Bring home the magic of a staycation with hotel interior design.
Imagine owning a resplendent HDB as swanky as a five star hotel. Or a condo apartment which whisks you away to your last balmy Bali island resort vacation. Just in your wildest interior design dreams? Maybe not. It’s time to rediscover the potential small apartment interiors hold.
With the generous S$100 Singapore Rediscover Voucher, we’ve collected field notes of what make Singapore’s favourite hotel spots staycay worthy. In this article, you’ll learn how to replicate a hotel interior design theme for your next HDB or condo home transformation project. With our best tips on decorations, furniture and materials, everyone can be a hotelier. Well, sort of.
ELEMENTS OF THE HOTEL INTERIOR
Your recent stay at a luxurious hotel room was most likely an absolute delight. Beds were crisp and fluffy; plush carpets to snuggle your toes. Oh and the hotel bathroom? An absolute retreat with its marble clad floors and walls. Not to mention the automated toilet. Anyone could totally unlearn how to flush in a matter of days.
The luxurious interior designs of hotels is a key aspect of why we glamorise them. Handpicked decorations, fabulous furnishing and opulent materials make them beautiful. Not to mention, necessarily insta-worthy. So, how do you pull off the look?
Quite simply, by developing a strong sense of taste. Although not all are graced with the God-given ability to handpick bespoke pieces for hotel interior design HDBs, there are some things you can do.
MIX AND MATCH
First, avoid sets. A matching set of bed side tables, bed and cupboards requires no taste and preference at all. The effect is tacky and boring.
Instead, mix and match. Taking a leap of faith will reward you with a well-curated home that reflects personality and style. To do so, mix the types of materials in a space. For example, place a metal lampshade atop a wooden bedside table. Consider adding a Himalayan rock salt lamp on the table for an added layer of texture and colour.
However, one thing you should not mix and match is the tone. Stick rigidly to a warm or cool tone to avoid visual overload. For example, match pine with birch woods, or gold and copper. The Fullerton Hotel and St Regis Hotel for example, sticks to a warm palette for decor and lots of neutrals in the background to offset any excess. This gives the rooms a clean, polished, luxurious look.
HOTEL INTERIOR WOW FACTOR
Next, add a dash of fun. Although hotel rooms stick to a theme, they are far from stuffy. Why? It’s because the key to creating a high end look is taking bold chances; the element of surprise.
For example, the W Hotel. A favourite staycation destination at Sentosa Cove, bedrooms are pitched as “one of a kind”. And rightly so. Each room is laced with a neon LED strip beneath the bed. Additionally, the decor incorporates neon colours in the decor, making the pops of colour intentionally fun.
Can’t do neon? Then add a fun print or play around with textures. This can be as simple as zig zag cushion covers, or a cashmere throw blanket for the sofa. Back to rule number 1, choose two different patterns and of different scales. But, remember they should be from the same colour palette.
Another fun way to jazz up a space is to dazzle it. Irridescent materials and mirrors are great to bounce light around the room to create a soft, diffused glow. Remember, a hotel inspired HDB or condo doesn’t mean breaking the bank.
EVERYONE LOVES THE FRUIT BOWL
Third, bring life into the room.
Even if a hotel room doesn’t have a complimentary fruit bowl, it definitely has some low maintenance plant along the walkway or fresh flowers at the reception area.
Whether its fake plants or real, or a fruit bowl, bring life.
FORGET THE HOTEL INTERIOR, CHECK OUT THE VIEW
Isn’t this what you came for? A good chunk of hotel stays are spent oohing and aahing over the view from the hotel room.
Singapore’s iconic hotel, the Marina Bay Sands hotel, plays up and celebrates the public gaze in its architecture. Much of its famed features like the SkyPark and MRT are accessible by the public. Moreover, seaside hotel is built for visitors to enjoy a 360 view of the city skyline.
The lesson here is: capitalise the view. Whether you’ve been blessed with an excellent view or a balcony in your HDB or condo, spending additional time planning window treatments or decorating the balcony will elevate your home.
Consider adding a custom settee along a window. Choose plush fabrics like suede for the cushions for a luxurious look.
Second, you’ll notice that hotel rooms have two layers of window treatments: blinds and drapes. This gives you the most put together look. Only the blinds are functional to control the amount of light in the room. Drapes on both sides of the window visually enlarge the room. Finally, the combination adds colour and texture in a room.
If you like what you’ve seen here, be sure to check out Juz Interior’s other projects for more ideas!
