I recreated the boutique hotel look in my bedroom – without copying it
I borrowed these design tricks to transform my space
Interior designer Natalie Jahangiry is one of Ideal Home's new Open House contributors, sharing her thoughts on decorating a home to suit a busy family life while sticking to your aesthetic values, too. See the rest of her articles here.
What inspires you? In a digital era where we're almost overwhelmed with ideas online, I often find the best inspiration in everyday life. So when I first came across Margate House, a beautiful boutique stay on the Kent coast, I knew I had to visit.
And if you read my previous article, you'll know I did exactly that. I left feeling hugely inspired. As I wrote at the time: 'In my eyes, design is something deeply personal, and no matter how beautiful the inspiration, it's difficult to see yourself reflected through someone else's vision. That was until now.'
After visiting Margate House, I came home bursting with ideas for our bedroom… however, my aim is never to copy the look exactly. I'm a firm believer that copying leaves little room for personality.
Instead, I wanted to take small nods to the design, colour palette and styling techniques and reinterpret them in a way that reflected Tom and I as a couple. So out came the paint brushes, and into decorating mode I dove.
Space planning
When we design rooms for our Design and Refine clients, we almost always start with space planning, so that's exactly where I began here. First things first (and this may be a little controversial), I moved the bed from the centre of the chimney breast so it's now sitting beneath the window… eeek, I know!
I can already hear the "you'll catch a head chill in winter" comments, but the new layout made the room feel so much more spacious and functional. I also reminded myself of something important… it's my house, and I get to break the rules if I want to. Besides, American interior design shows seem to feature a bed beneath a window a lot, so it can't be all bad!
Sometimes good space planning is about challenging those traditional room layout rules and finding what works best for the space you actually have. And after all, if we don’t like it we can move it back, but so far so good.
Colour palette, panelling and paint techniques
COAT's collaboration with Margate House meant I could bring a little piece of the hotel home with me. As I always tell clients, colour looks completely different depending on the natural light in a room, so I tested samples in various areas of our north-facing bedroom before settling on Love Lane, a dusky pink with a real depth and warmth to it.
Now onto how to use that colour in our room. Margate House itself uses several clever paint techniques throughout the property, including colour capping, painting the woodwork darker and colour drenching.
Colour drenching has always been one of my favourite decorating tricks (it also makes it a lot easier to do when you are painting the room yourself!), and after seeing the living spaces in Margate House wrapped in Love Lane from head to toe it convinced me I wanted that same cocooning feel in our bedroom. So that’s what I went for. Yes… ceilings as well, back breaking work, but worth it.
When it came to panelling, the hotel features more traditional heritage style box panelling, but I opted for a slightly more modern slatted panelling style instead. While I love classic panelling, slats feel more in keeping with our home's overall look and feel.
Natural textures, handmade furniture and mixed woods
One of the things that struck me most at Margate House was the layering of texture and tone. Warm woods sit alongside brass, wool, linen and marble, creating spaces that feel like a home with pieces that have been collected over time, rather than a curated hotel space.
Every room is full of handmade details, unique furniture and thoughtful contrasts, so I wanted to bring that same sense of character into our bedroom. To help achieve that, I turned to Swoon, one of my favourite furniture brands.
I've been a fan of Swoon for as long as I can remember having my own space to decorate. In fact, I even had some of their pieces during my full-blown 'Millennial Grey' phase, and I'm pleased to say they've more than stood the test of time. What I've always loved about the brand is its approach to craftsmanship.
Rather than mass producing furniture, Swoon works closely with family run factories to create pieces in small batches, with some designs made in runs of as few as four. That focus on quality over quantity, detail and considered design felt perfectly aligned with the ethos of Margate House, making it an easy choice when selecting furniture for our bedroom concept.
First up was a bobbin mirror… of course! I chose the Walton Mirror, an elongated arched floor mirror that echoes other arches we have throughout the house and complements the tone of our existing bed. To introduce contrast in the woods, I added a walnut chest of drawers, with the Newham drawers providing the perfect balance against the lighter wood tones.
