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Short answer
To make a bedroom feel like a hotel, start with total darkness and ceiling-to-floor curtains, then add a tall padded headboard, a bed runner and a few cushions in a calm palette. Use a blackout or blackout-lined curtain on a ceiling track, wall to wall if you can, with a sheer behind. Keep to one or two rich textures, such as velvet, and plain white bedding.
Step 1: How do hotels make bedrooms so dark?
- Blackout, or a curtain with a blackout lining. See Blackout Curtains.
- Ceiling track or curtain box, so no light spills over the top. See Curtain Boxes for Condos.
- Wider than the window and to the floor, with a centre overlap.
- A sheer behind for soft daylight. See Layered Curtains.
Step 2: Ceiling-to-floor, wall-to-wall curtains
Hotels often run curtains across the whole window wall, which makes the room look taller and wider and hides awkward windows. Use an S-fold heading at about 2 times fullness for even folds, ending about 1 cm above the floor. Extra-wide fabric turned sideways avoids seams. See S-Fold Curtains and Curtain Fullness Explained.
Step 3: A tall, padded headboard
A headboard taller and wider than the bed makes the room feel tailored. Velvet, a textured weave or a quiet jacquard all work; choose a hard-wearing fabric because heads and hands rub it every day. In the JOTEX range, YarnGuard PURIFY and REPEL velvets are about 450 gsm and rated at 40,000 Martindale rubs. See Hotel Headboard Fabric and Upholstered Wall Panels.
Step 4: Runner and cushions
- Bed runner across the foot of the bed in velvet or jacquard, picking up the headboard or curtain colour. See Bed Runners and Bedroom Fabrics.
- Cushions: two to four, mixing the runner fabric with one plain and one texture. See Cushion Fabric Guide.
- White bedding keeps the look crisp and is easy to bleach and replace.
Step 5: A calm palette with one rich texture
| Palette | Curtains | Headboard and runner |
|---|---|---|
| Warm neutral | Sand or greige dimout | Taupe velvet, bronze runner |
| Cool and calm | Pale grey | Slate velvet, navy runner |
| Dark and moody | Charcoal or deep navy | Velvet in the same tone, gold accents |
| Natural | Linen-look | Textured weave, sage or olive runner |
Velvets for curtains, headboards and runners
Velvets in the JOTEX range, updated from the catalogue. See the velvet fabric page.
Browse velvet fabric →
Frequently asked questions
How do hotels make bedrooms so dark?
Blackout curtains on a ceiling track or in a curtain box, wider than the window, overlapping in the centre and down to the floor.
What curtains do hotels use?
Usually a blackout or blackout-lined main curtain with a sheer behind, often S-fold or pinch pleat, ceiling to floor and wall to wall.
What fabric is best for a hotel-style headboard?
A hard-wearing velvet, textured weave or jacquard, ideally with a high rub count because heads and hands rub it daily.
What colours make a bedroom feel like a hotel?
A calm, limited palette of neutrals or deep tones, with one rich texture such as velvet.
Curtain maker, upholsterer or designer?
Specifications are public on every collection page. JOTEX dealers can log in for live stock and pricing, and our team can send samples or open a dealer account.