Bringing the Resort Home: how to infuse vacation luxury into everyday living….
You know the feeling.
The moment you step into a world-class resort or luxury short-term vacation villa-where time slows, your shoulders drop, + everything feels intentionally effortless.
As a luxury residential architectural designer, I've learned that what we're really responding to isn't extravagance—it's thoughtful design that supports how we want to live.
The good news? You don't need to book another flight to feel that way.
You can design it-right at home.
This interactive guide will help you translate the best elements of travel-inspired luxury into a residence that feels restorative, indulgent, + deeply personal-every single day. Yesssss!
Step 1: Identify Your Signature Resort Experience
Before we talk materials or layouts, let's start with intention.
Think about your favorite place you've ever stayed.
Not the most expensive-the most memorable.
👉🏾 Interactive Prompt:
Which experience resonates most with you?
A serene coastal retreat with endless light + ocean air
A European boutique hotel rich in texture, history, + intimacy
A wellness-focused spa resort grounded in nature
A modern desert escape with seamless indoor-outdoor living
Your answer becomes the design compass for your home.
Luxury design succeeds when it reflects your emotional response to space, not a trend.
Step 2: Design for Arrival (The Check-In Effect)
Exceptional resorts or luxury short-term villas don't begin at the pool—they begin at the arrival sequence.
At home, the entry is often overlooked, yet it sets the emotional tone for everything that follows.
Resort-Inspired Design Moves:
Layered lighting that shifts from day to evening
Natural materials (stone, wood, plaster) that immediately ground you
A sense of progression-never revealing everything at once
👉🏾Ask Yourself:
When I walk through my front door, do I feel welcomed... or rushed?
A thoughtfully designed entry should feel like crossing a threshold into calm.
Step 3: Create Spaces That Encourage Slowing Down
Luxury resorts + short-term vacation villas are masters at giving us permission to pause.
Your home should do the same.
Architectural Strategies That Change Daily Behavior:
Wider hallways + softened transitions between rooms
Purposeful "pause points" like window seats or reading alcoves
Furniture layouts that encourage conversation—not just TV viewing
👉🏾 Interactive Exercise:
Which room in your home should be used more slowly—but isn't?
That's your opportunity for transformation.
Step 4: Bring the Spa Home (Beyond the Bathroom)
True wellness design extends far past a soaking tub.
Resorts + vacation villas succeed because they engage the senses holistically.
Think in Layers:
Sound: integrated acoustics, water features, or quiet mechanical systems
Touch: heated floors, honed stone, hand-troweled plaster walls
Scent: natural ventilation, garden adjacency, subtle material aromas
👉🏾 Design Check:
Does your primary suite feel like a place to retreat-or simply sleep?
Wellness-focused residential design is about restoration, not excess.
Step 5: Blur the Line Between Indoors and Out
One of the most powerful lessons from resort + luxury short-term design is connection to nature.
In high-end residential architecture, this often becomes the defining feature of a home.
Resort-Level Enhancements:
Large openings that fully dissolve walls to the outdoors
Covered exterior living rooms with the same finishes as interior spaces
Outdoor kitchens + fire features designed for year-round use
👉🏾 Imagine This:
What if your morning coffee felt like a terrace in Tuscany—or a cabana in Cabo?
That's not fantasy. It's architectural intention.
Step 6: Elevate the Everyday Rituals
Luxury isn't about grand gestures alone-it's about making the ordinary feel extraordinary.
Resorts + luxury vacation rentals obsess over small moments. Your home should too.
Truly consider:
A kitchen designed like a chef's prep space, even if you cook casually
A coffee or cocktail station that feels ceremonial
Thoughtful lighting scenes for mornings, afternoons, + evenings
👉🏾 Quick Reflection:
Which daily ritual would you most love to elevate?
That's where meaningful luxury lives.
Final Thought: Design a Home That Feels Like Coming Back, Not Coming Down
The most successful resort-inspired homes don't replicate a destination-they capture a feeling.
As an architectural designer, my role is to translate your experiences, travels, + aspirations into spaces that support how you want to live-not just how you want your home to look.
When done well, your home becomes:
A sanctuary
A retreat
A daily reminder of the life you've intentionally designed
And the best part?
You never have to check out.
“True story….that’s MY purpose!”
That part! I thoroughly enjoyed our time together as always. Your energy keeps pushing me + I will forever be grateful. 🙏🏾
Until next time…
Live.Love.Design.
xo Renae
(All pics are courtesy of my Pinterest)
