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10 Beautiful Rooms

la-granja-ibiza-suites-008-04
dark and moody rooms at la granja ibiza

Last week was all about women, this week we’re having a look at some of design hotels of the world. This might give you inspiration for your holidays. Or it might give you inspiration for your home. Either way, a stroll through 10 Beautiful Rooms is never wasted time.

la-granja-ibiza-suites-008-01
dark and moody rooms at la granja ibiza

This is La Granja in Ibiza which is a little different from the rustic whitewashed walls that you might have expected to find on this island but I love that it’s dark and moody and mysterious.

la granja ibiza hotel
a restful sitting room at la granja ibiza

It was created from an old farmhouse and the furnishings were all designed to be perfectly simple so that you focus more on the environment and feel of the place. The design team wanted to harness the Japanese idea of wabi sabi – perfectly imperfect  – so the wood is old and and rustic rather than ultra modern and shiny and you see the craftsmanship in each piece.

lagranjaibiza via we-heart.com
dark and moody rooms at la granja ibiza

Next up we’re moving into the light with a bathroom from the 101 Hotel in Reykjavik where I have actually stayed. The rooms are open plan and well-sized and it was here that I came across the idea of backing the shower with mirror instead of tiles. In the end we didn’t do it but imagine putting antique mirror at the back of the shower. It’s a great space saver if you haven’t got space for a long mirror, it will make a smaller shower room seem larger and it’s not scary because while you’re in there it’s probably steamed up so you don’t have to stare at yourself.  As it is I’m saving it for the next bathroom I do. Although one or two clients may have had that idea suggested to them as well.

hotel 101 reykjavik
hotel 101 reykjavik

Staying with the light and this is a room in the San Giorgio in Mykonos. I have never been here but clearly I need to come. I love this mix of rustic wood and vintage rugs with whitewashed walls and large rattan shades. If you are planning to hang a pendant lamp over a table make sure it’s low enough and large enough for impact. People don’t tend to stand around the table so you can go lower than you think – as long as people can see under them when they are sitting (and they are on a dimmer) that’s perfect.

san giorgio hotel in mykonos
san giorgio hotel in mykonos

 

hotel miss clara sweden
hotel miss clara sweden

Off to Sweden to the hotel Miss Clara and while this may appear typically Scandinavian in its minimal colour scheme, it was actually designed by an Italian who, in addition to this hotel, also owns restaurants and night clubs in the city. He has deliberately kept the decor simple and let the rooms’ features speak for themselves – parquet floors, high ceilings and large windows. I’m all in a favour of a simple, almost monastic, bedroom, it can be incredibly restful.

hotel pulitzer argentina
hotel pulitzer argentina

Right get your coat we’re off to Argentina now to see the Hotel Pulitzer and to lounge on these gorgeous cobalt blue buttonback sofas with their tan cushions. Fabulous colour combination and the black mirrors and white tables just give it a real sharpness. This is a colour scheme to borrow for you own house I reckon.

hotel de nell in Paris
hotel de nell in Paris

Sticking with the blue accents we’re finishing up in Paris at the Hotels Nell and Roch where one is all geometric simplicity and the other throws in some riotous pattern. You may think that everything is green at the moment but I’m telling you – we haven’t finished with dark blue yet.

hotel le roch paris
hotel le roch paris

I hope you like these rooms. Anyone suddenly developed any holiday plans? Or redecoration ideas?

 

 

Kate Watson-Smyth

The author Kate Watson-Smyth

I’m a journalist who writes about interiors mainly for The Financial Times but I have also written regularly for The Independent and The Daily Mail. My house has been in Living Etc, HeartHome and featured in The Wall Street Journal & Corriere della Sera. I also run an interior styling consultancy Mad About Your House. Welcome to my Mad House.

6 Comments

  1. WOW! WOW!! WOW!!!
    La Granja Ibiza has blown me away!
    Absolutely delicious – calming & smooth…like gelato.?
    Thank you, Kate….wow!

  2. I really love the moodiness and wabi sabi textures of la granja and the San Giorgio has been on my holiday wish list for some time now. I always enjoy your blog posts and your writing. Thank you for the entertaining way you offer style variety in madaboutthehouse! X Claire

  3. Love the mykonos room – relaxed, welcoming, warm but fresh. Could not do the mirror in the shower – what if it hadn’t steamed up before you got in?! Day would be ruined!!

  4. I guess it’s a good thing that I don’t travel as much as I used to, as I don’t seem to fit the profile for whom these hotels are designed. The first rooms look lonely, even abandoned to me. The last are on the other end of the spectrum, loud and crowded. I also don’t comprehend the trend embracing an open bathroom within a bedroom, nor do I want to.

    On the other hand, I’ll gladly stay at the San Giorgio. It looks bright and cheery and laid back, with just enough furniture and color, and of course, the ocean.

    1. Completely agree, Ardith! The Argentinian one actually makes me feel queasy: those vile colours and then lots of noise from people yacking on. Someone let me sit quietly in a lovely space: ooh, we even agree about the San Giorgio…

  5. I am obsessed with everything La Granja. I am booking the Guesthouse with my fantasy money. Thanks, Kate, for this weekly dose of eye candy.

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