Hotels as Design Inspiration

The places we can’t stop thinking about—and want to copy when we get home

Because it’s finally spring, the season when many of us start organizing/purging and making room for some new design in the house, I thought it was a good time to share a few hotels with decor that inspires us. Ages ago, when we used to post in permanent feed all the time and people cared about/used hashtags (in those days before Stories and Reels and the algorithm—when we were actually in seek mode, not just being fed everything!), I started #hotelsasdesigninspiration and used to tag it frequently. So much of my taste has been informed by my travels, and by hotels in particular, as we actually live in those spaces for a night or more.

When I started to pull together my ideas for this post, I knew I had to begin with the Villa Feltrinelli, which I visited in 2015 and had the most inspiring interior I’ve ever been in. The layers and the details are so incredible. In our very first print issue of Yolo Journal (summer 2019!), I wrote about it: “Imagine you have a very rich, generous Italian aunt with the best taste, and a beautiful estate on Lake Garda—which she turned into a hotel.” I was planning to share several more favorites, but after going deep into the iPhone archive, I found too many to share in this one post—so stay tuned for Part 2 in a couple of weeks. Plus, our photo director, Linda, who also works at Domino, corralled some great suggestions from some of her friends. I’d love to hear yours in the comments!

Grand Hotel a Villa Feltrinelli, Gargnano, Italy

Bob’s Bar: A little closet/nook turned into an honor bar, with these framed cocktail recipes lining the walls.

I love that geraniums are their only flower, and I also love how all different shades of red and patterns work so well together in this dining room.

This table! The color! The finish! I need this color in my life.

Loved the kitchen where you can wander in and help yourself

Note to self–a red patterned chair cushion is a good idea. Also, get a house on a lake.

Details! A tray on a cushion with some biscotti in a vintage jar.

Hotel Peter & Paul, New Orleans

When it's cold and grey outside, I just want to hide away and be surrounded by rich color. Find me here and wake me in spring. —Carla Gonzalez-Hart, TeenyDish interior and prop stylist

Hotel Costes, Paris

Hotel Costes is moody, cozy, intimate, candlelight and curtains, the perfect ambiance. I love having a bottle of wine and steak dinner here at 3am after a night out. The actual design is more ‘90s than I’m usually drawn to, but the execution is flawless. People can get away with things in Paris. It's exactly what an American girl like me thinks Paris should look and feel like. —Leanne Ford, interior designer

The Gunton Arms - Norfolk, England

The Gunton Arms in Norfolk is the perfect country pub - real country, not themed faux-country. Local farmers play pool or watch sports in the bar. But because it belongs to an art dealer named Ivor Braka (reputedly the only person still able to get their hands on a Francis Bacon), there is incredible art on every wall and in every room. The bedrooms are by the late, great Robert Kime - he did the King’s private houses - and divinely comfortable. The food is perfect, because you can have a bowl of chips at the bar or cote de boeuf cooked over fire in the restaurant. The whole thing is heaven. Also it’s in a deer park and 15 minutes away from outstanding beaches. My favourite room is called Walpole. —India Knight, HOME journalist and author

Grand Pigalle Hotel, Paris

My room was on the top floor of this tiny little building in the historic Pigalle district, accessed only by a beautiful blue winding stair, and every morning I could smell croissants baking in the oven of the bakery next door. Tiny but also totally luxurious, too, which is very much my vibe at home and on the road. —Christene Barberich, A Tiny Apt. writer

The Pig, Brockenhurst, England

The Pig for me epitomises relaxed and home-y style. The mismatched collection of vintage and rustic furniture, selection of nature inspired patterns and prints, combined with muted paint colours and natural textures make for a delightful home-from-home stay. I love how everything at the hotel focuses around the kitchen garden and nature, which translates into the interiors as well. From the freshly picked garden flowers that line the dining tables to the foliage inspired prints which adorn the sumptuous beds. For me, The Pig is the quintessential English hotel, a place to relax and recharge. —Jennifer Halsam, interior stylist and author of The New Naturals