Every bedroom deserves a chair (and not just one to throw clothes onto), so I added the Braga Chair, featuring beautiful handwoven Danish cord as another nod to the handcrafted details throughout the hotel itself. I finished the scheme with the Marbella Table Lamp, which subtly references the marble accents I loved at Margate House.
I also found a bobbin style mirror for my dressing table on Vinted and painted it red to match the wardrobes, proving you don't always need to buy new to create a bespoke look.
Adding personality through art
Artwork plays a huge role throughout the boutique hotel, with quirky pieces adding personality to every room. Rather than directly copying the style, I looked to Margate itself for inspiration. It's such a creative, colourful place that finding artwork I loved wasn't difficult.
One shop in particular stood out: Margo in Margate, an Irish artist renowned for her relentless creativity and vibrant artworks, creating a series of original pieces based on vintage charm and vivid colors inspired by her youth culture.
I chose a piece that tied beautifully into the room's palette, and it's now proudly taking centre stage in the middle of the chimney breast wall.
Layering pattern underfoot
A vintage rug in the hotel's private dining space was the first flooring piece that caught my eye. Coming from a half-Iranian household, rugs have always played an important role in our home and heritage, so I wanted something that captured that timeless Persian carpet feel while still being practical enough for everyday life.
I found exactly that with Ruggable's Adeline Antique Red Rug, which combines a beautiful patterned design, with a washable, kid (and cat) friendly finish.
At the same time, we updated the main carpet throughout our hallway and continued it into our bedroom. We chose Tapi's Firefly Herringbone Carpet in Beige Chevron, which works brilliantly for our busy household with two children and two cats. Would I love a luxurious pure wool carpet? Absolutely, but for me, durability matters so much.
Modern polypropylene carpets have come a long way and offer the softness and appearance of wool, while being far easier to clean and maintain.. a must for family life and all the spillages that has to offer.
Layering for a boutique hotel feel
The luxurious curtains throughout Margate House were another detail I couldn't stop thinking about. I've become a big fan of layered window treatments and wanted to bring that same hotel inspired feel into our bedroom. I chose pink velvet curtains as the main feature, and they complement the wall colour beautifully.
To help with the practical challenge of having the bed beneath the window, I layered these with a sheer cotton voile from H&M behind. Paired with our shutters, the overall effect feels soft, elegant and wonderfully luxurious, while still being incredibly practical.
Giving built-ins a bespoke feel
One of the things we loved when we moved into our home was the wall of built-in IKEA wardrobes in our bedroom. And you may have spotted from a previous article I wrote, I love an IKEA upcycle.
Originally blue, I'd previously painted them the same colour as the walls, but this time I wanted to give them a more considered makeover. Following a recommendation from Laura at @houseprojectuk, I added beaded moulding trim to the middle section of the doors, before painting them in COAT's Wilderness Hill in an eggshell finish for durability.
To finish the look, I added the new range of Scroll handles in Dark Brushed Brass from Hendel & Hendel, which instantly elevated the overall look. I absolutely love the finished design and it’s a great way to make IKEA feel custom!
The pieces that tell our story
While we were in Margate I picked up several vintage finds, including a beautiful hand-stitched throw and a few prints that helped bring the room together.
Those collected pieces are what make a space feel personal. Margate House is full of unique little trinkets and characterful details, so I followed the same approach at home by gathering meaningful items from around our house.
Books, travel finds, family memorabilia and handmade artwork from the girls all found a place somewhere in the room. They're the pieces that tell our story, and for me, that's what makes a bedroom feel truly special. Oh and don’t forget plants (we love a plant).
Making it your own
Of course, I could have bought the same artwork, made a wavy headboard, copied styling and recreated the boutique hotel look. But that's never really the point. The beauty of inspiration is taking elements you love and adapting them to suit your space, lifestyle and personality.
For me, Margate House provided the perfect starting point, but the finished room still feels unmistakably ours and is in keeping with the rest of our house. It doesn’t feel like a Pinterest post, it feels like a lived in and loved space to relax and enjoy.
So take inspiration wherever you find it, but don't forget to make it your own. That's what transforms a beautiful room into a home.
