Inspiration

Heralded in interior design circles, this unassuming redbrick townhouse in Stockholm’s sought-after Lärkstaden neighbourhood has long been a destination spot for a handful of the Neptune team. In fact, our co-founder John even took his wife Emma there for a surprise stay on a certain big birthday.

Discretion is key at Ett Hem (which fittingly means ‘at home’ in Swedish). Entering through a garden gate which could easily be part of a residential property, once over the threshold, you enter into a charming courtyard and from here on in, it’s very much guest-only territory.

Inside, expect soothing, muted colour palettes – it looks rather a lot like our Timber palette in parts – roaring fires and wood-panelled walls to ensure you feel safely cocooned all year long. A delightful mix of antique finds amongst low-profile furniture silhouettes more commonly associated with a contemporary aesthetic mean it’s full of hidden surprises and yet, somehow, everything feels so perfectly harmonious.

The hotel’s owner, Jeanette Mix, searched high and low for the perfect assembly of pieces that would transform this Arts & Crafts home into a place of sophistication, serenity and sanctu-ary. It’s an achievement felt from the entrance hall (with its centre-stage antique Gustavian bu-reau) to all 12 of the individually decorated bedrooms (though it’s probably the parquet floor and rounded marble bathtub suite that you’ll have seen on Instagram most of all).

A stay here is a stay that you’ll take home with you forever – not just in memories but in a mil-lion pictures for you to recreate so that you feel very much ‘ett hem’ within your own walls.

All things heritage and quaint are united at Hotel Peter & Paul’s interiors haven, which opened in late 2018 and has been inspiring home decor from the word go.

Set in a former rectory, school house, convent and church, an appreciation for what was found in times gone by is certainly safeguarded here. Room after room are filled with antique finds and the hotel’s trademark fabric of choice – gingham – wherever you roam, be it gingham curtains framing a window or drapes around its four poster beds in shades such as mustard, forest green and cherry red. Whichever section of the hotel you find yourself in, there’s a strong narrative to be found. In The School House, the palette takes its cue from antique religious paintings, whereas in The Rectory, the colour scheme is defined by the warm peach lime-washed paint and rich hues on the many opulent canopies overhead.

We love it for its strong sense of nostalgia, its success at putting gingham back on the map, and its celebration of old-world design, from its vintage European furniture to rugs hand-woven in India.

From the same hotelier who brings us the newly unveiled The Newt in Somerset, Babylonstoren is cut from the same kitchen garden cloth, with interior design that feels as connect-ed to nature as the menu it serves – as you’d expected with the decor guided by one of its founders, Karen Roos.

Quietly contemporary, this is a lesson in using crisp tones without losing the level of warmth and comfort you seek in your home’s interior. Clean lines are set against hand-hewn accents be it the rough floorboards or mismatched side tables that feel very Cape Dutch in character – a style to take note of if you haven’t already. Amongst the wooden flooring are rooms car-peted in wool and sisal, richly-textured linens, and plenty of horsehair, leather and stone dot-ted about the estate accommodation.

One of the greatest lessons you’ll learn at Babylonstoren however, is the power of room styl-ing with an artful display of accessories that goes to show just how much impact even the most unassuming of objects can have on your interior. Whoever thought rooibos tea would serve as an accent piece and contributor to a room’s colour palette? Delight in the tiniest of details – that’s the key message here.

And finally, to another rooted-in-religion conversion, this time an Augustinian monastery in Belgium’s Antwerp whose exterior and interior design is the work of Vincent Van Duysen Architects.

What we love most about Van Duysen’s interior prowess here is how they’ve made a through-and-through contemporary aesthetic cosy and inviting. Taupe and grey sofas sit side-by-side with those in tan and chocolate leather, playing to the hotel’s general use of desaturated, calm-ing colour. And in the bedrooms, on first glance, they appear minimal and simple, but the consideration in every detail is there when you look closer or ask questions. Take the less-is-more bathrooms for example. They have tiles that are glazed by hand in Italy, taps made be-spoke by Van Duysen himself, and tailor-made Flos lighting.

Should you want to up the ante on your room’s character, and are in search of inspiration in contemporary style and modern neutrals, look to its bar and lounge housed in the old nun’s chapel. In here, you see the beauty of natural light, a monochrome colour scheme, pared-down furniture and period detailing in the room’s architecture come together to present the most fluid cohesion between all that is classic and all that is contemporary.