Have you ever walked into a beautifully designed restaurant, casino, or hotel, and wished you could bring some of that experience into your own home?
From striking lighting and thoughtful acoustic design to durable, premium commercial-grade materials, commercial spaces are designed not just to look impressive but also to be comfortable, functional, and even a little luxurious.
Now, those same ideas are finding their way into residential design. Homeowners are embracing features you normally only see in commercial spaces. Here are just some of the many elements shaping our home designs:
Carefully Considered Lighting
One or a few in-ceiling lights used to be the extent of home lighting design. However, if companies like I-5 Design Build have taught us anything, it’s that you can get creative with lighting in commercial spaces, so you can certainly do the same in residential properties!
Just as restaurants, hotels, and retail spaces use lighting to create intimacy, atmosphere, and interest, homeowners are approaching lighting with the same consideration. We’re using multiple layers of lighting for depth, including accent, task, and ambient lighting.
Boutique Hotel Bedrooms
When you walk into a beautiful boutique hotel bedroom, it’s easy to be impressed by how considered, comfortable, and quietly luxurious it is. Even without personal effects, these special boutique hotels still manage to effortlessly create a serene, tailored retreat.
You can achieve relaxation in your home with a series of simple upgrades like upholstered headboards, generous bedding, and warm timber finishes. Now is also a great opportunity to store away excess decorative accessories and streamline your bedroom with carefully selected artwork.
Sensory Materials
Commercial spaces are no longer just visually appealing; many are also creating sensory experiences for visitors. Visit your local restaurant, hotel, or premium retail environment, and you’ll see textures like grained wood, natural stone, or even textured plaster. These textures help create atmosphere and individuality in an otherwise simple space.
We’re now starting to see these same sensory materials used in home design. Rather than relying on feature wallpaper to achieve a point of difference, we’re adding a focal point with timber features, textured wall finishes, and tactile upholstery.
Flexible, Multi-functional Spaces
Our homes are getting smaller. The average size of single-family homes in the United States is now2,409 square feet, down from 2,724 square feet.
Homes in the UK are also already among the smallest in Europe at 1,035 square feet. The smaller our homes become, the more creative we must be with the space we have. Many property owners are taking a page from hotel owners’ books by developing flexible spaces to accommodate different activities and moods throughout the day.
For example, with no dedicated office, a dining table can double as a workspace. A spare room can also serve as both a guest bedroom and a study. The most successful spaces, be it in a home or a hotel room, aren’t necessarily larger; they’re just well-planned.
While you might have previously drawn inspiration for your home’s design from home and garden magazines, that’s no longer your only option. You may also find design elements that suit your preferences in commercial spaces. Lighting, textural materials, boutique bedrooms, and multi-functional furniture are just some of the many worth exploring.
