155 ways to find your style: Lessons from hotel rooms
Hello!
I know it’s been a little while but truth be told I’ve been quite busy.
Yes, I’ve been working on several client projects, but I’ve also been a little bit busy taking time for myself.
In Spain.
Olé, indeed.
Round about February time, in the cold depths of winter, my partner and I decided that it was time to embark upon a Spanish adventure and cross our fingers for a little bit of April sunshine. Failing that at least we’d have enough tapas and vermouth around us to make up for it.
We decided on a 2-week break along Spain’s northern coast and to optimise our flight path home, we’d spend a few days in Barcelona. Which meant, in total, 4 locations and 4 hotels.
Now, I know you’re not supposed to go away for the hotel - it’s not the point of the trip.
But it kind of is.
I love hotels, I love staying somewhere that is almost entirely design-led and is completely different from home. It inspires and excites me and quite frankly, I spent A LOT of time looking at possible hotels.
Don’t get me wrong, we were on a budget, but I still wanted to stay somewhere pretty and I had 3 main considerations:
Was the location good?
Was the price in the budget?
Did the decor look good?
(Recently I stayed in a London hotel, of which the first box was ticked. The second box not so much and as to whether the decor looked good? Well let’s say I don’t expect a high-end hotel to have plastic lampshades and a worn-out chair from the 2000s)
Although, in Spain, we were only in each room for at most 3 nights, I learned a lot about my style and what I need in my living space.
Here are my key takeaways:
Space:
Ahh I love me some space. And I always thought I’d like one of those tiny homes but I might have been lying to myself this entire time.
The best rooms we stayed in were the ones that gave us a little bit more room to move around the bed and put our stuff. This small freedom made the whole experience more pleasurable - as someone who is perpetually walking into things, I appreciated that this risk was reduced - and I just felt much free-er and able to relax when things weren’t so compact.
Bonus features included a terrace to sit out on. I know that the one thing my flat here is missing is some private outdoor space and so it’s on my no-compromise list for future properties.
However, every single hotel room was missing a dressing table with a mirror. Yes, most of them had desks, but I spent 2 weeks sitting on the floor putting my make-up on and I just wish I’d brought a portable mirror so I could sit down properly. It might seem a trivial thing but putting my face on is such a chore that anything to make it easier is welcome. I was very grateful for my little dressing table area when I got home.
Light/Colour/Texture:
This is a big one.
I don’t know about you but I spend half my days questioning if I like light and bright or dark and moody interiors best.
I’ve finally got an answer.
On first impressions, I loved the dark interiors with the moody lighting. It was dramatic, it was seductive and it lasted about a day and a half before I felt the moodiness creeping into my psyche.
What initially made me feel interested, quickly made me feel swallowed up. I actually felt quite sad.
I craved light and softness. Romance rather than seduction.
There is a bit of a caveat though.
We stayed in two “light rooms” both finished with light wood panelling which I liked. However, one of these rooms balanced the wood with some colour and grounded it with black glass and picture frames.
The other was all light pine, everywhere. And styled with wicker baskets and cream finishes.
It was nice, but it was too samey. I sort of felt sad in a different way. I felt nothing.
The room fell flat because there wasn’t enough in the textures to balance out the neutrality. A little smoked glass or a hint of rich earthy tones on a couple of the walls would have gone a long way.
Just like our own homes, it’s a balancing act. It’s not just about choosing blue because you like blue, or choosing panelling because it’s en vogue. You have to see the whole picture - step back from your work and consider where you need a little more oomph and where you need to lighten up a little.
For me, I’ve learned that I’m ready to introduce a little more colour into my home whilst maintaining a level of tranquillity that keeps me feeling good. As I said, a balancing act.
Function over Form.
Hotels are a fantastic place for you to see how those stylish sinks, headboards and partition walls would work in practice.
One of the hotels was really cool and the bathroom area was sort of open-plan. The sink was black and swanky and the mirror was flanked by warm golden lights. The toilet door was fluted glass and very pretty actually.
Now I don’t know about you, but on my first holiday with a partner that I don’t yet live with, I would like a proper toilet door. And preferably one that isn’t directly opposite the full-length mirror that you can see from the bed…
(To be fair, one hotel room also had a sliding glass toilet door with a 2-inch gap on either side - once again, opposite the mirror - clearly the Spanish are a little less prudish than us).
My point is, it all looked really great but the sink was too small in this bathroom area and the lights were too dark to see if I still had toothpaste on my chin. Beautiful, not practical.
Honourable mention of course goes to lighting.
Gosh it’s so bloody important to get the lighting right. I spent a lot of time flicking light switches on and off to get the right combination of lighting to relax or to get ready in.
I noticed that this was particularly tricky in most of the hotels. Whilst I did need some cosier bedside lights, an extra lamp across the room was always welcome to get the ambience just right.
So, I’m back home now, I’ve got some new ideas in my back pocket and I’m certainly clear about the things I like.
And it’s not about what I like the look of - I liked the look of every room and hotel we stayed in. But I didn’t feel the same in all of them and that’s why I’m always telling you to consider how you want to feel in the room before you decide on anything else.
Then think about your layout and the practical aspects.
And when you’ve got that down, you can have some fun with paint and textures and styling.
Little by little it will all come together.
And if you get the opportunity, go hotel hopping - it’ll do wonders for you.
