Hotels as Design Inspiration, Part 2

35 hotels with great taste and design solutions I want to copy

My husband always says he can’t stand it when hotels say, “We want this to feel like your home.” “No,” he says, “ it should be better than your home.” A couple of weeks ago, we posted about hotels that inspire us from a design point of view. One of the things I love so much about hotels is how (when they’re great) I allow myself to get out of critical mode, and toggle over to appreciation mode. I learn so much from them, often simple lessons—from lighting to use of color, materials, and layering—so much layering.

After hours of going through my iPhone and adding more and more hotels to the list, I realized this needed to be more than one post. (Last month, I wrote about the most inspiring interior I’ve been in, the Villa Feltrinelli.) I mean, it could be a book! And, of course, these are just the hotels I’ve been to! Shockingly, I’ve never stayed at Ett Hem in Stockholm (a design and travel crime, I know!), and that should—from what I’ve seen and heard—be at the top of the list.

Below, you’ll find some of the hotels that have inspired me (35 of them!)—that I’ve either copied in some way, or keep in a “someday I’ll have a house like that” file… They’re usually more of a World of Interiors vibe—collected and layered—but I’ve also included some that have clever design solutions. So, while this list is long, it’s really just a start. I’d love to hear your favorites in the comments, and maybe we’ll make this a regular thing here.

Cobblers Cove, Barbados, for its very clever use of rattan from Soane Britain

Finca Cortesin, Malaga, Spain: Framed cameos, stamps, coins, and layering of carpets!

Parco dei Sesi, Pantelleria, for shade-making ideas

Seven Rooms, Noto, Sicily: Brilliant marriage of antique and modern, so it doesn’t feel like you’re living in another century

Masseria San Domenico, Puglia: Putting a velvet-wrapped foldable tray stand on my flea market wish list, and a game-changing game table

Commercial break: Before we go on to the 30 more hotels below—in case you missed it—last week we announced that we’re going to add a paywall to some of our content here on Club Yolo. We’ll definitely keep doing our free posts, like our Moodboards and style inspiration stories (like last week’s “Channeling. The South of France”). But as we’ve invested more time in creating this content here, we’ve decided to paywall some stories that take forever to research and put together, or feel like they should be premium, like answering your questions in a monthly “You Asked For It” column. Paid subscribers will also be able to initiate a Chat thread so that the whole community can answer your questions with their own travel expertise.

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