Menu
MattressFirm Logo
Lifestyle & Life Moments
Lifestyle & Life Moments

How To Create Hotel-Like Comfort in Your Bedroom, From an Interior Designer Who Knows

A white bed is against a dark wall, with a nightstand containing a lamp and a small modernist statue

Patrick Sutton is a Baltimore-based interior designer of luxury hotels, world-class restaurants and reimagined private homes. His inspiring book, “Storied Interiors: The Designs of Patrick Sutton and the Stories That Shaped Them,” reflects the influence of his father, Horace Sutton, a renowned travel writer who often took his family along with him on trips.

Patrick was steeped in the majesty of the world’s most beautiful and bewitching places from an early age. This luxe world travel as a child created sensory memories that influenced and informed Patrick’s interior design aesthetic. Today, his passion is guiding others toward creating beauty in our surroundings.

He shares his advice on how to create the best bedroom—with hotel-like luxury that invites incredible sleep in your home every night.

Question:

Mattress Firm: So, how did you sleep last night?

Answer:

Patrick Sutton: Very well. My wife and I live in a townhouse overlooking the harbor in Baltimore’s historic district, with dappled light on the water and the lights of the city. Our bedroom faces east, so there is no escaping the sunlight when it’s six in the morning.

Back when things were normal, we were getting up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. I’d shower and head off to the office. Now we’ve moved into our guest bedroom with a big, squishy bed and down feather pillows. It’s like a big hug.

We started sleeping there since the sun doesn’t wake us up. I get up later and start work on my computer in my pajamas. I think one tends to look for a deeper, more quality sleep now to feel healthier and more energized. The idea of sanctuary has become more important than ever.

Question:

How can the rest of us get that kind of sleep?

Answer:

I recommend shutting out the light in the bedroom. Believe it or not, it’s very distracting, even if you’re not light-sensitive. I use an app called Calm on a mini Bose player and put on nature sounds—the gentle babbling of a brook, distant thunderstorms and wind through the trees—which I find incredibly relaxing and soothing.

Question:

Tell us about your bed.

Answer:

What works for us is a firm mattress and two inches of pillowtop, so you’re going to be supported and not wake up with a backache. The pillowtop acts as a negotiator between your body and your mattress.

There is nothing worse than buying a cheap mattress. We flip it around about once a year, but you still have to change your mattress from time to time when it starts to wear out and get lumps. It’s the same thing with your pillows. Some people are lying on flat pancakes and don’t change them for eight years. I’ve heard you can throw pillows in a dryer with tennis balls to re-fluff them, but I haven’t done that.

Patrick Sutton sits in an office with a warm brown color scheme

Question:

What kind of pillows do you look for?

Answer:

I don’t like sleeping on contoured pillows. I feel like I’m being smothered. I like having something squishy on the bottom and one that’s a little firmer on top. The bottom pillow is faux down—the best synthetic you can get. Some people are allergic to feathers, but we like a feather pillow on top that’s softer, lighter and airier.

Question:

Is it true that your dad was the person who coined the term “jet lag?”

Answer:

He did. My father was one of the pioneers in transatlantic travel journalism after World War II. As a little boy, my memories are of luxury rooms in the Hotel de Crillon in Paris and the Villa d’Este on Lake Como, just sinking into these beds that were so opulently layered with softness.

Question:

Have you been able to recreate that hotel experience in your home?

Answer:

It’s funny. We designed the Sagamore Pendry Hotel in Baltimore in 2018, and for my wife’s birthday, we had a staycation there. It’s pet-friendly, so we brought our dog, and that bed was so unbelievable, with big, fluffy, down bedding. We slept until 9:30 in the morning, and even the dog didn’t want to get out of bed.

What they did was a mattress, pillowtop, sheeting and a super-soft duvet in the same sheeting materials, multiple pillows you could stack behind your head, complete blackout, no light pollution whatsoever, so you have no idea what time it is when you wake up.

Question:

You sound like you’re in good spirits?

Answer:

We’re quite busy with some high-profile design projects. People are looking around their homes and saying, “We’ve got to fix this.” They want to invest in the quality of their environments.

