A Tiny Studio Unit Becomes A Hotel-Style Home

Hotel rooms are luxurious indulgences—large, ultra-comfortable beds, fluffy pillows, convenient amenities, and soothing colors all make for a refreshing escape, whether you’re on vacation or staycation.

Decorator Elle Uy wanted to achieve a “Hotel-Chic” feel for this renovation project, but the original studio unit was anything but. “Nag-renovate sila more than ten years ago, so as you can see very dated na ang style ng unit,” reveals Elle in her video, who says that the homeowner was based in Zamboanga, and that she wanted to use this condo as a halfway house whenever she would visit Manila.

The studio unit is surprisingly roomy; however, it had outdated yellow walls, and a whole lot of clutter. The decorator rolled up her sleeves to work on this renovation, which she dubbed “Project: City Retreat.” In the process, she added more hidden, built-in storage units for a neat look, and washed the entire space in pale pastels and soft grays.

“Sobrang nagustuhan ko ang result ng project na ito dahil na-achieve yung very calm and relaxing space, pero ’di boring…super-happy ako sa kanya, pwede na ako mag-check-in dito,” says Elle in jest. Here’s how she created that hotel-like ambience:

Entry foyer

IMAGE Elle Uy

The entrance hallway immediately reveals Elle’s chosen color scheme for the unit: soft gray and a very light mint green. “[Ang] concept ng renovation na ito ay very relaxing and calming, kaya yung mga choices of color ko ay sobrang soft gray, halos white siya,” Elle explains. “So nag-accent din ako ng mint green.”

Both sides of the hallway have gallery walls, all in muted shades of green, gray, and white, with touches of metallics.