7 Steps to Make Your Bedroom Feel like a Luxury Hotel Suite

Let’s not faff, you know why you’re here, so I won’t tease you with an overly dramatised story of why this blog post has been written. It’s 2022, overindulgence comes with the territory and the demand for satisfying the urge of at-home luxuries and conveniences are at an all-time high. So here are my 7 steps to help you make your bedroom feel like a luxury hotel suite. You’re welcome.

Blakes London

STEP 1 | Layout or Spatial Planning

Are you making the most out of the room’s layout?

At an early stage, whether you’re renovating or building from scratch it’s vital that we examine the room’s layout and ask ourselves a few questions, starting with: Do I want my room to fulfill multiple functions, or do I just want it to be a place of rest and relaxation?

• Why is this important?

  • A luxurious hotel suite delivers a lot of conveniences and functionality that may not be immediately obvious.

  • So think about whether or not you want to include a TV, a WFH area, a coffee station, a mini-fridge, or perhaps you need an exercise nook or a dressing zone.

  • The most impactful way to level up your bedroom to Hotel Suite status is by including a seating area - can you accommodate that even if it is a bench/ottoman at the foot of the bed?

Addressing this also helps us understand how to design the overall aesthetic to suit the functionality of the room. This is called zoning in interior design and if you can get this right you’ve taken the first step in the right direction.

Luxe Tip: Max out the luxury and sensuality by including a bathtub in the bedroom. Yes, it’s an indulgence but it’s actually very practical, especially if you can zone and change up the flooring around the bathtub.

STEP 2 | Scale and Proportion

Ever walk into a decorated room and something was just off? Probably scale and proportion

It cannot be stressed how important this step is in the design process, when trying to achieve a livable and balanced composition. Put simply, Scale is how an item relates to the size of the space while Proportion is how an item relates to other items in the space.

Here are a couple of points to bear in mind:

Functionality: Make sure pieces of furniture are scaled for their function. A bedside table that is too short for the bed frame, will make the room feel off-balanced and is impractical. Provided you have the space, don’t be afraid to use a short chest of drawers or an extra-large trunk as a side table instead.

Variety: Variation in size is a beautiful visual trick - if everything is the same size, nothing will stand out. Create interest and drama by subtly playing with variations in scale. Restraint is important too because if that is too drastic it will make the room look clumsy. For instance, a large lamp on a small table or one small piece of artwork above your bed will make the room feel unbalanced.

The Golden Ratio: Also known as the golden mean or golden number – has been used for over 2,500 years as a mathematical sequence (1:1.618 to be exact). It occurs multiple times in nature, from the proportion of human bodies to the spiral of seashells, and is thought to be perfectly pleasing to the eye. This is roughly 60/40, meaning you fill 60 percent of your floor space with furniture, and leave 40 percent open to ensure the room feels complete without appearing overcrowded.

Accessories: The bigger the space, the bigger the accessories. I find it important to always go larger on the accessories that you initially think. It makes a massive difference when conveying a luxury feel.

Hot Tip: Getting the scale right with furniture can be quite tricky especially when buying online. It helps to tape out the dimensions on the floor or along your wall to understand the dimensions.

STEP 3 | Colour

Once you’ve clarified your layout, zoning, and scale of furniture you can now look to pull together your palette. When we think luxury hotel suite, we may initially be drawn to a neutral palette, however, you can be brave with your colour choices, provided you’re thinking about the colour scheme holistically; from your wall-coverings to wardrobe finishes, linens, and flooring.

You can and should in fact be applying the golden ratio here too to get the balance just right.

The Classic King Room at the Lydmar Hotel in Stockholm

Spagna Penthouse with Terrace at the Rocco Forte House in Rome

Penthouse Suite at the Battery in San Francisco

Mayfair Terrace Suite at Claridge’s Hotel in London

STEP 4 | Bedding

What’s a luxury hotel suite without top-notch bedding?

If you really want to give your bedroom a hotel-style facelift then prioritising is critical, starting with an excellent mattress, comfy bedding, and fluffy pillows.

Those silky yet crisp sheets you slide into at luxury hotels tend to clock in at around the 300-thread-count mark and they are always cotton (specifically Egyptian cotton), because they’re the most breathable and help you stay cool, so make sure to steer clear of cheaper microfiber varieties.

Another key factor and please don’t hate me but you have to ditch the fitted sheet and use two flat sheets instead: the bottom flat sheet is usually oversized and tightly tucked around the mattress using military-like hospital corners; the top flat sheet is tucked in on the sides and the foot of the bed, with the top folded over and also tucked. Ensuring you put the top flat sheet on upside down, so when you fold over the top portion, you see the correct side of the sheet.

Finally, when it comes to bedding, you will notice that hotel suites always opt for white. It doesn’t fade and from an interior design perspective, provides an ideal canvas to layer with accent colours and textures.

Coze | Ando Luxury Fitted Sheet

Dusk | Venice Duvet Cover - 400 Thread Count

STEP 5 | Texture

Want to really amp up the luxury? Mix up your texture

If you know you know. Variation in texture, like scale is a glorious way to improve the look and feel of your room. From floor to walls and even ceilings, playing with texture is really where interior designers shine and of course you can too. Whether you decide to keep it tonal for a more calm or contemporary feel or brave it with pattern, the options are limitless.

Textured differences are not limited to soft furnishings, you can carry this through with different artwork and decor from woven baskets to metal sculpture, shagreen trays to clay vessels.

STEP 6 | Layers

Because more is more?

Once you’ve brought in texture with your materials step back and ask yourself if anything is still flat. If the answer is yes, add sumptuousness and ambience with layers. By drawing on all the lessons laid out in the previous steps, layering helps complete your room.

For example, if the scale is off such as a rug that’s absolutely darling but too small, go ahead and layer that with another below it. You can do this by keeping them both in the same palette and simply changing the textures, like a sheepskin over an oversized sisal.

Don’t forget that you can layer a number of things, like curtains - with sheers and blackouts, or soft furnishings when dressing the bed, but one of the most critical elements to layer is your lighting. In the bedroom, lighting can be a make or break. The key thing is to include 3 types of lighting ambient, accent, and task lighting. For instance, a pendant or sconce by your bedside can create an intimate, restful space, without the glare of overhead lighting. It is really worth taking your time on this and ensuring the pieces you choose complement each other. Of course, this is a topic that needs to have a dedicated blog post because there’s just too much to unpack but it’s good to bear in mind when you get to this step.

Hot Tip: Incorporate a dimmer system in your lighting design—it allows your lighting to be responsive.

Sophie Paterson | Layered window treatments

Luxdeco | Layered Lighting

STEP 7 | Scent

Your bedroom deserves a signature scent. What’s yours?

Finally what better way to ensure your bedroom feels like a hotel suite than by smelling like one. Scent is a huge part of staying in a hotel. To make your bedroom smell as good as a luxury hotel, you could try a beautiful reed diffuser for a constant subtle fragrance that lasts for several months, or you could layer your fragrance like you’ve layered everything else. Dotting an array of luxury candles throughout your room to add both scent and visual allurement.