by Cara Ward, The Independent, April 14, 2017
We take more from a weekend away at a luxury boutique hotel than just the premium toiletries. With the world’s leading interior designers and architects being commissioned to turn these guest houses into clever and cool design destinations, we take note of every light fitting, love seat and fabric sample. We want our homes to have wow factor, personality and luxury functionality, so it’s no surprise that we are being inspired by these chic lodgings.
And don’t forget social media – an active tool for marketing hotels – is also a great place to find and share interiors inspiration. Whether you post on Instagram, Pinterest or Facebook, you can get validation from friends and influencers before you decide.
Let’s start with a good night’s sleep. Hotel quality bed linen has long been synonymous with the highest standards and Sheridan Australia boasts some of the best on the market. You really can experience five star luxury as the 1000+ thread count presents softer yet thicker bedding.
Andrew Martin, the design house famous for multi-layered, multi-cultured easy living style, has long been called on to transform hotels (including Sandy Lane in Barbados, Puente Romano Marbella Club, El Lodge Sierra Nevada, Dukes in Dubai, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong and Hotel St Petersbourg, Tallinn) into unique and original havens and founder Martin Waller says: “The best hotels encapsulate romance and excitement. So it’s hardly surprising we want a sense of that when we come home. The hospitality industry is so competitive that it demands a remarkable level of invention.
“I like hotels to reflect a sense of where they are and I like homes to bring in the elements of diverse cultures that one has fallen in love with,” he adds. “Hotel design gives us excuse to exaggerate. We want to make sure our hotel designs are not just a place to stay but a memorable experience.”
Boutique hotel authority, Kit Kemp, owner of Ham Yard, Dean Street Townhouse, Soho hotel, Charlotte Street and a former Andrew Martin International Interior Designer of the Year Award, has been a byword for fresh modern design and the go-to hotels for the ultimate in colourful, artistic style combined with the highest standards of excellence and ingenuity. You can spot iconic design brands from Alessi tableware to Vanderhurd bespoke rugs from design studio and Brintons carpets in the world’s leading hotels.
Lighting is difficult to master and Soren Ravn Christensen, former restaurant and bar designer and founder of Scandinavian lighting brand, Vita Copenhagen, knows a thing or two about atmospheric impact illumination. Vita offers brilliant, beautiful and functional light solutions for every room at great prices.
“A key consideration for lighting is to ensure it serves a purpose and that it does so elegantly, but without stealing all of the attention, yet still makes you gaze in amazement,” she says. “A light should always look equally as good turned off as it does on, which is important in a hotel when rooms are used during the day and night. Lights have the function of making things visible when it is dark, but also making the environment, the interiors, look inviting and pleasant when lit up. Lights should help to make any room inviting to stay in, yet also practical if need be.
“Without thoughtful and beautiful lighting any other piece of furniture in the room will not live up to its potential,” adds Christensen. “Ensure there are plenty of secondary lights in corners and along walls as well as one or two pendants above the centre of the desired area where you would like to focus the most attention.”
Every detail is considered. Have you noticed how hotel curtains seem to cut out the light in one swish, so you can sleep at any hour, night or day? Curtains.com sell both ready made and bespoke blackout blinds with thicker linings to block all light and reduce drafts and noise to aid a good night's rest.
So popular were the furniture and fittings at Soho House that this year they launched their debut homeware collection, Soho Home, so you can recreate the popular member's club in your own home.
The good news is that the forecast in hotel marketing predicts continued growth in this boutique hotel sector and we’re delighted. Take note, take a photo, make a moodboard on Pinterest or snap for Instagram and get shopping.
This article was written by Cara Ward from The Independent and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to [email protected].