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How to make your Home look like a Hotel

By Madelyn Miller, the Travellady

Most hotels try to make their rooms look homey. But for people like me and other road warriors, there is a new concept. Make your home look like a hotel.

A recent press release from a design firm shared these tips on making your home my hotelly. I loved the concept and had to share it with www.travellady.com readers.

But I have a few questions. Should I charge myself to use the minibar? Will room service deliver? If I leave my shoes outside the door, will the bellman polish them?

There are so many advantages to staying in hotel rooms all the time—no linens to wash, no dusting, no cleaning the toilets (at least not at the good hotels).

And since I am gone so much, perhaps I could consider my loft a timeshare.

Design Tips to bring home from hotels

For your bedroom color-scheme, keep it simple. Select a unifying fabric for the drapery/bedskirt that has two colors and a neutral like ivory or white, then use variations of the two colors for the other elements in the room (i.e., paint your walls one of the two colors and use the other for the carpet or rug). Use the neutral color for the bedding and accent it with pillows in both colors.

In a dreary climate, use a predominately ivory or white fabric at the window and a darker, more dramatic color on the walls. White and ivory reflect light, maximizing the apparent size of the windows and makes the room seem brighter.

Another simple color scheme combines a dark neutral like mocha, taupe or charcoal with a light neutral like ivory, white or light grey and one accent color like red, coral, turquoise, green, yellow or pink. For the most drama, use the dark neutral on the walls, paint the trim the light neutral and then use both neutrals and the accent color for upholstery fabrics.

Example:  The bedroom of the Hollywood Suite at the Warwick New York had a recently installed mid-tone olive green carpet, so for the draperies we chose a large-scale printed fabric of our own design in ivory with coral and olive green. For the bed drape and bedskirt, we paired that with a companion fabric that has a lighter shade of green background with a coral and ivory design. Then we painted the walls coral, which added both intimacy and drama.

Example:  For the living room at the Hollywood Suite at the Warwick New York, we chose mocha for walls, carpet and lounge chair. Then we accented it with ivory trim, draperies and sofa and red accents such as sofa pillows, lamps, accessories and dining chairs. Dark stained wood tables, armoire and drinks cabinet add depth to the dramatic, urban scheme.

• Details • Add pizzazz to a plain slipcover by sewing on a decorative fringe or tape trim.

• Lights • Use crystal lamps and accessories to add sparkle and drama to a room with colored walls.

• Frames • Use a combination of frames- beveled mirror, wood, silver, brass and enamel – for photos of family members, friends or favorite pets.

• Walls • In a sun-drenched home, use color at the window to absorb some of the glare from the sun. Then use mid-tone to lighter neutral – but never white – paint or fabric for the walls.

• Floors • Cold rooms are warmed by colorful walls and deep pile, plush carpeting. Avoid white walls and bare floors in colder climates.

• Accents • Books and accessories look better against a rich background. Paint the interior of book cases red or orange-red. You’ll be amazed at the effect.

Madelyn Miller is a food and wine writer who contributes to www.travellady.com, www.cocktailatlas.com, www.chocolateatlas.com, www.teaAtlas.com, www.carladynews.com

She loves fresh linens and clean towels every day. She prefers wakeup calls after 10pm. And adores getting chocolate on her pillow

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