Inspiring hotel design ideas to steal for your own project

From home-from-home retreats to cutting-edge architecture, these hotel design ideas to steal cover work from the world’s leading architects, designers and artists.

There’s Martin Brudnizki’s eclectic Le Grand Mazarin in Paris, Virginia Nieto’s chic Hotel Cesar in Lanzarote, and the Swedish marvel that is the Arctic Bath.

Whether it’s taking inspiration from the innovative use of natural materials, eco-friendly techniques or immersive atmospheres, these hotels will help transform your home interiors into something extraordinary.

Le Grand Mazarin, Paris, France

Set in a striking 14th-century building on the corner of Paris’ Rue des Archives and Rue de la Verrerie, Martin Brudnizki’s gloriously eclectic Le Grand Mazarin is billed as “combining the French classicism of 18th-century salons with a refined, joyously poetic fantasy.”

And that it does. Think colour, from deep jades and seafoam green silks to rich ochre and mustard. There’s warm, coral-hued tiles in the bathrooms and salmon-pink wardrobes.

Count the quirky hotel design ideas to add whimsy and texture, like tapestries canopied above beds, seashells embedded in wallpaper and oversized custom-designed rugs and lobster print wallpaper.

Le Grand Mazarin’s pièce de résistance has to be its profound relationship with artists. From Jacques Merle’s spectacular hand-painted fresco of flowers and trees above the swimming pool (pictured above) to Sophia Pega, who has created 12 celestial windows inspired by tarot cards in the winter garden.

There is a finger-on-the-pulse dedication to artisans working with traditional methods and hundreds of pieces of art throughout the hotel carefully chosen by Amélie du Chalard.

The hotel also has an ‘Artist in Residence’ takeover programme, to showcase Paris’ upcoming art scene. Look out for Martin Montagut, Leona Rose and Helena Soubeyrand.

Heckfield Place, Hampshire, UK

Sitting within 438 acres of rolling Hampshire countryside Grade-II listed Georgian Heckfield Place is a masterclass in sympathetic 18th-century restoration, that brings its interiors into the 21st century, while retaining every inch of its original character and charm.

The man behind these interiors is British designer Ben Thompson, who formerly worked for Isle Crawford’s Studioisle.

With a brief of making the guests feel right at home, Ben has executed a perfect mix of vintage, mid-century and antique furniture with an earthy colour palette.

With 45 rooms including six (pretty epic) suites, a connection to nature was an important factor in the design. The rooms overlook the sweeping grounds (some have lake views), and the impressive Long Room with its vaulted ceilings and exposed beams has a huge private plant-filled terrace.

The Moon Bar is one of the best hotel design ideas to steal, with its highly polished brass and disco ball. The Hearth Restaurant occupies a brick barn with high-vaulted beams. Marle is the main restaurant and breakfast room, with pale green marble and hanging greenery. Don’t miss the luxe leather-seated cinema, the Bothy by Wildsmith Spa and the on-site biodynamic market garden and organic farm.

Fogo Island Inn, Newfoundland, Canada

Founded by eighth-generation Fogo islanders Zita and her brothers Alan and Anthony Cobb, Fogo Island Inn is a feat of architecture.

Designed by Saunders Architecture it juts out on Corten-steel stilts above Newfoundland’s Back Western Shore.

From a bird’s-eye view, the building is a long elongated X shape, predominantly made of wood, and it houses 29 guest rooms.

Arch Daily describes how “the two-storey west to east volume contains public spaces while the four-storey south-west to north-east volume contains the remaining public spaces and all the guest rooms, and is parallel to the coast.”

A play with scale and space is evident at Fogo Island Inn. From a double-vaulted lobby as you walk in, to views in every direction highlighting the drama of the ocean, and the shifting light through the day on the surrounding landscapes.

The Labrador rooms on the first floor are soothingly almost level with the ocean.

Most of Fogo Island Inn’s furniture is made by artists in the area, from local wood-making studios to colourful hand-braided rugs.

There’s a sauna and spa on the top floor, and a dining room where dishes are local, fresh and seasonal. You might catch a glimpse of a passing whale or iceberg out of the window.

Ett Hem, Stockholm, Sweden

Ett Hem, which translates as “at home”, is made up of three 20th-century Swedish townhouses, which have 22 rooms and three long-stay apartments (ranging from two weeks to six months).

Bought by Jeanette Mix and transformed by Studioisle, every inch of the place has a dedication to a high level of craftsmanship, from the exquisite oak parquet-floored gym to the handblown water glasses by Ingegerd Råman and hand-painted murals by Filip Månsson.

