How to get 'The White Lotus' look in your home interiors

Irish Examiner

2 days ago

As HBO's The White Lotus streams on Sky for a third season, the covetable décor co-stars with the cast.
The social satire returns to our screens with the usual unfulfilled, jaded and entitled guests staying at a holiday resort, but the role played by the set design sometimes almost eclipses the action and always gets the trendsters talking up the looks.
After lush tropical Hawaiian scenes in season one, and the dramatic, maximalist Sicilian location of season two, the action unfolds again in five-star surroundings, this time on a Thai island, with set design far from the maximalism of series one, which, incidentally, caused a surge of interest in the Sicilian ceramic vases known as testa di moro, with Etsy reporting a 20% increase in searches.
Season three is at the Four Seasons, Koh Samui, where sleek sofas sit comfortably with traditional Thai cabinetry, and modern mattresses are happy bedfellows with four-posters draped in silk sheers.
Bill Bensley, architect and interior designer of the hotel when it was built 25 years ago, described the vibe as, ''Thai vernacular set in a tamed jungle'. Production designer Christina Onori adds in textures, heritage woods and botanical prints for a mix of sophistication and relaxed boho. Think handcrafted, or the look of it, with rattan, ceramic lamps and painted shades.
Lounging around
There's a whole lot of lying around doing absolutely nothing across the episodes, but not like the start of a fortnight in Spain lying prone on a sun lounger to combat work fatigue. This is lounging as a lifestyle with requisite linen-upholstered daybeds and rattan sofas.
The Aruba garden corner sofa, footstool, side and coffee tables set; €1,599, EZ Living Interiors.
Get the look: Outdoor furniture which looks like it would be equally at home indoors is what you're aiming for. Get yourself an entire outdoor set with the Aruba corner sofa, footstool, and coffee and side tables; €1,599, EZ Living Interiors. Spring for the taupe Rafa long chair in teak, with its daybed design; €4,400, The Pavilion Garden Centre.
Bring nature in
In the era of bifold doors, we're loving spaces flowing between inside and out. Of course, we don't have summers of perpetual sun, but we excel at making the most of a few sunny hours and can achieve boutique hotel-style patios with textiles.
The Edit's neutral cushions are high on texture with an artisan feel to help layer a summer look; from €28, Penneys.
Get the look: Carolyn Donnelly's Eclectic collection has stripe and boxy blue and green cushions; €20, Dunnes Stores, or there's The Edit range of warm neutrals suggesting artisan handmade and a more elevated offering than we're used to from Penneys; from €28.
Monkeys and murals
Never fast-forward the opening credits, or you'll miss dramatic murals hinting at location and the ensuing drama. Monkeys feature, drawn and real, silently observing guest shenanigans from the trees. Add the theme to the décor without actually acquiring a new pet.
Get the look: Try a sitting, standing or hanging monkey lamp; €285, www.objekt.ie, or the Valuelights version in gold metallic; €45, B&Q. Make a bigger statement with an exotic addition to the bathroom with the Monkey Sanctuary wallpaper mural by Sir Edward, made to size; €49 per metre square, Wallsauce.com.
Colour chart
Orange surprises in an otherwise muted palette, popping up in art, fabric and parasols. Its association with Buddhism and the quest for spiritual enlightenment might be lost on characters whose only quest is the next spa treatment, but it does bring cheeriness with it.
A version of orange which has something in common with on-trend warm neutrals can introduce the colour with subtlety, like the Harvest Moon paint by Benjamin Moore; from €29, Albany.
Get the look: For underfoot, the Fading World Medallion rug is a subtle touch; from €189, Rugs.ie, unless you go all in with Farrow & Ball's Drag wallpaper in uncharacteristically bright orange; €119.30, www.selectedwallpapers.com, or tone things down with Benjamin Moore's Desert Moon paint in a nice flat version; from €29, www.thecolourhub.ie, Albany.ie.
Spoiler alert
Look away now if you haven't watched the series yet, as we can't talk about The White Lotus without speaking of Tanya McQuoid-Hunt, played by Jennifer Coolidge. She's conspicuous by her absence this season thanks to her ex Greg, who is lying low at the resort, living on her money while staying out of the reach of the Italian police who want him in connection with her murder.
Get the look: Pay homage to the character with the Tanya McQuoid-Hunt Legends Never Die poster; €18.35, www.etsy.com, and maybe add in another print: I Don't Even Have My Lorazepam, I'm Going to Have to Drink Myself To Sleep; €27.67, www.etsy.com, the latter based on a standout line delivered by Victoria, matriarch of the visiting dysfunctional Ratliff family, which despite all indications, actually leave the resort alive.
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