Finally the five star hotel suite experience is trickling into everyday home life, and it's about time. Designers like me have been creating luxurious experiences for clients for years, such as the SHADE Hotel I created in Manhattan Beach California which quickly became home to A-listers like Brad Pitt, Cameron Diaz and Johnny Depp.
Frankly there's nothing I did there that I haven't done in hundreds of houses except charge $1,200.00 a night LOL.
Increasingly, as more such boutique hotels pop up, men and women are beginning to take their cues from hotel to home. And why not? It's in these upscale hotels that accomidations must appeal to the most discriminating of many tastes, must be inviting to both sexes and be continually occupied, in order to make money. Otherwise the design isn't working. In the hotel business a good design must last at least a decade, be easy to maintain and hold up under a lot of abuse. So it's no wonder that these public spaces are chocked full of great ideas that are very applicable to small spaces like say, your own home.
You've heard me say a million times that when it comes to the bedroom, the design must be luxurious enough for her (she's all about fabrics and their feel) but tailored enough for him (he's into clean lines, with minimal fuss). Actually today that can be applied to just about every room in the home. Especially now that men no longer feel emasculated when talking about design. In fact, they really want their input reflected in the home now more than ever.
In the past, the design journey for hotel to home, generally took about 12-15 years before products were available to we average folks. However, today that time span has condensed as the "non-gender-specific" attitude has finally caught hold. Retailers are beginning to gender-segment much less between "His" and "Her" when it comes to designs for the home (I'd like to think I had a bit to do with that, (blush)) since the non-gender idea was something I introduced back in the late 90's. It makes sense for retailers now because it cuts down on a lot of additional inventory.
Still, certain things, that make such good sense, have still taken awhile to get to market.
Take for instance this pair of bedside lamps (below) with the USB port built right in. RIGHT? You've seen them in hotel rooms and probably used them because they make so much sense. Well now they're available for residential in designs too, in styles that work in more rooms than places just the office.
I especially love the blue mercury glass (right) set of two ($99. Amazon) they have a retro-modern feel and are tall enough to make them comfortable for reading in bed. The drum shades are timeless and classic and both he and she will be okay with the look.
I'm never big on matchy-matchy EXCEPT when it comes to the bedroom. There I feel that symmetry is a must in creating a tranquil space where order and harmony should rule.
Dimmer control:
The one thing I recommend is that you get two table dimmers and (with extension cords behind the bed), link the two lamps together so each side can control BOTH lamps without ever having to reach up under the shade for the on-off chain or roll over to the other side. That's a pain!
In fact when designing your bedroom, always lay down on the bed first to make sure that whatever you need is at arms length from a reclined or propped up position. Otherwise what's the point?
Same goes with side tables. They too should match (although they don't have to actually be made specifically for the bedroom or be the least bit 'conventional"). Many people position the side tables up against the wall on each side of the bed. However, by the time your actually IN bed, with three pillows behind you, the tables are way too short aren't they?
Well here's a trick. When you find the tables you like measure the tops. Keeps the same width measurement, but now measure from the front of the table--positioned where it should be, all the way to the wall. Then simply have a piece of glass cut to that dimension. Not only will you get the right shape for the bedside and a whole lot more room, but the glass will protect the tabletop from that wet and defrosted container of Ben & Jerry's that you probably should not have had in the first place. (wink) You can do it!