We've all come home from a lovely hotel with a few miniature toiletries tucked into our suitcase, but how many times have you wished you could bring that five-star sleep home with you, too?
You know the feeling. You've spent a couple of nights in a beautiful boutique hotel, slept better than you have in months and suddenly your own bedroom doesn't seem quite as inviting. Perhaps it was the enormous wooden bed, the lovely crisp sheets or simply having somewhere comfortable to retreat to at the end of the day. Whatever it was, you'd quite happily have stayed another night.
The good news is that you can bring some of that hotel experience home. In fact, The Wooden Bed Company makes beds for boutique hotels as well as bedrooms across the UK, so there's no reason you can't enjoy the same quality of bed long after your holiday has ended.
And while a beautiful bed is a good place to start, there are plenty of other ways to recreate that boutique hotel feeling. From the bedding you choose to the lighting beside your bed, a few thoughtful changes can make your bedroom somewhere you genuinely look forward to spending time.
Bring That Boutique Hotel Bed Home
Think back to the last hotel bedroom you really loved. Chances are, the bed was one of the first things you noticed. Boutique hotels put a lot of thought into their beds because they know how important a comfortable night's sleep is to the overall experience. A good bed needs to look the part, but it also needs to feel substantial, support a comfortable mattress and stand up to years of use.
That's something we understand at The Wooden Bed Company. Our hotel beds are handcrafted in Yorkshire from solid European oak and Scandinavian pine, bringing the same quality of construction used in boutique accommodation into your own home.
And you don't need an enormous bedroom to enjoy one!
A beautifully made double bed can look every bit as appealing as a super king, particularly when you choose a design that suits the proportions of your room. A wooden headboard adds a little more presence, while a simpler frame can be a lovely choice if you prefer a contemporary hotel look. The important thing is finding a bed you love coming home to, rather than trying to recreate every detail of a particular hotel room.
Make Your Bed Feel Like the One You Slept in on Holiday
There's a reason hotel beds always look so tempting when you first walk into the room. The bedding is fresh, the pillows are plumped and everything looks wonderfully comfortable before you've even climbed in.
Recreating that feeling at home is often easier than you might expect, although it helps to pay attention to what's underneath the bedding as well as how it looks.
A good-quality mattress is essential. If yours has seen better days, buying expensive sheets and pillows won't necessarily make it any more comfortable. Choose a mattress that provides the support you need and works with your bed frame, then build your bedding around it.
Hotels often use crisp white cotton, but you don't have to follow their lead exactly. Soft ivory, warm cream and even muted colours can look just as lovely, particularly against a solid wooden headboard.
A few little touches can make your bed feel more luxurious:
Choose Bedding You Enjoy Sleeping In: Good-quality cotton or linen is a lovely place to start. Look for fabrics that feel comfortable against your skin rather than buying purely on appearance.
Give Your Duvet Some Volume: A generously filled duvet creates that inviting hotel-bed appearance, but choose a tog rating that suits your bedroom temperature.
Get Your Pillows Right: Hotels often pile on the pillows, although you don't need six of them to sleep comfortably. Start with supportive pillows you actually like, then add a couple of decorative cushions if you wish.
Add a Throw at the Foot of the Bed: A wool or cotton throw introduces another texture and gives you something to reach for on cooler evenings.
One final detail worth borrowing from hotels is the habit of making the bed properly each morning. It only takes a couple of minutes, but coming back to a beautifully made bed at the end of the day is a pleasure in itself.
Give Your Bedroom That Boutique Hotel Look
Part of the appeal of a boutique hotel is that the bedroom often feels a little more special than somewhere you'd normally sleep. Perhaps the walls are a colour you'd never have considered, the furniture is beautifully made or the whole room has a sense of personality that's missing from more conventional hotel chains.
The nicest boutique hotel bedrooms tend to have a clear style without looking as though everything was bought together.
A solid wooden bed is a good starting point because it gives you plenty of freedom with the rest of the room. Natural oak works beautifully with deep greens, warm neutrals and traditional wall panelling, while darker wood finishes can look particularly striking against lighter walls and luxurious fabrics.
If you love the atmosphere of a traditional country-house hotel, consider a bed with a substantial wooden headboard, soft patterned curtains and a pair of characterful bedside lamps. For a more contemporary boutique look, you might prefer a simpler frame, crisp bedding and a richer wall colour.
Our beds with headboards are a lovely option if you want to give the sleeping area a little more presence, while our oak bed frames offer plenty of inspiration for bedrooms where the beauty of the timber is part of the design.
