Boutique Design | boutiquedesign.com

Innovations in sustainable space plans and product choices make boutique hotel rooms easy on the eye and the Earth.

By Mary Scoviak

Hotels’ public spaces still deliver a big design punch. But these days, guest rooms are the real knock-outs, and the green movement can take a lot of the credit. New sustainable materials and customizable products are giving designers the tools they need to make bold statements even in the smallest boutique-sized guest spaces. Living walls, tree trunks repurposed as nightstands, beds cantilevered above starry floors glittering with LEDs—they’re all part of an eco-trend that’s putting the surprise factor back into the guest experience.

Walls and ceilings have been the biggest beneficiaries of green. The same Earth-friendly materials that meet green building codes and regulatory mandates also offer a whole new range of design options. Since many of the compounds are lighter and more malleable, straight lines can be a thing of the past. Cost-effective ecoresins can curve the perimeter of room bays or create a ripple of waves overhead. For an ultra-modern look, designers are extruding those same substances to integrate desks, vanities and benches seamlessly into the walls.

There’s also a move toward more interesting natural textures. Juliet Ashworth, partner/creative director at CHADA (Sydney, Australia), says her firm is using “very raw materials such as raw concrete and recycled timbers” for a new boutique hotel in Beijing. Half a world away, Robert Macaruso, a principal at DiLeonardo (Warwick, R.I.), says he’s working with surfacing materials “in more of a pure state, such as raw wood in millwork and trim.” A handful of boutique resort suites are literally inviting the natural world inside, with “green walls” covered with indigenous vines.

Breakthroughs that lessened product density and introduced eco-responsible adhesives have made in-room design bolder and simpler. “Not only is a typical 12-in.-by-12-in. material now sized to multiple horizontal formats, but clever manufacturers have also been able to reduce thicknesses while still maintaining durability,” says Ken Kulas, principal, Cleo Design (Las Vegas). “These lighter-weight materials look the same but are easier to ship and install.”

That’s pushing design in the bath as much as in the sleeping area. For example, there are new lines of large-format tiles crafted from recycled materials, as well as those that incorporate raw materials and ethically sourced metals. “Larger formats are great for hotel showers, as they reduce grout lines and create a clean look,” says Heather Van Luchene, a partner at HVL Interiors (Santa Fe, N.M.).