The Ulf Nordfiell-designed garden at Ett Hem. Photo courtesy of Ett Hem.
When you're not trying to style the perfect overhead food shot or capture Champagne at sunset, you're making friends jealous of the gorgeous bedroom interiors from your travels. Bright rooms, bold patterns, and lots of cozy details make these boutique hotels worth traveling to for the Instagram shot. #NoFilterNeeded.
Where: Cabarita Beach, Australia
Design Perks to Love: While the motel-turned-luxury-hotel's original 1960s architecture and chill vibes were preserved, the 21-room hotel got a style update and a fresh coat of white and blue paint. Bright patterns cover everything from the upholstered walls to the pillow cases to the handmade tiles in the bathoom. Carefully curated antique furnishings make each room special. Lounge on striped deck chairs under palm trees by the pool or have a meal at the low-key but equally spiffy Paper Daisy.
Where: Bath, UK
Design Perks to Love: An English country house fantasy outside Bath. The interiors are shabby-chic, with 22 spacious rooms (even the "Snugs" are big) with countless thoughtful amenities, lots of sitting areas with picture-perfect details (comfy club chairs, deep sofas, fireplaces at every turn), and a dining room (the real reason you're here) brimming with potted plants and farmy touches. Outside is their actual farm, the source of most of the produce they serve. Take a stroll to visit the pigs and chickens. The other hotels in The Pig's happy hotels family are similar affairs, with locations throughout England.
Where: New York City
Design Perks to Love: Once an apple orchard, then a seminary student house, the 19th-Century neo-Gothic building is now a 60-room hotel that remains incredibly private and homey in the busy Chelsea neighborhood. Designed by Roman and Williams, rooms are dotted with old-fashioned details (rotary dial phones, fireplace mantels, chandeliers) and large windows face The High Line. The lobby is filled with vintage curiosities purchased from local antique fairs. Walk through the back door to the private garden grounds.
Where: Paris
Design Perks to Love: Every detail in the refurbished Parisian landmark plays homage to the hotel’s equally glitzy and gritty artistic past. Stained glass windows bring light into the dark lobby, a dramatic staircase leads down to the club and the restored 19th-century thermal bathhouse, red lacquer covers the domed ceiling of the restaurant and bar. Within the 39 bright rooms, find elements of its distinguished guests: Joy Division vinyls, Warhol-esque sofas, and works by ten artists in residence.
Where: Austin, Texas
Design Perks to Love: Lived-in Chesterfield couches, chandeliers hanging from trees, and an old Citroën permanently parked on the property. Named after the patron saint of music and poetry, the small hotel (three studios, six poolside bungalow) also has five suites inspired by a pop culture icon. We like the idea of bathing in a private, bamboo-lined outdoor shower in the Patti Smith suite.
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Where: Waiheke Island, New Zealand
Design Perks to Love: A '70s-era VW Kombi van transports guests from the ferry terminal to the sun-filled restaurant and bar where three sleek-yet-cozy rooms sit on the second floor. The spaces are a breath of fresh air with their whitewashed walls, skylights, and strategically placed furniture and paintings. Stay warm with New Zealand merino wool blankets. Appreciate bathrooms stocked with Aesop toiletries.
Where: Los Angeles
Design Perks to Love: Old Hollywood meets the Mediterranean in the 1927 heritage building. Enter through an iron-wrought gate into a private courtyard surrounded by Moorish-influenced Mediterranean Revival architecture details like Juliet balconies and elegant arched windows. When inside, look down for original Malibu-tiled floors; look up for ornately carved ceiling beams.
Where: Brooklyn, New York
Design Perks to Love: With its industrial-chic furnishings (poured concrete floors, exposed red brick walls), floor-to-ceiling windows pointing toward Manhattan, and beautiful floor tiles in the Reynard restaurant, it is not surprising that this 1901 factory building is one of Instagram's original darlings.
