Creativity! So many hostels around the world have a creative design.
We at Hostelgeeks decided to collect cool hostel design ideas. Creative ideas that you can simply steal from Hostels (or, well, borrow!) for your own good.
Find a huge list of +112 design hostels in the world with us.
When it comes to design, there is no doubt that the 5 Star Hostels know how to do it. After all, they all do come in an awesome design!
Looking carefully, the 5 Star Hostels do offer lots of awesome hostel design ideas.
Those can be applied to pimp your own design at home. These ideas we are showing you can be also used for your own home decoration. Take a look at those hostel design ideas with a creative mind.
Get inspired, adapt, and try your own style.
Being a 5 Star Hostel also means being a Design Hostel. It is one criterion for being a 5 Star Hostels to cover the hostel design standards (in total there are 7 types of hostels).
This article is part of our big Guide to Hostels.
Ultimate book for interior design
When designing a hostel, make sure you take a look at this brand new epic list of hostels and hotels.
BRANDlife curated a huge list of interesting interior design ideas.
Hostelgeeks and the 5 Star Hostels got featured here as well.
We collected also many useful information about Hostels:
- Hostel Room types– What are the differences?
- Simple tips to stay safe at hostels
- Easy booking Hacks for hostels
Let’s have a look at all those great hostel design ideas out there you can steal from these design hostels.
1. World Maps to inspire your travels
As travelers, we love World maps. And they can be used in so many different ways to decorate!
Lisbon is also known for being a creative hotspot. We can steal a design hostel idea from Sunset Destination Hostel.
This accommodation is the 5 Star Hostel in Lisbon. Read our guide to the 3 best hostels in Lisbon here. It comes with a swimming pool on his own roof top terrace. That might not be too easy to steal though…
However, the hostel design idea we can steal from Sunset Destination Hostel is the big, painted world map in the common area.
Sure, the hanging table is also a pretty impressive hostel design element.
Different ways where maps can be used for an awesome design, so. Having some old maps? Take out the maps and use them! If not, you can always paint a world map on the wall by your own.
Or even drill a wall or wooden piece with the map form. We at Hostelgeeks just hook an old map into a wooden piece and it is part of our bedroom decoration right now.
Simple and nice, don’t you think?
2. Memory Board to organize the week
A memory board around is always a plus, as it will help you not forgetting things, or even inspire you every day!
We just spot so many different ways in the 5 Star Hostels which are easy to copy in your home decoration.
You can see these ideas for memory boards and more at our Pinterest.
Have a look at the memory board made with corks.
3. Add letters for a personalized design
Decorating walls with letters has lots of possibilities! You may have seen quotes on the walls all around design hostels. Quotes are great to get very day inspiration, or demonstrate the hostel character.
This boutique hostel called Yim is one of the best hostels in Bangkok.
The team added some of its character on the walls. Lot of travelers love to take pictures of themselves in this area. Very instagramable!
The amazingly cosy hostel in Kaohsiung City With Inn Hostel, one of the coolest hostels in Taiwan, plays with very original letters to show their logo. It is made from old tools and hooks. Like that, travelers can notice the vintage-feeling from this taiwanese hostel from the first step through the door.
4. Have a Surf Board Shower
Our newest discovery is the surfboard shower at Dragon Dive Komodo Hostel in Labuan Bajo, Flores, Indonesia.
They took an old surf board and turned it into a stylish shower next to their swimming pool.
Just have a look:
5. Combine different lighting in the same area
Every area at home needs a different lighting, but you can actually combine different lighting in the same area to offer always the light you need!
For bedrooms, we just need a soft light, even though sometimes you would like to read.
Do you love books? Then add a direct light near your bed.
Here’s a good example of a former hostel in Moscow, Russia. There is a big lamp in the middle of the bedroom, and an individual lamp on each bed. Like this, travelers are able read or check their emails before going to sleep without disturbing other guests.
The stylish boutique hostel Wallyard Concept Hostel includes a pendant light in the center of the table to have extra illumination on it. It is one of the coolest hostels in Berlin, Germany.
Combining the different lighting in their common area, this hostel do emphasize their industrial design vibes.
Is there anything more Berlin-like?
Heading over to Thailand.
The Oxotel, one of the best hostels in Chiang Mai, North Thailand also combines different lighting in the common area
They sustain direct light on the tables, which helps to eat comfortably and meet other people. To illuminate the food and bar counter, they use industrial lights.
And for central lightning, they use decorative lamps with softer light.
6. 3-2-1… Cinema!
Creating a cinema at home is not that difficult nowadays.
Lots of people have already a big TV, or even a projector display, in their living-rooms.
STAY Hostel Rhodes just built some comfy sofas with 98 pallets and added a projector display to create their amazing cinema.
Combining the wood with brighter colors, they do offer a relaxed atmosphere.
Just with a big TV, Cube Hostel in Leuven, Belgium offers a pretty cool cinema experience. Combining real cinema seats with enormous air puffs, they also added some Film posters.
Al Pacino, the godfather, and rocky are watching you! It feels like a real cinema, shh….
With different hostel design decorations, the COMBO Bologna Hostel, chose old vintage cinema chairs for their cinema club. The simple brown chairs are perfect to save some space and add a special cinema atmosphere.
