Luxury hotel designer Tatiana Sheveleva, who has worked with brands such as The Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis, has revealed the key feature in every room that guests might miss, but it can make a huge difference.
About Tatiana Sheveleva
Tatiana Sheveleva, originally from Kazakhstan but now based in Toronto, Canada, has been a luxury hospitality designer for 15 years, covering hotels, resorts and yachts. She runs her company, Chapi Design. During her career, she has worked on incredible projects with major brands, including St. Regis Hotels, The Ritz-Carlton, and The Luxury Collection.
These projects have taken Tatiana all over the world, designing interiors for hotels and resorts in Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Peru, Antigua, Orlando, Nashville, and Toronto. She even designed a luxury yacht for the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, Luminara, which boasts 226 suites with private terraces, five restaurants, seven bars, and a wine vault.
The Most Expensive Piece: The Headboard
With a wealth of expertise in luxury interior designs, Tatiana revealed that one key element in every hotel room is regularly missed by guests. She said: "The most money is spent on the headboard. Typically, it's the most expensive piece as it's often a feature. How you design the headboard depends on the bed's location, and it can be a strong element of the project's narrative."
The Importance of the Bathroom
Tatiana also highlighted another important feature: the bathroom. "I would say the bathroom, believe it or not. It always gives the guests a good impression, and it's the first place they go when they check into the room. The bathroom area is important. If you design a very unique layout for the washroom, people will start to talk about it. In the washroom, you can create something very sculptural and unique."
She added: "If you are successful enough to create this interesting washroom, first of all, people will be spending more time there, they will have a bath and feel more relaxed. And actually, we spend a lot of our time in there." The designer emphasised that lighting should be adaptable: "The light in the bathroom should be accommodating for different scenarios, bright enough to put on make-up but cosy and romantic at the same time. For me, every single washroom I design is very unique."
Other Key Details
Another feature that warrants attention is the bed. "The mattress has to be comfortable, and the bedding. Also, there might be special glasses by the bedside table; it's these details," Tatiana said. She also likes to add a special feature inside the closet, such as interesting wallpaper, a splash of colour, or a pretty stone. "That's a unique element you don't notice right away, but you notice it after," she added.
Her Travels and Projects
For Tatiana, the joy of the job comes from travelling and working with different people. She said: "The whole process is quite fun, and during this process, you get to meet a lot of interesting people who are passionate about projects. I also like to investigate new locations and new countries, because when I was in Kazakhstan, I didn't really travel much. So, my first project for St. Regis was in Mexico, and it was my dream to go there."
She added: "Mexico has a very unique culture, it's very colourful, there's amazing food, and they use a lot of bright colours - there's a lot of celebrations. It was very different, and I was very excited about that. The Dominican Republic is the same. It's very comfortable, the people and land, it's very nice."
Tatiana is currently working on mega interior design projects for St. Regis in Costa Rica, The Luxury Collection Hotel in Mexico, and Luxury Hotels in Peru and Antigua. Some projects can take as long as six years to complete.
