Boutique hotels provide wonderful interior design inspiration.  Unlike large, chain hotels, the interior designers are often encouraged to focus on ambiance above all else and make the guests feel they are enveloped in luxury.  Occasionally I will show you some great hotel interiors that deserve your attention and give you some insight as to why the design works and how they pull it together.

The photo above is from the Setai in South Beach, Miami.  Their motto is “Be embraced by Serenity”; and you can certainly see they live up to this promise.  This bedroom creates a wonderful mood and achieves a delicate balance.  Let’s start at the bottom and make our way up.  The flooring is a combination of teak and slate.  The combination of flooring gives you a nice balance of warmth and coolness as well defining the spaces.  The simple linens on the bed are graceful and crisp.  This is a look that it is easy to create in your own bedroom.  The wall color is creamy and warm.  Nothing too bold to take away from the beautiful wood.  Lighting, now this is critical.  They have used 3 different types of lighting in this room.  An overall light from the ceiling that highlights the bed and could be used for reading.  The sconces add drama and ambiance along with the floor lamps which are a good idea for a small spaces where nightstands are a squeeze.  All lights are controlled from switches beside the bed.  There are a lot of straight lines in this room but the central focus is on the soft, light colored bed that softens the space and balances the feel.   Overall a great design.

Make sure to explore the Exotic Style in My Secret Database!

You have faithfully clipped magazine pages and browsed online sources to create your vision of the ultimate master bedroom retreat. It’s complete with beautiful furniture, sumptuous bedding, and the perfect paint color. But then, there’s the dreaded windows. You have a hard time visualizing the solution. Be assured that even for a professional interior designer, window treatment design can be difficult! Since there are so many elements it is best to approach this systematically. The proper window treatment serves many purposes, so we will step through them together and I will offer you solutions along the way.

Adding beauty to a room

The first step is to recognize that window treatments have a lot of visual impact in a room. It is one of the first things you notice when you walk in a room, so this should reflect in your budget. If you can afford to spend a little more, you will be much happier with the results. Consider the styles you prefer and find some photos to keep for reference.

Proper function for the type of window

Next, consider the type of windows you are dealing with. Most homeowners are working with regular windows, French doors, or sliding glass doors. Regular windows or rarely used doors give you the most flexibility. If you use the doors, then you must consider if the window treatment will interfere or possibly become exposed to the elements.

Providing Privacy and Security

Privacy is very important, especially in the bedroom. You should always feel perfectly comfortable walking around your bedroom no matter your choice of pajamas (or lack there of). This is your ultimate zone of relaxation at the end of a long day. You also should consider home security when you go away on vacation.

Providing heat and light control

Heat and Light control are important for a number of reasons. First of all, we all want to conserve energy to lower our utility bills and help the environment. You want to keep it cool in the house in the summer and a warm in the winter. Light control is especially important in the bedroom depending on how you like to wake up. Some people like the natural light of the sun creeping slowly into their room while others want total darkness until the alarm clock sounds. Blackout blinds or draperies are really the only way you you can get close to total darkness. Also, there are many backings that can be added to blinds.

A note about shades and blinds- The styles and materials are endless these days. When I say blinds I am referring to horizontal wood or metal slats. Shades are woven wood, cellular or pleated and are made of natural materials or fabric

So now that you are armed with this information I hope that will feel empowered in making your selections. Look for your perfect solution by using My Secret Database!