As you may have read, we were recently in Berlin and we stayed in a gorgeous hotel. We spent nearly 3 days in the hotel, so I got to know our room pretty well. And there were some design elements that were so smart, regardless of whether you’re in a big house or a tiny apartment, that I had to share them with you today! 🙂 The room was way more modern than our own house, but there’s no reason one can’t borrow a lot of these concepts and adapt them to the space you actually have.
1. Built in closet by the door — This is so simple yet practical. The closet area is essentially totally hidden and they took an otherwise useless space and made it really fantastic. In your home, you might put shoes in the shelves instead — or make other modifications to suit your needs.
2. Lights inside the closets — There were lights inside many of the closets in this room, including the one above. They usually came on automatically when you opened the closet door. It’s such a smart and efficient way to light up your closet, without having to worry about using extra electricity because you forgot to turn off the lights.
3. Practical built-in closets — It goes without saying that this closet is just gorgeous, but it had a lot of practical space in it too. Lots of shelving and places to hang clothes. Seriously one of the largest closets I’ve ever had in a hotel room and great because when you roll the door closed, you don’t see anything inside anymore.
4. Lamps at the back of the closet — The lamps at the ends of the closets I really loved. They’re much more practical for looking at yourself in the mirror than the overhead lights that always make you look a bit gaunt and as if you barely slept last night. Plus, they added a huge floor-to-ceiling mirror at the back of the closet, so you get more light reflecting back into the closet space.
5. More closet storage — Across from the big closet was another slightly smaller one with space for knick knacks on the top (or a place to charge your phones, iPad, etc if you have a plug nearby) and more shelves underneath. This would be another good space for shoes (if you double up on the shelves) or for things like t-shirts or shorts that can be folded up small.
6. Motion sensor by the front door — When you walked into the room, certain lights would automatically come on, like the one in the entry area. We have a great motion sensor in our mudroom, a space we pass through often with tons of stuff in our hands, and it’s so fantastic. But I think putting one in an entry way for when you get home at night would be super practical.
7. Recessed shower head — This is so, so smart. If your ceilings aren’t super high, this is a great way to create a really nice rain shower effect without having a shower head hanging from nowhere (if you can knock a hole through the ceiling to recess it) — and the lower ceiling in the shower keeps your heat in.
8. Shower stall design — While we’re on the shower, I just love the design in general. The lit, recessed space for a few bottles of shower stuff is so classy stylish. And they used a big floor to ceiling frosted glass panel and door to seal it off from the rest of the bathroom. It was a very comfortable shower space and most of the water stayed where it was supposed to!
9. Dimmer switches — I think dimmer switches are one of those things that are totally underused, much like motion sensors. Having bright lights is necessary at certain times, but other times, it’s nice to just be able to turn down the lights a bit and blend out the harshness of the day.
10. Ceiling spots to draw attention to room elements — Another thing I really liked in this room (but didn’t manage to photograph) was the use of recessing ceiling lights to highlight things in the room. In the bathrooms, it might have been the sink. In the living room, a vase on a shelf. And so on. It’s simple to do, and still lends lots of light to the rest of the space around it, but can really highlight a few key areas of the room that you love as well without adding extra lights.
And of course, once you’ve got all that in place, all your need is something stylish to sit on. If you’re making your office into an oasis, you can pick some great pieces at a place like City Office Furniture.
If you’re looking for more ideas that will make your apartment or home feel like you’re living in a hotel, check out this article from BHG.
When you visit hotels, are you checking them out for smart ideas to add to your own home as well? 🙂
