When it comes to interiors inspiration, Pinterest will only get you so far. For us here at Team Gaff, nothing sparks more joy than hitting the road and visiting new interior hotspots to get our creative juices flowing. That’s just what we did last week when we stopped off at The River Lee Hotel in Cork, to check out their bespoke interior haven.
We’re delighted to say we weren’t disappointed – marble-topped bar, foxed mirrors, hand-stitched bar stools, Moroccan cement herringbone floor tiles, brass lighting fixtures … we could go on. But instead, we’ve gone and created the ultimate Get The Look guide for you (and us) to help take a little of the lavish design details from this luxe hotel home.
Soft Touch
One of the things we love about the design here is how old meets new; downstairs in The River Club, classic parquet floors and banquet seating meets turquoise chevron cushions. Upstairs, patterned cushions offset the white bed linen (those beds are amazing, by the way) in their newly renovated bedrooms. We love the idea of keeping a bedroom super simple and minimalist, adding a hint of personality with pattern. These cushions and rug are the perfect way to take this design detail home.
Get the look at home with these cushions, €15.99 at Littlewoods.
Asko mixed rug,€208 at Foxford.
Light It Up
The lighting at the hotel inspired us so much. The team here have managed to mix a variety of different fixtures together seamlessly. We fell in love with the mid-century German chandelier that hangs in their event and breakfast space, The Mirror Room, but for those not quite so flush with cash, we found an equally gorgeous art deco inspired piece, below. Their orb-like vintage hanging lights were a treat, too. We love these replicas, perfect for hanging in the kitchen or dining space as a pendant or Edison light alternative.
Art deco Frieda ceiling light, €266.90 at Lights.ie.
Marike spherical hanging light, white opal glass, €77.90 at lights.ie.
Sitting pretty
The banquet booths and seating at The River Club were like a page right out of the GAFF Design Heroes book. This place is buzzing every Sunday with their vinyl brunch, complete with cocktails and DJ. You all know how much we adore leather seating, the more brown and buttery the better. The seats here can be emulated really easily at home with a high-quality sofa or armchair, and for us, this is an investment in your home that pays dividends – it’s modern, never goes out of style, and super comfy, which is the most important element of all.
Hackney 3-seater sofa, €1,949 at DFS.
Elsewhere in the bar and front lounge, velvet blue chairs and blue buttoned banqueting inspired us to incorporate more unexpected colours in our leather furniture, Notice how everything else in this space is quite muted tonally – the blue pops, but it isn’t distracting. We love the contrast between the seating, wooden floors and then that hint of patterned tile in the background near the bar. Gorgeous. And this combination proves that mixing and matching in a space can work, it’s all about proportions and balance.
Xena large quilted button pouffe in navy velvet, €170.97 at Buy It Direct.
Outdoors/Indoors
The terrace at The River Lee was one of our favourite spots in the hotel. We adore the Scandi-cool wooden furniture, pops of clour and tons of greenery. We are always banging on about the importance of bringing greenery into the home, and this setting is a great reminder that a little greenery goes a long way.
Concrete hanging planter, €23.50 at Next.
Suitably inspired? We want one lucky GAFFer to experience these lush interiors for themselves. Simply head on over to our Facebook page and comment on the post to be in with a chance of winning a two-night stay at the four-star River Lee Hotel in Cork city, with dinner in The Grill Room on one night and breakfast before check-out.
Good luck, GAFFers!