Where: Charleston, South Carolina
Design Perks to Love: Eighteen chic rooms spread out in three restored 1804 residences and two carriage houses, connected by a cozy palmetto-shaded courtyard. Original heart pine flooring, millwork details, and wicker furniture bring Southern charm into the rooms and private piazzas.
Where: Melbourne, Australia
Design Perks to Love: If you dream of living in the pages of an interior design magazine, this is your chance. The single bedroom hotel is one of Melbourne's best-kept secrets. The small apartment is furnished with vintage finds, including French linens and industrial lighting, all thoughtfully gathered and styled by interior decorator Lynda Gardener. A strictly black, white, and gray palette gives the place a calming and serene vibe. And to make you feel even more at home, it comes with a handpicked list of Gardener's favorite spots in the neighborhood.
Where: Stockholm, Sweden
Design Perks to Love: The dreamy Scandinavian townhouse has been converted from an elegant home into a twelve-room hotel. London-based designer Isle Crawford has strewn about thoughtful touches like cashmere blankets and potted plants to create a warm and welcoming environment. Old details like original molding and mid-century modern furniture mix with new touches like rain showers and Michael Anastassiades lights. Spend your time curled up with a good book in the Ulf Nordfiell-designed garden or peruse the beautifully appointed kitchen for fresh produce and a glass of wine.
Where: Panama City, Panama
Design Perks to Love: A restoration project that joined Atelier Ace (of Ace Hotels), Commune Design, and Conservatorio, a local development agency, in creating one the most exciting projects to hit Panama's oldest neighborhood. The hotel's design is multi-layered, with touches that span the structure's 340-year-old history: Bertoia side chairs are in the mix with leather and wood sourced from the canal.
Where: Provincetown, Massachusetts
Design Perks to Love: This classic Cape Cod inn is redefining the B&B by mixing modern comforts with old-fashioned beach cottage charm. The cozy, all-white rooms are decorated with nautical accents like wooden oars and shiplap paneling, and come with custom mattresses, walk-in showers, and luxury linens.
Where: Providence, Rhode Island
Design Perks to Love: An artfully arranged and heavily art directed barebones look. Custom furniture, handmade objects from local purveyors, and antique artwork from around the world are thoughtfully positioned and carefully placed throughout the early-20th-century building. There's a clear sense of intention in the hotel's decor, making it a dream space for anyone who appreciates an old school vibe created with modern finds.
Where: Valparaíso, Chile.
Design Perks to Love: The former Victorian mansion has jaw-dropping views of Chile's most famous seaport, but more impressive is that fact that owners Vincent Juillerat and Francisca Joannon are responsible for decorating it. Ornate woodwork and original tile floors are accented with modern elements like patterned wallpaper sourced from Europe and brightly colored velvet furniture. Thoughtful touches like locally-made knit blankets sit at the foot of each bed, and the buildings original color – an incredible salmon-pink – has been lovingly restored.
Where: Sorrento, Italy
Design Perks to Love: Perched on a ridge overlooking the Gulf of Naples, this family-run hotel was built in the 1950s. While retaining its original charm, the space also maintains a wholly modern look and feel. Family furnishings and collections adorn the walls and corners, alongside Vietri pottery, nautically inspired fabrics, and eye-catching blue and white gingham tiles.
Where: Tel Aviv, Israel
Design Perks to Love: The subtly elegant vibe feels like a reprieve from Tel Aviv's bustling and vibrant streets. Created from two former homes built in the 1920s, the exteriors are painted in calming shades of light yellow and powder blue. The use of pastel colors extends to the interiors, with rooms decorated in shades of lilac, beige, and periwinkle. Serene and airy spaces are given more depth with mid-century modern furniture and dark hardwood floors, while intricately patterned tile lines the bathroom floors, a detail inspired by the work of local artisans.
We make every effort to ensure the information in our articles is accurate at the time of publication. But the world moves fast, and even we double-check important details before hitting the road.
