxury found in recent hotel stays, this month, we’re elevating our sleep space to five-star standards.
A beautifully interior designed hotel room often plays with rich textures, making it one relaxing sensorial space, as attractive to the touch as it is to the eye. Think plush velvet headboards, thick cotton drapes, and fabric-covered table lamps – the devil’s in the detail. If you want to achieve the boutique hotel look and feel at home, think about adding a wealth of different textures and fabrics. Investing in top quality bedding is a no-brainer: brands like Yves Delorme, Brinkhaus, and Sheridan all scream luxury, whether you plump for mulberry silk, French linen, or the highest thread count Egyptian cotton. But there are tactile textures to be found in unexpected places, too, and this is something top hotels do particularly well, whether that’s in the leather-clad accessories, the sculptural wall art, or the artisanal bathroom tiling – where there’s a surface there’s an opportunity to bring it to life.
Stéphanie Coutas’ Parisian Home
Have you ever noticed how hotel rooms are often designed with pleasing symmetry? This is one easy to mimic interior design trick that will immediately elevate your boudoir. Setting the bed in the centre of the room awards it prominence, especially if it’s flanked with an imposing and texturally strong headboard. The eye is immediately drawn to the most important element of any bedroom, reminding us to prioritise sleep without any distractions. You can make your bed up with satisfying symmetry, too, building the look up with perfectly placed scatter cushions and throws. Add in matching bedside tables, paying close attention to their positioning, together with twinned table lamps, and you have a perfectly symmetrical sleep space.
Another interior design trick that will immediately up the luxe in the bedroom is to ensure you have visible floor space under the bed. This gives the illusion of a larger room, even if that floor space isn’t usable. While divan or ottoman style beds can be a godsend if you’re short on storage space, these bulky furniture pieces can easily overwhelm a smaller bedroom. Luxury brands like Button & Sprung and Furl offer the best of both worlds with bed frames that boast good leg height and a slimline silhouette, yet they offer decent hidden storage, too. And with all that extra floor space, you can elevate your sleep space even further by adding a large, plush rug underneath the bed which extends outwards on all three sides. Not only does this add cosy texture but it frames the bed perfectly, too, playing to the symmetrical look.
Neo bed, £3,493 and Uno ottoman, £1,045 (kingliving.co.uk)
If there’s one thing hotel rooms do well it’s to offer ample fitted storage – you won’t find a standalone wardrobe or chest of drawers in any of the top five-star destinations, and this is thanks to meticulously thoughtful planning at the design stage, which of course is then replicated from room to room. For a streamlined and clutter-free look at home, you cannot beat bespoke cabinetry. Companies like Neville Johnson and Neatsmith offer luxury fitted wardrobes and drawers, bespoke fitted dressing rooms and walk-in wardrobes, and custom-made cabinetry that truly maximises on space, right down to the centimetre. With a place for everything (and everything in its place), there’s really no excuse for that pile of clothes on your accent armchair.
Florence double bed, from £1,030, sofa.com
Finally, lighting is all-important when it comes to recreating hotel-style luxury at home. In a well-designed hotel room you have the convenience of zoned lighting spaces, handy bedside switches, and different mood settings that you can touch (or voice control) at a whim, along with the air con. At home, it’s all about utilising multiple light sources, which not only gives you ultimate control of your bedroom lighting, but it inevitably aids sleep, too, with softer lighting options for just before bed. A pair of sculptural wall sconces (symmetrically positioned, of course) will free up precious bedside table surfaces, while a well-placed reading light will have the effect of sending you off peacefully. If only you could wake up to a sprawling buffet breakfast…
Bedding: Yves Delorme (uk.yvesdelorme. com); Brinkhaus (andsotobed.co.uk); Sheridan (sheridanaustralia.co.uk). Beds: Button & Sprung (buttonandsprung.com); Furl (furl.co.uk). Fitted wardrobes: Neville Johnson (nevillejohnson. co.uk); Neatsmith (neatsmith.co.uk)