Although there’s an uneasiness about what’s going on in the world, there’s a certain beauty in the pause. The slowing down has hidden benefits. With all the unknowns and things you can’t control, you can create an environment in your bed chamber that touches on the comfort you felt as a child in your mother’s arms, taking you back to a place where you knew you were safe.

You Might Also Like

A man and a woman laying together on a bed with their arms around each other.
Lifestyle & Life Moments
How to Sleep Like Your Relationship Depends on ItWe all know sleep is essential for good health. But what happens if we can’t get into a groove with our bed partners? Or if we’re too tired to be good-tempered due to nighttime caregiving or changes in our sleep habits caused by aging? Not only can sleep deprivation trigger an avalanche of health concerns, but it can also negatively impact the emotional and physical aspects of our romantic relationships.
Two people holding hands, with feathers falling around their face.
Lifestyle & Life Moments
Pillow Fights: The Crazy History (and Future), From Innocent Pastime to Professional Sporting EventWhile most sleep psychologists will designate the bedroom as a sanctuary, exclusive to sleep and sex, we can’t help but think there’s a third use for it: pillow fighting.
woman relaxing on her bed during an at home staycation home vacation
Lifestyle & Life Moments
5 Ways to Make the Most Out of Your StaycationAll good things must come to an end. But what if those things haven’t even started? If you’re bummed about having to cancel your travel plans this year, you’re not alone. Most of us won’t be traveling anywhere this summer, but there’s still one vacation you can take: a staycation.
work from home sleep essentials
Lifestyle & Life Moments
Working from home? Stay comfy.We’re all spending a lot more time at home. Whether you’re working from home or working on that 2,000-piece puzzle, we’ve got some items to help you adapt to the new normal. Because no matter what you’re doing more of from home, we can all agree on one thing: You want to be comfortable. For example, what are these “pants with a button” everyone is talking about?
Grandmother and granddaughter in summer enjoy harvesting vegetables from home organic vegetable garden.
Lifestyle & Life Moments
Why Gardening May Help You Sleep BetterThe sheer number of juicy tomatoes you can grow in a backyard garden is reason enough to pick up a trowel. But the benefits of gardening extend far beyond your harvest — believe it or not, it can work wonders for your sleep as well.
A group of christmas presents laid in a pattern on a colorful background
Lifestyle & Life Moments
2024 Holiday Gift Guide: Nighttime Gifts for Her, Him, Kids & PetsSurprise! The holidays have snuck up on us again, and it’s time to start thinking about the greatest gift of all: sleep. Between the parties and hosting and feasting and gifting, we can forget to slow down and enjoy the time off. Luckily, this year’s gift guide is full of ideas that make some much-needed R&R even more cozy.
Profile of young woman practising yoga sitting Lotus pose at home. Selfcare and wellness concept. Close up. Selective focus.
Lifestyle & Life Moments
How This Year's Biggest Wellness Trends Can Help You Get a Better Night's SleepFor many people, a new year brings a renewed interest in all things wellness. And now that 2024 is in full swing, there are a number of wellness trends emerging aimed at helping people be their healthiest (and happiest!) selves.
A white digital flip clock shows six o'clock on a brown wooden cabinet next to a fresh eucalyptus plant in the living room, with sunbeam shining through the window on a fresh beautiful morning. A brand new day, fresh start, fresh energy, new opportunities.
Lifestyle & Life Moments
Why You Should Keep Your Bedtime and Wake-Up Time the Same Each DayGood, consistent sleep has a host of benefits: Boosted immunity, reduced stress, easier weight control, better focus and more. But, if it’s typical for you to skimp on sleep all week and then try to “catch up” over the weekend, the bad news is you might not be getting these benefits. Even worse is that playing catch-up with sleep doesn’t really work that way.
Group portrait of dogs
Lifestyle & Life Moments
Happy International Dog Day!August 26 is International Dog Day. But for some of us, every day is dog day. After all, our four-legged friends are so much more than just pets: Studies have shown that companion animals can improve our physical activity levels, improve our mental health, lessen anxiety, lower blood pressure and decrease feelings of loneliness or isolation.