With muted hues. Ett Hem is a masterclass in quiet luxury, even the staff wear Totême. Texture and feel are intrinsic here, think heavy-pressed linen hand-towels and earthenware plates by English ceramicist Dylan Bowers.

Relaxed communal living is encouraged, from pasta-making in the kitchen to serving yourself a cocktail from the bar. The outdoor space is a great example of hotel design ideas to steal at home with its cosy outdoor living room vibe.

Hotel Corazón, Mallorca, Spain

In the magical west of Mallorca between the villages of Deià and Sóller, surrounded by the rugged beauty of the Tramuntana mountains and the lapping shores of the Mediterranean, Hotel Corazón is set in an atmospheric 18th-century historic finca featuring two suites and 13 superior and double rooms

Owned and run by the brilliant Kate Bellm and Edgar Lopez, Hotel Corazón beats to its own drum where creativity and wild luxury triumph.

Run by artists, Corazón is filled with original artworks, which are added to through its Artist in Residence programme.

Innovative sculptor Yasmin Bawa created the striking reception desk from hempcrete during her residency.

At Hotel Corazón, a connection to nature is deeply rooted. Gardens flourish with jacaranda and palms and pine, citrus, cypress, fig trees scent the air. Interiors blur seamlessly with the outdoors, and are full of soft, curved edges and draped linens, inviting you to relax.

Hues are soft, taking influence from the 70s, with baby pinks, sage and ochre.

Texture is brought into the interiors with local stone. Outdoors, an abundant on-site farm has a bounty of 50 beds filled with fruit, vegetables and herbs, which are served from farm-to-(50-seat) outdoor-table, in Head Chef Eliza Parchanska’s delicious seasonal dishes.

Hotel Log, Onomichi, Japan

Hotel Log, which stands for Lantern Onomichi Garden (so called as it “emits a soft light like from that of a lantern in the evening”), is located in the southeastern Hiroshima Prefecture, overlooking the Seto Inland Sea. Designed by architect Bijoy Jain, founder of Studio Mumbai, and his first project outside of India.

The bijoux hotel comprises of just six-rooms which are centred around the phrase “be gentle.”

The “floors, walls, and ceilings are gently wrapped cocoon-like in stretched Japanese paper.” And the light diffuses softly into the room from the windows.

The green shade in the library was specifically chosen by the talented colour artist Muirne Kate Dineen who uses the “concept of  ‘building colour’ as a physical object.”

Arctic Bath, Harads, Swedish Lapland

Looking a little like something from a Game of Thrones set, the Arctic Bath in Harads, Sweden, just south of the Arctic Circle is a feat of floating architecture.

While striking in design, blends seamlessly into the nature that surrounds it. Inspired by Sweden’s iconic Treehouse Hotel, the same team has worked their magic again at Arctic Bath.

The main building floats on the tranquil River Lule. Its design was inspired by log jams that used to happen when the river was used as a transportation route for timber.

In the bird’s-nest-esque main building guests will find a cosy bar/lounge the restaurant and an epic spa.

Flanking the main building are six floating cabins with slanted silhouettes and decks for sunbathing, stargazing, or spotting the northern lights.

There are also six land-based cabins with floor-to-ceiling windows looking over the forest and river.

Designer Annkathrin Lundqvist opted for muted tones in the cabins and an emphasis on natural materials for a calming feel.

Think pale pine wood and Baltic limestone on the floors.

The eco-friendly cabins have sedum green roofs, which means come springtime, they bloom with wildflowers and are a brilliant hotel design ideas to recreate at home.

Hotel Cesar, Lanzarote, Spain

Shrugging off its former reputation for hen and stag dos, Lanzarote is now rightly, being lauded for its spectacular beauty, and with a slew of hot new openings, it’s hitting the hotlists for one of the best travel destinations for 2025.

Cue, Hotel Cesar built on the slopes of Los Volcanoes Natural Park and La Geria, an area known for its lunar-like landscapes.

The building itself was a former school, and has twenty chic rooms, each with volcano or ocean views, and many with private terraces.

Biophilic design and an abundance of plants are key themes at Hotel Cesar, as is texture, like the smooth, polished cement bathrooms.

As with the other hotels in the Numa portfolio (the equally lovely Amagatay and Morvedra Nou in Mallorca), the interiors are by the talented Virginia Nieto.

Hotel Cesar is full of hotel design ideas to steal. Think a soothing palette of greens (the exact shades seen in local fishermen’s boats) and white, and natural details like volcanic lava walls, and plenty of stone, wood and linen.

Cesar’s glorious heated outdoor pool fits perfectly into its natural surroundings with its organic lake-like shape.

Surrounding it are semi-circular nooks built from lava rock to sunbathe in.

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