Hotel-chic styling has become the hottest thing in design decor.
With the advent of boutique hotels popping up all over, it was
inevitable that this trend would find its way into our homes.
With a recent client, I took this new idea, gave it a twist and
turned her extra bedroom into a high-style, hotel-like getaway for
overnight guests.
Hotel-chic styling has become the hottest thing in design decor. With the advent of boutique hotels popping up all over, it was inevitable that this trend would find its way into our homes.
With a recent client, I took this new idea, gave it a twist and turned her extra bedroom into a high-style, hotel-like getaway for overnight guests.
My client had family that often visited from overseas, and the extra bedroom on the second floor just wasn’t doing the job. It was cluttered, and a paint job had left the room bright apple green – not exactly a restful color.
Tucked into one corner was a very small, disorganized home office, which would have to be incorporated into the new space. Since the room wasn’t all that big to begin with, I had my work cut out for me.
The bright apple-green walls were the first to go. I painted them a gentle ivory color, which provided a soothing impression that would showcase the other colors in the room.
Without a doubt, the focal point in a guest bedroom should be the bed. So I chose a color palate of pinks, reds, honey and ginger – all colors that exude serenity and comfort. I wrapped the bed in these hues, and they looked beautiful against the simple ivory walls.
For the fabrics for the bed, I used a variety of patterns and scale of pattern. This provided visual interest and gave it that custom look, without feeling too “matchy.”
On the pillows and linens, I mixed checks with plaids, and florals with lace, all in similar colors, to get the end result of a spectacular and sophisticated bed.
For lighting, I had simple recessed lights put in strategically around the room to showcase art and nice pieces of furniture.
I usually put small reading lamps on the bedside tables, but I wanted to save space, so I came up with a different idea: I hung two small chandeliers above the bedside tables from the ceiling.
They were low enough to provide adequate task lighting, yet still enough out-of-the-way to leave space for books, glasses and so on.
Since the space was fairly small, I tried to get the furniture to perform double duty when possible.
The old dresser was moved against one wall and I placed a large antique mirror on top.
It now acted both as storage and a vanity-dressing area. The bedside tables were actually nesting tables that could be pulled out.
I also had to make sure I got an office space in here. The simplest solution was a custom-built desk against the end wall. It housed the filing cabinet (repainted and looking like new), organization files, computer, fax, phone and the Internet hook-up.
I even managed to squeeze in a small pine cabinet above that guests could use to store their belongings.
Once all the furniture was in, there really wasn’t a lot of floor space left, so I brought in a small needlepoint rug to place at the foot of the bed, which provided a punch of color and warmth.
This luxurious overnight guest room was a big hit with my client and their visiting friends and family.
