Grounded Luxury: The role of rugs in hotel design

Hotels today are not what they used to be. Far from the utilitarian functionality of the 60s and 70s, but having veered from the extravagance of the 90s, hotels today are more akin to home – albeit a luxurious one. Ultimate comfort, flexibility and a sense of familiarity, they seek to enrich the lives of those who use them, are designed to be places that people actually want to hang out in, and are, more and more, about creating a unique experience for the guest. Sustainability, of course, is also key to the modern hotel.

In terms of design, the shift in thinking around what hotels are has been significant. Rather than purely cosmetic, design is now embedded in the entire hotel experience – from how you check in, to the pillows you sleep on – and the approach overall is much more human- centric. While having a unique offering is increasingly becoming a defining feature of hotels, some common up- takes from this more human approach are: giving lobbies greater prominence – offering guest’s opportunities for connection, relaxation or work; restaurants that are no longer ‘hotel restaurants’ but destinations in their own right; incorporating various technology to provide a more streamlined user-experience; and increased services – including wellness areas, places to work, retail shopping.

But while creating the hotel which is at once homely and luxe involves using design thinking at every level and across every aspect, a key player is (still) interior design. And one important aspect is carpet and rugs. Through colour, shape, texture and tactility, carpets and rugs have the power to break up a space and identify zones (making one space grand while another cosy), encourage behaviours and moods (think calming colours or luxurious textures) and– significantly – create a certain atmosphere for the hotel overall. The look and feel of a rug can quite quickly transform a hotel and elicit the kind of experience it seeks to offer.