You don't need to replace every piece of furniture, either. An older chest of drawers, a favourite piece of artwork or a vintage bedside table can sit happily alongside a new wooden bed. In fact, those personal touches are often what make a bedroom feel more like a boutique hotel than a standard chain.
Get the Lighting Right (Hotels Are Particularly Good at This)
Have you ever noticed how flattering the lighting is in a lovely hotel bedroom? Even when the room itself is fairly simple, the right lighting makes everything feel that little bit more luxurious.
The secret is usually having several different sources of light rather than relying on one bright ceiling fitting. Hotels are particularly good at creating a softer atmosphere in the evening, while still giving you enough light to read in bed or find your way around the room.
A pair of bedside lamps is an easy place to start. They don't have to match perfectly, although choosing similar heights and shades can help the room feel balanced. Wall-mounted reading lights are another lovely option, especially if your bedside tables are on the smaller side.
Try warm-white bulbs for a softer glow, and consider a dimmer switch if you want to adjust the lighting throughout the evening. Even something as simple as moving a lamp away from the ceiling light's shadow can make a bedroom feel more comfortable.
A Few Little Luxuries Worth Bringing Home
Sometimes it's the smallest details that make a hotel stay memorable. The lovely scent when you walk into the room, the soft rug beside the bed or the fact that there's actually somewhere convenient to put your book and a glass of water.
You don't need to recreate every hotel extra, but a few thoughtful touches can make your bedroom feel more indulgent!
A Soft Rug Beside the Bed: Particularly lovely if you have wooden flooring and don't fancy stepping onto a cold floor first thing in the morning.
Proper Bedside Tables: Enough room for a lamp, your book and the everyday things you want within reach.
Curtains That Really Block the Light: Blackout-lined curtains can make a noticeable difference if early morning sunlight tends to wake you.
A Favourite Fragrance: A subtle reed diffuser or linen spray can give your bedroom its own familiar scent.
A Little Less Clutter: You don't have to achieve hotel-level tidiness, but keeping everyday clutter out of sight can help the room feel more restful.
(And if you did bring home those miniature toiletries, there's no reason they can't have a place on your dressing table)
Find Your Favourite Boutique Hotel Style
One of the nicest things about boutique hotels is that no two bedrooms have to look alike. Some are full of period details and rich colours, while others feel beautifully simple, with pale wood, linen and views of the countryside.
If you're looking for inspiration, here are three different ways to bring that holiday feeling into your bedroom.
The Country-House Escape
Picture deep green walls, patterned curtains, warm bedside lamps and a substantial wooden bed dressed in crisp cotton sheets. Add a vintage chest of drawers, a framed landscape or two and a soft wool throw for somewhere that feels wonderfully comfortable on a rainy Sunday morning.
A natural or medium-finished oak bed would be a lovely choice here, especially if you want the grain of the timber to complement traditional furniture and period features.
The Contemporary City Boutique
For something a little more sophisticated, try warm taupe or charcoal walls, a simple wooden bed frame and beautifully layered neutral bedding. Keep the furniture fairly understated, then introduce personality through artwork, sculptural lamps and a few carefully chosen accessories.
A walnut-finish wooden bed or black wooden bed can work particularly well in this setting, adding contrast without needing lots of additional decoration.
The Relaxed Coastal Retreat
If your favourite holidays involve sea views, slow mornings and breakfast with the windows open, borrow some of that atmosphere for your bedroom.
Choose soft whites, sandy neutrals and muted blues, with linen bedding, woven textures and simple furniture. A light wooden bed keeps the room feeling fresh, while natural oak or pine adds a little warmth.
You can introduce coastal influences through artwork and textiles without filling the room with seaside decorations. Sometimes a lovely striped cushion and a relaxed linen throw are all you need.
Bring That Five-Star Sleep Home With The Wooden Bed Company
You might not be able to bring home the sea view, the room service or the luxury breakfast, but there's no reason you can't enjoy the same quality of bed you loved on holiday.
At The Wooden Bed Company, we handcraft solid wooden beds for boutique hotels and homes across the UK. Made to order in our Yorkshire workshop from European oak and Scandinavian pine, our beds are built with the same attention to quality whether they're destined for a hotel bedroom or your own.
So, if your last hotel stay has left you dreaming of a more comfortable, beautifully furnished bedroom, take a look at our hotel beds. After all, the best part of a holiday shouldn't have to end when you unpack your suitcase.
