World's best hotel: Coastal chic
The best hotels feel instantly inviting and welcoming, the essence of their locations perfectly captured by the style and flair of their interiors.
Halcyon House on Cabarita beach, Australia is one such hotel and has recently won the Mr and Mrs Smith 2016 'Best Smith Hotel' award. Attention to detail, all-round excellence, best in class, uniqueness and beauty are just some of the criteria each hotel is judged on.
Take style cues from this luxe coastal retreat to create your home-away-from-home.
The symmetrical placement of the furnishings in Halcyon House is formal in approach but it's the choice of colour, pattern and materials that relaxes the look, keeping the room true to its seaside location. Rich, deep blues, such as indigo and navy, soft whites and honey-toned timbers are the colour keys to replicating this sophisticated coastal style.
The gallery wall in the hotel's restaurant, Paper Daisy, adds a sense of heritage and history. The vintage portraits were scoured from all over the globe. The pieces from the famous Brimfield Antique Flea Markets in Massachusetts, US.
The 21 rooms are all decorated differently yet all echo the beach vibe keeping to a colour palette of blue and white.
Classic white subway tiles laid in a brick pattern are a beautiful foil to decorative floor tiles. The bathrooms were designed to feel like an extension of the bedrooms. Traditional brass fixtures and fittings were chosen to both reference and withstand the coastal conditions.
