My favorite thing about going to a hotel, other than the breakfast buffet, is when the beds are really good. A great hotel bed has a super-thick mattress, a load of pillows, a throw over the top, and looks cohesively curated and sharply made.
I've been desperate to create that sense in my own home, to take the manageable elements of a hotel bedroom and transplant them into my own space, so that getting into bed feels like the luxe treat I deserve every night.
Now, I'm never going to be the sort who makes my bed with the precision of a hotel room service team. But I knew there were decorative elements I could borrow that would make my bedroom feel like a luxury hotel. I wanted that same sense of opulence, and to create that same feel of having something super-plush to sink into, all without having to upgrade my mattress.
And so, let me introduce you to the simple concept of introducing throw pillows that match your valance, and also match different colors within the room. It's an easy trick that I have brought into my home to make my bedroom feel more luxurious.
When I chose my Wisteria bed from Button and Sprung for my own bedroom, I liked it because you could have it upholstered in any fabric you wanted. I wanted it upholstered in this oversized floral print Melbury Red fabric from Colefax and Fowler. I knew this would strike the right note – the warm tones, the organic pattern, a gently restful yet uplifting design choice.
And then I figured, why not throw in some oversized throw pillows too? The sort that you might think impractical and take up too much of the bed, but are so sumptuous to sink into, so inviting to look at, and so regal to read while propped up against them.
It's what a hotel would do, and yes, these massive pillows have now made my nighttime routine feel quite a lot more like checking into a boutique hotel.
Reupholstering your bed and having some extra pillows made in the same fabric is pretty, well, extra, I'll admit. But there is some theory behind this approach. Smart hotel rooms always feel curated, they are put together in one go by a trained eye, and as well as plenty of extra pillows, there is a visual through line, usually a color that appears in several different places.
Designer Enass Mahmoud of Studio Enass created this beautiful, luxurious bedroom pictured above – a clever composition where instead of matching the bed frame to the pillows, she matched it to the wood trim. 'Restful rooms need to not have too many different colors in them,' she explains. 'You can still play with bright shades, but limit the number of them so as to still seem calming.'
Her simple approach shows how elevated it is to complement colors, how you can do this with a throw and matching pillows if you don't plan to redecorate. It's all about reducing visual noise, increasing a sense of cohesion, and creating a bedroom you never want to leave.
Introducing a pattern that you can pull colors from elsewhere is an easy place to start when making your bedroom feel more luxe. A mid-scale toile like this will add a hit of pattern without feeling too bold.
These throw pillows are the perfect, slightly oversized size, and that lovely warm gray will be a very easy color to pick up in your valance, too, or add in elsewhere in the room with drapes.
And this look isn't all about the muted hues and patterns. You can create a cohesive scheme with bolder colors, in fact the cohesiveness will tones down the boldness so you get a colorful bedroom that still feels luxe.
Creating a feeling of cohesion in your bedroom is always going to give it a more luxe feel. Think of all the nicest hotels you have stayed in, and I bet you'll find there was a clear color thread throughout. I found that bedding has been the easiest way to recreate this luxurious look in the easiest way. Simply matching my throw pillows to the fabric of my bed (and then tying these colors in elsewhere in the room) has given the space a very boutique hotel-esque look.