Boutique hotels don't hang ten small prints and call it done. They choose one piece per room that anchors the space — and build everything else around it.

In a living room, this usually goes above the sofa or on the wall you see first when you walk in. In a bedroom, above the headboard. It should be large enough to hold the wall — think 50×70 cm minimum in a medium room, 70×100 cm or canvas for larger spaces — and strong enough in character to define the mood of the entire room.

If you get this one decision right, the rest of the room falls into place around it.

One of the most consistent choices in well-designed hotel interiors is the landscape. And it's not by accident.

A great landscape print does something no other decorating element can: it adds the illusion of depth. It turns a flat wall into a view. It brings the sense of open space into a room that might not have much of it.

It also adds calm — something increasingly hard to find at home, and something every boutique hotel obsesses over.

The key is choosing a landscape with a strong mood rather than just a pretty scene. Soft coastal light for a relaxed, airy feel. A wide, open countryside view for a sense of freedom. A dramatic sky or mountain range for rooms that need more visual weight.

The homes that feel most like boutique hotels aren't cold or minimal. They have warmth. A sense of humour. Something unexpected that makes you look twice.

Animal art is one of the easiest ways to get there — without making your home feel childish or cluttered. A well-chosen animal print adds character and approachability to a space. It's the kind of thing guests notice and comment on. The kind of thing that makes a room feel lived-in and intentional at the same time.

Our Arena Labrador poster hits exactly that note: bold cartoon style, friendly energy, modern execution. Perfect for a kitchen, a reading corner, or anywhere you want the room to smile back at you.

The hallway is the first thing you see when you come home. It sets your mood before you've even taken your coat off. Most people leave it completely bare — a missed opportunity.

Boutique hotels treat every surface as part of the experience, including corridors and entrances. A single striking piece in the hallway — something with contrast and a clear point of view — signals immediately that this is a home with taste.

It doesn't need to be large. A vertical format poster in a bold pop art style can do the job in a narrow hallway. What matters is that it's there, and that it means something.

Bathrooms. Bedrooms. Home offices.

These are the rooms people forget about — and exactly the rooms that boutique hotels get right. A small, unexpected print in the bathroom is one of the most noticed details in any home. A piece above a desk transforms a work corner from functional to inspiring.

You don't need to redo the whole room. One piece, well chosen, in the right spot. That's the boutique hotel formula — applied room by room, at your own pace.

The Hotel Feeling, Room by Room