If you have a deep-seated love of design, one of the best sources to appreciate great design is a luxury hotel. Hotel designers tend to push the envelope with their designs. For those of us who love design, these design-led hotels are havens to which we can’t wait to escape. So, we’ve chosen four of our current favorite design-led luxury hotels from around the world.
Nobis Hotel
When speaking of design, it’s hard to not mention Scandinavian design. Copenhagen is a city that serves as a leader in Scandinavian design and they’ve had a recent influx of design-led hotels cropping up. One such is the Nobis Hotel. Carved out of a landmark building that was home to the Royal Danish Conservatory of Music, this 77-room hotel is a stunning example of the best of Scandinavian design. They also note that they “love contemporary design and architecture, but we also like the classic and the timeless. Aiming for that personal care and sense of quality, we have tried to create an environment where you feel that there is an authentic soul and attention to the smallest detail.”
In addition to a beautiful, comfort-filled luxury stay, you’ll be in the perfect location to enjoy all of Copenhagen as they have a “prime location next to Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen Central Station, City Hall Square and the internationally renowned Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek museum, you can easily enjoy the comfort of being within walking distance to all the delights that the capital has to offer. But you can also stay in and discover the Scandinavian architecture in our historic building from 1903. The interior is designed in co-operation with the Swedish star architect Gert Wingårdh, to create our concept of contemporary five-star luxury – elegant and timeless, superior comfort with first-class service, but also personalized, sharp and updated in every detail.”
Artist Residence
A stay at any one of the five Artist Residence properties guarantees a unique experience from both a hotel as well as a design perspective. Brighton, Bristol, London, and Penzance are all home to these amazing properties, but our current obsession is with Oxfordshire. With a countryside location, this farmhouse in South Leigh includes a pub and a restaurant and is now a stunning boutique hotel. Its original five rooms opened to rave reviews and the additional seven they created in the adjoining cottage and stables are equally as amazing. Building their design on the impressive details of the original structures including brickwork, exposed beams, and dark-oak paneling, the designers – artist duo, the Connor Brothers – added fun pops of color, great textures, and also all the comforts you require.
Your home from home in the Oxfordshire countryside with comfy beds, luxurious Volga bed linen, powerful rainfall showers and eclectic decor. Our Farmhouse Loft rooms all have bathtubs, whilst our Farmhouse Suite features a little more lounging space and a free-standing copper bathtub in the bedroom. For the best in the house, opt for our spacious Barn Suite with a private terrace and a statement log burner.
Proper Hotel
One needn’t travel too far to experience some trend-setting, edgy design, Proper Hotel in San Francisco is a perfect example. This turn-of-the-20th-century Beaux-Arts building has been completely transformed. Its design is a treat for your senses mixing textiles, textures, shapes, and also wallpapers. You can even download the wallpapers for your phone! The design of Proper Hotel is unmistakably Designer Kelly Wearstler.
How does a flatiron landmark shape-shift into an alluring slice of west coast cool? Consider each and every detail to the creative extreme. Layer in a collection of neighborhood outposts for chef-driven dining and one-of-a-kind cocktailing, and moments of respite all the way to the cornice-crowned rooftop lounge. Allow its deep beauty to unfold over the course of a stay. Herald the city’s first luxury lifestyle lodging to open in over a decade—our flagship hotel. Now, that’s Proper.
All this and an amazing rooftop bar that has become a staple in the city (hotel guests, of course, take priority in getting in) with its creative cocktails, sweeping city views, and cozy fire pits helping to take the chill out of the breezy San Francisco air.
The Silo Hotel
The fact that The Silo Hotel is a Royal Portfolio property ensures that it is pure luxury, and the fact that it is one of their more unique properties ensures that it’s a design dream.
The Silo Hotel sets a new standard for luxury Cape Town hotel accommodation. A magical hotel towering above the V&A Waterfront surrounded by the natural wonder of South Africa’s Mother City. The Silo has been built in the grain elevator portion of the historic grain silo complex occupying six floors above Zeitz MOCAA (Museum of Contemporary Art Africa). Zeitz MOCAA houses Africa’s largest collection of contemporary African art.
The Silo Hotel was even on Condé Nast Traveller’s 2017 Hot List.
Our list of our four current favorites is clearly just scratching at the surface of great design-led hotels. Of course, we’ll continue to keep changing our minds about the favorites as long as great design is a part of luxury hotels. So, tell us, which one will you book for your next trip? For more on gorgeous hotels read our story on the world’s most Instagrammable hotels.
