Lockdown life: How to turn your home into a luxury hotel

Turn your bedroom into a luxury hotel - with a few tips and tricks. Image / Getty

One of the best things about checking into a hotel is that moment when you unlock the door and arrive in the sanctuary of your room. Now that most of us are confined in our homes, it's the perfect opportunity to work on making them places we really want to be.

"To be cosy and provoke an emotion, interior decoration should tell a story," says Arnaud Zannier, whose hotels include Phum Baitang in Siem Reap (where the Jolie-Pitt clan stayed for months) and Ghent's 1898 The Post.

"Choose one or two remarkable pieces - whether that's objets, candles or flowers, anything that brings personality to a room - and put the emphasis on those."

"I like to compose a few areas of focus - perhaps a painting, a table, a stack of books - but for me, bed linen is the key to making a bedroom look plush," says Karen Roos, co-owner of The Newt in Somerset among other hotels, and former editor of Elle Decoration in South Africa.

Even the smallest change, whether it's repainting the walls, rearranging artworks or ordering new bed linen online, can make a big difference to the ambience.

Here are some simple tricks for recreating hotel-level interiors at home.

Turn your bedroom into a luxury hotel - with a few tips and tricks. Image / Getty

Pimp your bed

"In a hotel, the first thing you see when you walk into a bedroom is the bed," says interior designer Robert Angell, who created a new look for One Aldwych in London.

"The bed is usually positioned to make the most of the view, so if you can, rejig the layout so that it faces the window. At this unprecedented time when we're all stuck indoors, feeling like you're connected to the outside is more important than ever."

"Great bedding is the ultimate accessory for a bedroom," says designer Kelly Wearstler, who recently overhauled the Proper Hotel in downtown LA and has just launched a timely series of interior design-focused video lessons for MasterClass - ideal for creative inspiration while we're cooped up inside.

"You spend so much of your time in bed that the sheets should be as luxurious as possible - they're worth the investment."

Light up your life

For Russell Sage, designer of hotels such as the Fife Arms in Scotland and the Goring Hotel in London, lighting always comes first.

"At the moment there's a real desire to make our homes feel cocooning and getting the lighting right really helps with that. From cocktail hour onwards, switch to lamp light and, if you have overhead chandeliers, use the dimmer. Lamp light makes faces and rooms look softer," he says.

Meanwhile, Robin Hutson of the Pig hotel group believes the secret is '"well-planned circuitry mixed with flamboyant vintage lampshades to give that cosy glow". In his book, The Pig, Tales and Recipes from the Kitchen Garden and Beyond, he writes: "Characterful lampshades made from reclaimed fabrics can really add wow factor to a room. We often use old saris which are translucent and colourful."

Colour and pattern

Calming, tonal palettes work especially well in a bedroom.

"For the Goring Hotel, we used a lot of old golds and very pale greys, rather than being too fashionable or loud," says Sage.

Meanwhile, at The Newt, Roos favours cool hues. "I like colours such as greens and blues in off-tones, not too bright; they should blend into the background rather than make demands on the senses," she says.

Another update worth considering is eye-catching textiles.

"Statement cushions and blankets are a great way to experiment with colour and pattern, in a way that doesn't have to be long-term if you do find yourself changing your mind sooner than you expected. Layered on to a bed or sofa, they create new focal points to a space," states Siobahn Farley, creative director of Soho Home, the interiors collection from Soho House.

Rugs, too, are a good way to add character.

"A rug brings a sense of comfort - it is always nicer to walk barefoot on a rug than on the floor - but it's also a way of picking up colours elsewhere in the room," says Zannier.

Where the art is

"Art and collectable items effortlessly accessorise a room, whether it's a large painting above a fireplace, trinkets on a sideboard or a stack of books on a coffee table,' says Farley.

Kate Bryan, head of collections for Soho House, says in an online video: "My top tip if you're going to create a salon wall is to lay a sheet on the floor and play around with the artworks. Every time you think you've got a great formation, stand on a chair and take a photo on your phone, then hold it up to the wall. Don't experiment on the wall.'

Screen time

There are generally two schools of thought about having a television in the bedroom: the bigger the better or banished altogether.

"The good thing about hiding the television away is that you decide when to see it," says Angell. "It can be disguised in a fold-up table at the end of the bed, or within a two-way mirror that sits in front of the screen so that it's only seen when it's switched on."

Make your space work for you

Spare rooms so often remain unused most of the time. The solution, says Graham Green, who is currently refreshing rooms at Claridges, is to utilise them fully.

"You could turn it into a dressing area - or, if space is tight and your bedroom is also where you work, choose a multipurpose desk with a lift-up top that contains a mirror so it can be used as a dressing table, too."

Ideally, position it by the window to make the most of natural light.

Serve afternoon tea

Afternoon tea at Claridge's, served in the art deco foyer, is a British institution. Stick to the classics: finger sandwiches (crusts off), scones (cream first, then jam), tinkling piano music in the background, and the centrepiece: the tea itself.

Claridge's tea connoisseur, Henrietta Lovell, recommends an Earl Grey from the walled tea garden at Tregothnan, an impressive estate in Cornwall that dates back to the 14th century. Here's how to make it properly.

1 Warm the teapot (ceramic is best) first. Tea infuses best in very hot water.
2 Put a teaspoon of loose-leaf tea (or one teabag) per person into the teapot.
3 As soon as the water has boiled, pour into the teapot (use a fresh batch of water each time).
4 Allow the tea to brew properly: black teas like Ceylon and Assam need two to four minutes; green teas three to five minutes; and white teas like Oolong, five to seven.
5 Serve in fine bone china.