Bringing breezy Miami style to a tired seaside hotel room
This week’s challenge was to transform a shabby hotel room in Bournemouth. I had two days and a budget of £1,500 to create a peaceful haven by the sea.
One of the biggest challenges we all faced as designers was that we had to ensure all the materials we used met hotel safety regulations. These were many and complex, but the most important was that all materials had to be fire retardant. It wasn’t easy, especially given our tiny budget and tight timeframe, but I was keen for it to not impede the design and style.
Head Judge Michelle Ogundehin said "Nicki does like to play with form and shape and layering and raw details are her signature style".
THE FINISHED ROOM
(Scroll down to see before)
WHAT HAPPENED
I have long wanted to create the perfect hotel room. Our brief was to create a design in our ‘signature style’ – always an exciting opportunity. This week’s plot twist was a big one. It was only after we’d finished our designs that we were told the hotel was a themed hotel, aimed at chocolate lovers, hence all the brown! My team Ju, Trish and I were given a white chocolate theme. We put our heads together as to how we could adapt our already designed individual rooms to the new and very different brief and plan and buy everything we needed in less than a week.
THE BRIEF
We were told: “The hotel has not been decorated in ten years. It is crying out for a facelift. The owners want updated and modernised rooms that are individual and unique. They expect to see a sense of the designer’s signature style in the finished design. The quality of the wall behind the papered surfaces cannot be guaranteed.”
The hoteliers expect rooms that:
Show the designers unique 'signature style'.
Rooms must include clothes storage for short stay,
a bedroom chair,
an area for tea and coffee making facilities.
Incorporate the existing carpet and recessed ceiling lights
Include a new, bespoke headboard design.
We had £1500 and just over a week to research, design, source, purchase and receive out items ready for the transformation.
We could reuse the divan beds, however – the budget had to cover everything from paint, to wall coverings, fire retardant fabrics or FR treatments including everything required to make the bespoke headboard – through to curtains and building materials. Window dressing fixture and fittings, bed linen, soft furnishings, accessories and artwork were all also included in the budget. Finally the budget also had to cover shipping and packaging – which often came out very high due to the speed in which we needed to receive the items.
Decorators and trade times where shared between each team.
MY ROOM
The change to the brief involved a rethink of my original plans. However, the new pale theme allowed me to show a very different side to my design repertoire. This room was all about light, space, and Miami-inspired ice-cream colours. The result? I banished the boring brown and introduced the fun, vibrancy and colour of a stick of seaside rock.
Signature style
My style is modern contemporary, with a leaning towards graphic shapes – so it was key that my choice of materials in incorporating the white chocolate theme also stayed true to my style.
I had a T-bar light which was adapted in length and wired so each guest could control their side via two brass toggle switches next to the beds.
INSPIRATION
I used grids and rounded shapes, plus a fresh and vibrant pastel beachy colour palette and small touches of botanical styling – inspired by art deco Miami vibe.
GET THE LOOK
White matt mosaic round tiles Click here
Angled brass trim Click here
T-Bar Brass Pendant Light, Spark and Bell Click here
Brass tube 19mm Click here
Round mirrors, Zara Click here
Cushions, H&M Click here
Duvet cover, Find similar here
Wallpaper, Rachel Powell, Tyler Grid wallpaper, Click here
Side table, Habitat, Bumble Click here
Faux monstera stem, Hello Flora, get the look