Ready for tonight’s movie?
The cinema is filled with pillows, and it’s so cosy, the guarantee for falling asleep is included!
7. Evoque emotional feelings adding natural elements
Adding natural elements to our home decoration brings emotions: you can feel excited, calmed or soothed just adorning with birds, rustic leaves or even fruits.
The 5 Star Hostels in Amsterdam show it. Including natural elements to achieve a remarkable design is also very simple!
The funky eco-friendly Ecomama Hostel gave us bits from nature just adding some apples in their decoration.
It can’t be easier, neither healthier!
Its little sister and first boutique hostel in Amsterdam Cocomama, prefers to include trees in some of their bedrooms.
Let nature find itself into any space of you home and life, and feel how nature plays a role in your interiors.
Another cool hostel with a natural theme is City Hostel in Bergen.
8. We all love to play (ping pong)
Having the chance to play a little every day is a wonderful benefit, isn’t it? Stress can be reduced if exercise is practiced daily.
Charming and local hostel Ani&Haakien in Rotterdam, built a creative upcycled ping pong table in their garden.
It is also a very good way to meet other travelers.
Are you up for a match?
9. Hammocks are not only for holiday time!
Many people just relate hammocks for holidays. But hammocks are actually so comfortable that they can be used for an extra design touch!
Hostel Costel in Timisoara, Romania decided to decorate the garden with hammocks to create a cozy ambience where travelers can enjoy their slow travel time.
The 5 Star hostel in Rotterdam, Ani&Haakien, also added hammocks in the garden.
Great place to chill out!
Have a look also at Hopewell Lodge. Laying on their hammocks include stunning views.
10. Grandma was right: re-use every single pot in the kitchen!
Saving money in the kitchen is grandma’s wisdom. And here you have some great advice applied directly to the kitchen design. Moving on to Sao Paulo.
We Hostel Design in Sao Paulo decided to re-use the jars to have the mise-en-place for the cocktails, as well as decorate the counter bar.
Don’t you think fruits do look even more delicious that way?
From glasses which were jam jars to decorative elements, possibilities are endless. So, start using your imagination!
11. Keep dreaming (in a tailored bed)
When it comes to health, the bed is the most important furniture.
The sleep provides rest, transforming the way we feel. Our 5 Star Hostels are aware that rest is important. That is why some of them chose to build a tailored bed which will perfectly fit with their design ideas.
The industrial designed Swanky Mint Hostel in Zagreb built tailored bunk beds to match to their building industrial design.
Having a look around, this hostel will give you so many ideas for DIY projects!
What about the former-prison of Hostel Celica in Ljubljana?
They did a great job to turn the former cells bed into stunning comfortable beds. People do not want to go out of their cells nowadays.
12. Old meets new – Add vintage elements to your design
Decorating a room with totally different furniture, colors, styles and patterns is fresh, fashionable and also easy!
Just add a vintage piece to the modern decoration and you will get a mix of antique, modern and traditional design which will amaze your guests.
Well, okay, that does not always work, we have seen terrible combinations.
We can see a good example at Backpackers Villa Sonnenhof in Interlaken, Switzerland.
They decided to conserve the stucco decorated staircase in their chalet. That is one of the elements that gives this hostel an incredible modern, yet traditional design to this sports hostel.
13. Re-new it! Upcycled furniture
That might be the most inviting part of this article!
We all get bored about our decoration at some point: some of us in 2 months, just 10 days, or luckily after a few years! The thing is: constantly buying new furniture is expensive (and not sustainable at all). Nowadays it is very trendy to include upcycled furniture!
So take advantage of it and play around.
There are 1000 of ways to apply upcycling ideas in a creative way!
Memory Hostel in Da Nang decided to upcycled several elements and to include it in their patina design work.
It’s a perfect fit, don’t you think?
The tiles are certainly something extra special, no doubt.
Summary 13 Design Ideas to Steal borrow from Hostels
You see, there are endless ideas to create a cozy interior design.
The 5 Star Hostels are a wonderful resource to get inspired by. Steal their ideas. Or, well, just borrow their creativity and adapt it to your own style and needs.
Find a full list of +99 DESIGN hostels here.
For a Boutique-Drive, check out these 28 handpicked boutique hostels.
If you create your own DIY Design we would love to see it. So, please please, tag us on instagram.
If you are a hostel owner and would like to keep updated about Hostel Management tools, subscribe at www.hostelnerds.com
Ultimate book for interior design for hostels and hotels
When designing a hostel, make sure you take a look at this brand new epic list of hostels and hotels.
BRANDlife curated a huge list of interesting interior design ideas.
Hostelgeeks and the 5 Star Hostels got featured here as well.
What’s next? How about …
- Fall in love with the +105 Design Hostels we admire
- Why female dorms? 7 Pros and 3 Cons of Female-only dorms
- Create your own Hostel Business plan
- Our European Hostel Guide introduces you to all the secrets nobody tells you about hostel-typed accommodation
We also created a huge list with +1000 upcycled ideas for hostels. So check out our pinterest boards to get even more ideas.
Stay creative!
– – –
Pinterest is your friend: