Five Clever Boutique Hotel Design Tricks To Borrow
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Hotels are the most brilliant source of inspiration for interiors in my book, and Cocorico in Porto where I stayed on a recent press trip with The Colour Flooring Company whilst exploring the making of their cork flooring, was no exception. In fact, it was EXCEPTIONAL, and from the second I walked in to the beautiful guest house with just ten rooms, I knew it was a pretty special place that was full of clever design tricks to borrow.
ORANGE AND BLUE IS A GREAT IDEA
Being opposites on the colour wheel, orange and blue are natural pals, but these particular shade choices were just perfection. You probably know I’m not huge on lots of colour in my house these days, but wow, did this combo did reel me in. Such clever use of colour in an otherwise neutral space, with just the incredible shutters and surrounds painted this most perfect shade, then paired with muted mid-blue linen panels.
This would be just as effective with more muted tones too if you don’t want to go quite so bold. Some great orangey tones to look at are…
FULL LENGTH COLOUR BLOCKED LINEN CURTAIN PANELS FOR DRAMA AND SOFTNESS
Frayed linen panels with a turned top and clip-on curtain hooks are a very clever option for a relaxed modern look and diffused light. SO much cheaper than traditional curtains too. These panels were also used across open doorways, as room dividers in some rooms, and the colours varied including red, yellow, green and brown depending on the room. Measure from your curtain pole to the floor and add around twelve centimetres. Sew around the entire perimeter of the cut panel approximately two centimetres in from the edge before fraying to prevent it from over-fraying. To hang, simply fold ten or more centimetres over on the top edge before adding clip-on curtain hooks and popping onto the rail. Simple black curtain rods to match the hooks are key here for an unobtrusive sleek look. Another clever trick was how they were extended out from the wall in order to hide the TV and minibar to keep things looking uncluttered. Mind you a Samsung Serif TV doesn’t really need hiding. Length wise, these look best just kissing the floor, and because of the turned tops and clip-on hooks, it’s super easy to adjust the length til you get it juuuuuust right.
TRANSFORM PLAIN OR UGLY BED BASES
If you have a boxy headboard and base that could do with a new lease of life, transform it with a no-upholstery-skills-required cover. A headboard cover with cute ties, and easy velcroed base cover, requires basic sewing skills only, and looks amazing!
For the headboard, hem one large rectangular piece of fabric to fit the headboard , leaving a few centimetres on each side, taking it all the way to the bottom of the headboard on the front and back sides. Admittedly you might need to join two pieces of fabric together to get the required width on anything larger than a single, or railroad the fabric and have a seam on the back instead, but that’s the only really tricky bit. Depending on your particular bed frame you might find that the back needs to hang lower than the front because of the base getting in the way, and that’s fine, just adjust accordingly. Place your hemmed panel over the headboard to mark your tie positions so they match front and back, and sew them in place. You could make them from the same fabric of use a complementary plain. Tie them up to secure it, and your headboard cover is done! For the base, you’re creating a super long rectangle to cover both sides and the end (your fabric measurement here should be two times the base length plus one times the base width, by the top to the floor height, plus a few centimetres hem allowance all around. Once hemmed, stick one side of the self-adhesive velcro straight onto the base (or use plain velcro and add your own suitable adhesive), then stick the other side onto the inside top of the fabric cover and sew it to secure before matching it up with the velcro on the base. This large black and white gingham was a genius choice next to otherwise traditional decor.
JUXTAPOSING OLD AND NEW
The old mix it up trick is done so well here, and there were so many good examples in my room alone. They won’t always work in every space, but are great food for thought. Ready?
Original shutters / modern colour
Ornate cornice and moulding / modern sleek curtain rails
Ultra contemporary TV next to (or on) an ornate antique console
Large gingham print / historical architectural framed prints
Original architectural details / industrial style lighting
Modern curtain panels / antique furniture
Images: Cocorico Guesthouse
Industrial Style Wall Lights - Corston Architectural
Architectural prints - Vinterior
Louis XVI Style Arm chair - eBay
RUGS AND LINEN FABRIC AS BEDSPREADS
Another genius idea that I would never have thought of is to use ‘rag’ rugs as bed throws. Make sure it’s lightweight and 100% cotton. You could use just a runner or a larger size, and it adds a lovely bit of texture next to crisp cotton. I loved the white on white, but you could use a colour too. Extra points for tassels! Linen fabric panels were also a great touch and you could achieve this so easily by using the same technique as the curtain panels, minus the effort of hanging - just drape over the end of the bed and you’re good to go.
And of course if you want to check out the source of this inspiration in the flesh, I can confirm that Cocorico is the perfect spot to stay a few nights whilst exploring the magic of Porto, and the restaurant, bar and courtyard are all completely gorgeous too.
