Odds And Ends

Hotels belong to the service industry and their prime concern is comfort. Luxury hotels are the best source of inspiration, they have good designs, use best quality material and make optimum utilisation of space.

Designers develop a color palette and scheme that fits with the hotel’s theme or location (such as the desert or the beach). Taking a cue, when you develop plan for your private sanctuary it should speak of your inner self. The bedroom is typically a refuge  or decompression point in the home. And unlike a hotel room that must please many people, your bedroom is the one place that truly yours and can be a reflection of your taste and design style.

Have some fun and play with paint chips and patterns to come up with a scheme and color decision. Then follow these tips to make the space as luxurious and multi functional as a premium hotel suite.

Space planning

In a hotel room, a small space is designed and decorated to create a flexible haven for guests for multiple activities.

Do the same with your bedroom…

You can create areas for sleeping which includes the bed, seating, a coffee niche or mini refrigerator, a working desk and for grooming the bath and closet. You can design it with any size room. First step is to decide which activities you want to perform other than sleeping and your plan space accordingly.

The Not-So-Obvious keys to comfort

Review the room’s acoustics, ventilation and system controls. If possible, add extra insulation between walls, install upgraded carpet pad, add fabric walls with padded upholstered wall panels or on the headboard. These steps help increase comfort. In addition the room should be well ventilated – common mistakes are air vents blowing over the bed. Place your bed away from air vents and make sure you have access to fresh air. Add concealed speakers at key areas for a sound system, install a bedside three way switching control that is located above the nightstand for easy access.

Light it up

In first class hotel rooms the following techniques are often used.

- Three way switch at entry for bedside lamp.

- Closet light that turns on automatically when door is opened.

- Reading light at bed that is individually controlled.

- Ample lighting in bathroom – lighted make up mirror, wall sconces and overhead lighting at vanity, lighting in tub area and lighting under vanity for night light.

- Dimmer controls on everything

Late night snacks

Incorporate a station for coffee, beverages and snacks. If you want to really get snazzy, add a mini bar or wine cooler, and a sink what better way to relax than not having to go to kitchen for a cool beverage.

Incorporate flexibility

Think multi use. Incorporate a  pivoting desk so you can watch television while working on expensive reports. If there is room for additional seating, rather than a standard chair, use either a chaise lounge, built in seating or two two upholstered chairs with leather ottomans. Ottoman can be used to rest tired feet, as a surface for a board game or as a dining surface. Also add a mirror above the desk so you can use it as a make up vanity if your better half has control of the bathroom.

Natural Light

Ensure drapery treatments stack past windows to maximize views. Include sun control such as Mecco shades. Ensure that drapery panels overlap atleast 4″ at center draws so that a black out environment can be maintained when you want to snooze. Plus line the drapery panels with a top notch liner. And as an over the top idea, motorize window treatments with open/close switches atentry and at bedside.

The bed

Step 1 – Buy the best bed you can. This will be the best investment you have ever made for your peace of mind. Consider a pillow top.

Step 2 – Do away with the bedspread. Use dust skirt and making the bed becomes a breeze.

Step 3 – Hotels purchase top quality bedding, including best quality sheets and duvets. you should do the same as it worth it.

Step 4 – Add throw pillows for color and pizzazz and include a throw blanket at the end of the bed to protect that duvet and provide a cozy cover up while reading a book in your favorite chair.

Lastly – Make it personal and unique. Many hotel rooms feature regional art and local interest magazines so a guest feels a connection with the city they are visiting. For your own room, remember, whether it’s a favorite painting, family photographs, a book shelf with your favorite books, don’t be afraid to include those special items in your decorating scheme so you feel connected and at peace.

Tags: Bedroom, Blanket, Design, Featured, Furniture, Home and Garden, Hotel, Lifestyle, Shopping, Throw pillow

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 18th, 2009 at 5:39 am and is filed under Lifestyle. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.