How to bring hotel chic home

Inspired by the interiors of boutique hotels around the world, author Sara Bliss wanted to share easy and affordable tips on how to bring that style home.

In Hotel Chic at Home ( The Monacelli Press), she tries to capture the transformative power of travel, and that moment in a stylish hotel when you say to yourself: “Why can’t my life be more like this every day?”

Bliss, author of seven books, gathers design ideas from innovative small hotels and talks with some of the designers. She has chapters on subjects including foyers, lighting, dramatic walls and floors, and setting the scene with art.

“Even the chicest hotels have the same issues as most homeowners — awkward spaces, cookie- cutter architecture, lacklustre views, or dark rooms,” Bliss writes.

Here are highlights from an interview with Bliss:

Q What is it about these hotels that caught your imagination?

A Boutique hotels have become incubators for new interior design trends that not only transport visitors to Thailand or Tuscany, but solve familiar design challenges on a budget, while setting an unforgettable mood. It’s a magical mix of feeling both transported and at home, and there are plenty of ideas that can easily be adapted at home. One of the things I love about these hotels is that they are pretty fearless in their design choices.

Q Is it important to stick to a single theme when planning a design redo at home? A Mixing up inspiration from Africa and France and Morocco is perfectly OK. It’s coolest when it’s organic and reflects things you love. Big, crazy design ideas are sometimes too fun to talk yourself out of — and they’ll always be memorable and meaningful.

Q Can you suggest some quick and affordable ways to add glamour to a room?

A Cubes painted shiny gold would glam up any room as side tables. And for walls, I love dark colours. So many of the hotels I visited feature a beautiful dark space lit by candlelight in the evenings. If painting an entire room is too much, employing stencils or graphics, even on a single surface, like a wall or ceiling, can have big impact.

Q What about jazzing up powder rooms?

A You always want to have fresh flowers and maybe a votive or two, and fragrant little soaps. A fabulous and unexpected light fixture can instantly transform a bathroom into a memorable space.… Be brave. Don’t be afraid to go for that extra dash of glamour.