Home for the Night

When homeowners give designers a brief to create a hotel-like interior, it’s usually understood to mean a pared-back aesthetic, a palette of neutrals and a tempered sense of adventure. But a quick look at the standout hotels that opened this year (or are slated to welcome guests soon) will reveal that only a few adhere to this appealing yet somewhat predictable design formula.

In fact, one can say that having a formula is antithetical to what a design-driven hotel truly stands for. What unites these properties is their common vision of creating moments and emotional connections through design—and we’re not merely referring to vignettes begging to be documented on social media.

While hospitality design has adopted a residential quality over the years—hotels are, in essence, aiming to be your home away from home—these new properties have eschewed an approachable design language in favour of a bolder, more impactful direction. From striking architectural