My husband and I had the fortunate experience of rounding out our summer by taking a trip to Cancun, Mexico. It was a blast and, as you can imagine, inspiration was everywhere in beautiful Mexico. Turquoise waters and white sands, stalactites and stalagmites in underground caves and vibrant colors in pottery and art were getting my design juices flowing. I expected to come back home obsessed with a vibrant color that reminded me of our trip. Instead, I returned home obsessed with integrating some of the elements of the actual hotel design.
We stayed at a new hotel in Cancun with a design aesthetic that was very sleek, clean and modern. However, rather than seeming cold and sterile, the use of materials and textures gave a calming and enveloping environment – just what we were looking for.
Our hotel room was sleek and modern, yet still uber-comfortable. Neutral colors, streamlined furniture and thoughtful seating made this hotel room like a home away from home. Although hotel rooms generally lack the personal touches that I want in a home, I was certainly inspired to integrate some of these elements into my own bedroom.
photo credit a&o @ Secrets The Vine in Cancun, Mexico
1. Simplicity. The hotel room was exacting what I want in my bedroom at home. Sophisticated, neutral, modern, and warm. The use of various textures, wood accents and simple furniture gave the room a sense of calm. At home I recently installed grasscloth wallpaper in our bedroom to add texture without pattern. I’ll keep the room interesting by continuing to add a variety of textures, but I’ll stick with a strict color palate to keep the soothing feeling.
2. Function. Not everybody is fortunate enough to have a huge bedroom and loads of closet space. I live in a small space, but most of the time I don’t mind because it forces me to be discriminating and efficient. However, I can only cut back so much, so it’s critical to add storage wherever possible. For instance, we have our furniture do double duty. Instead of typical nightstands, we have dressers that function as a nightstand, storage for our clothes and a vanity for jewelry and odd and ends. I loved our hotel room because it functioned just how it should. I had separate closets that were built in and streamlined with a place for everything and everything in its place.
3. Comfort. It pretty much goes without saying that a comfortable bed is the most important element in creating a bedroom designed for relaxation. A mattress that suits your preferences and bedding that’s soft and inviting makes jumping into bed a welcome treat. I prefer not to load the bed up with mounds of pillows; it can make a bed look too fussy and contrived. I love how the hotel bed had a fairly simple arrangement of pillows that were the perfect combination of function and decoration – 2 sleeping pillows, 2 shams, 3 pillows for decoration.
Although my preference in my bedroom is for soothing, calm colors, that might not be everyone’s ideal color scheme. What is your preference for the bedroom – calm or invigorating?