Travel changes you. It opens your eyes and expands your mind to new people, foods, cultures, environments and perspectives. Travel is also greatly connected to architecture and design. Likewise, the hospitality industry has become an inspiration for interior designers who seek to transport clients’ best memories to their lives back at home.
Trying to turn those vacation memories into a beautiful interior solely via souvenirs and stereotypes won’t translate correctly and the story will be lost in translation.
Instead, try to focus on recreating the feelings and atmosphere left from the place you visited. Was it warmth and excitement that had you hooked, the thrill of a romance? You’ll want to go ahead and go a little deep to get the essence of what really made such an impact.
As a designer I am inspired by travel and appreciate well thought out hotels so when I recently discovered the new Haven Riviera Cancun Resort & Spa I thought to myself that this is a truly a “great escape” personified. Not only does indulgence reverberate at this beach-front resort but it’s a sanctuary of tranquility, privacy and relaxation.
As a designer, I pay attention to the details so that I can bring my experiences, tips and ideas back with me and inspire my clients, translate ideas into my next project or share it with readers, like you!
The first thing I noticed was Haven’s architecture. The aesthetic screams modern luxury, characterized by clean lines, airy spaces, a warm palette of earthy materials and subtle colours and elements that reflect the sea and the beach.
Water is a central theme, with decor elements echoing the colours and textures of surf and sand. Brilliant blues and gentle sandy tones deliberately impose their serenity onto guests. Natural wood and stone are a dominant motif found throughout the resort, from the main lobby to the private suites themselves.
If you would like to bring some of this peace into your own home, work with monochromatic tones to create an overall flow throughout your home. Tones of blue are a great colour to match with variety of other colours. Blues are easy to match and add a sense of serenity. Consider a variety of tones and fabric textures and you can begin with accents such as pillows or curtains to see the effects on your mood, then you can move to bigger items.
The hotel lobby is an exercise in modern earthy indulgence, giving natural materials a luxe makeover – glossy lacquered wood and polished marble, reflect the shimmering stars of light from the cascading oversized chandelier hanging high overhead. I was taken aback by the beauty and reminded of the importance of lighting within a space.
Do not overlook lighting in your own space. It genuinely adds to the overall mood of your home. Most hotels have dimmers and a variety of lighting in the room to set the desired mood. Look into placing your switches on dimmers and select warmer lighting (called Tungsten) for the interior of your home.
The suites themselves have a stunning simplicity about them, echoing that same sandy colour palette at every turn. The feature wall and headboard provide an instant focal point while enhancing privacy. Organic-style wall sculptures, channel seashells and sand. The overall minimal style is carried throughout in furnishings featuring streamlined wood frames and natural fabrics – to keep things light and airy.
Introduce a similar theme into your own home with subtle neutral colours, textural fabrics and wicker. When adding larger scale items work with natural or neutral tones and add in a variety of textural elements for visual warmth.
Second only to the beach, Haven’s claim to fame is the almost 16,000-sq.-ft. spa – an absolute oasis. Short of the indulgent services offered here, this space features striking integrated overhead lighting evocative of rays radiating from a tiled blue sun. I’d love to see this artful tile work, perhaps on a smaller space, as a bathtub backsplash or shower enclosure.
No island hotel experience is complete without experiencing holistic spa treatments. The Haven hotel has looked at creating a truly organic Spa experience for guests that features a wide variety of both traditional, and relaxing holistic massages. Coupled with selected herbal treatments and essential oils from different parts of the world, This “Spa Studio” offers a specialist to guide you step by step thru the customized preparation of your own personal treatments.
Sara Bederman is the Principal Designer at Sara Bederman Design. For over a decade this Toronto bespoke design firm has become known for creating stylish, thoughtfully curated and livable interiors. The firm provides residential design services for projects of all sizes.
@sarabstudio
