WHEN it comes to inspiration for interiors, Irish home owners are checking into hotel chic. Some of the latest designer hotels, as well as many established names, have bags of style ripe for the picking.

Dublin's uber glamorous Dylan hotel is packed with ideas for the urban oasis. While the furniture was custommade by Harrison and Gill in London, orders can be placed for all furnishings and accessories, from the sumptuous Seventh Heaven beds to the funky crockery. You may not have the budget for leather and chrome-studded panelled walls but there are plenty of details that can be successfully stolen on a modest budget.

Glass act Colour, texture and lots of light are the hallmarks of the Dylan's decor. Tactile wall treatments such as blood-red wallpaper in the corridors are complemented by copious amounts of glass and mirrors, and a pewter counter bounces light around the bar.

Mirrors on your bedroom ceiling might be interpreting the look too literally but, along with the double-sided mirror fireplace in the bar and the mirror-fronted wardrobes in the bedrooms, they illustrate the advantages of getting in on the glass act. Mirror-backed doors and mirrored tiles in bathrooms . . . keep your eyes peeled for B&Q's metallic glass mosaic tiles . . . are just some of the ways to translate the look.

Colour Glass (check out www. colourglass. ie) can be used in kitchen splashbacks, feature wall trimmings, as an alternative to bathroom tiles or as glass worktops and tabletops. Laura Ashley's Gatsby collection of Venetian mirrored furniture creates the illusion of space and offers an alternative to dark woods.

Glass corridors, used to bridge the old and new buildings at the Dylan, provide a real wow factor. Glass balustrades also create a slick touch in the home.

Bright red and white glass pendants crafted from individual twists of Murano glass, handcrafted skirting and fulllength voile curtains create an instantly inviting atmosphere at the Dylan. While many modern hallways are short on space, simply adding a mirror and chandelier (try Laura Ashley or Habitat) or modern pendant can add interest to this often neglected area.

For a sitting target in a spacious hallway, look to the use of colour in the Dylan's bar seating. Hues of contrasting lime green and grey as well as blood red and deep purple shine against fibre-optic lighting.

Reupholstering an old chair or sink-in sofa in these warm tones can create an eyecatching feature in a hallway, while lighting up the steps of your stairs can also add a chic touch.

Not so boring flooring For a real floor show, tread softly with carpet, currently staging a comeback and used to stunning effect at the Dylan alongside marble, rosewood and emu skin on the lift interior. The special carpets at the striking Radisson SAS Farnham Estate Hotel, Cavan, are by Brintons (check out www. brintons. com). A red stair carpet, as in the Dylan, injects a touch of Hollywood glamour into everyday life.

If you prefer the character of wooden floors, tap into Farnham's use of stained oak . . . natural, dark and limed . . . for a stylish solution. Add a rug or two for colour, texture and sound absorption. Farnham's are by Brinton's while the Dylan's are from Rugs By Design.

Hotel bedrooms are a safe bet for plundering sanctuary chic. Ace acessories at the Dylan include vintage silver and crystal, and Belleek pottery. Invest in high headboards, Frette bed linen (available at Brown Thomas) or Paul Costelloe's collection for Dunnes Stores.

James Soane of Project Orange, London, which worked on the ultra-sophisticated Farnham Estate Hotel, suggests avoiding ceiling downlights. "Use only local directional and mood lighting." Heavy, inky colours in velvet curtains will provide that escapist effect, he says. Pale oak flooring and bedheads, contrasted by walnut bedside tables, will get the Farnham Estate look. "Use a block of colour to recreate the desk.

Shop spray a standard piece of furniture, " Soane advises.

Finishing touches The elegant dark stained Spanish chair at Farnham (www. andreaworld. com), the antique chaise covered in Eames fabric by Kvadrat (www. kvadrat. dk) and the mosaic tiles by Bisazza (www. bisazza. com) are covetable pieces suitable for the home.

The black and white photography at the Dylan is by Phillip Pankov but enthusiastic snappers might want to display their own efforts in a frame or on canvas.

Five-star hotel decadence is frequently plundered for blissful bathing spaces as underfloor heating, oversized power-showers, tubs encased in dark wooden or stone surrounds, waterproof flatscreen TVs and heated towel rails combine to create an indulgent ambience. Smart storage . . . such as the Tribeca range from B&Q . . . will streamline your bathroom.

With 'inside outside' living now on many wishlists, many new builds and refurbishments are incorporating courtyards and landscaping to blur the boundaries between inside and out. Try an Eichholz oberol planter ( 360) and Nic Duysens small aluminum table ( 260) from Brown Thomas to recreate the Dylan look.

While the Dylan is based on an eclectic scheme, with all bedrooms decorated differently, the overall look is connected by limited use of colour, observes Eamonn Courtney of Spirit and Style, which designed the interior along with HKD. "Many people make the mistake of using too many colours in their homes. We stuck to a palette of blackcurrant, raspberry, lilac, lacquered red, lime green and burnt orange." Thinking outside the box can work wonders. "A lot of the Dylan's headboards are curved, and we took the back of a Queen Anne chair and blew it up to create a headboard in different colours."

Injecting splashes of bold colour throughout the house is another way to enliven your environment. Live it large with graphic feature wallpaper (Cole & Son is the choice at the Farnham). Go for a coordinated rather than a matched approach and fuse old and new, Soane advises.

While you can cut corners on certain areas, splashing out on quality sanitary ware . . . the Dylan's is by Villeroy & Boch . . .

and luxurious fabrics will provide daily dividends. Mood lighting can add a real touch of drama. Courtney advises moving away from rigid patterns of lighting. "You could have light washing a wall on one side of a room and table lamps that can be switched on from the door at the other side, " he suggests.

If you crave a modern version of the old-world luxury of boltholes like Barberstown Castle, check out Habitat's huge Hana dark stained fourposter bed ( 995). Deck it out in contemporary florals for a serene sleep space. As Soane says, the secret is to bring home elements of a hotel's decor with you, such as the use of different patterns or blocks of colour, rather than attempting to copy the complete look.

Meanwhile, the ever-popular Marks & Spencer's Autograph home collection has been extended for spring.

THE BIG SLEEP

The Dylan, Eastmoreland Place, off Upper Baggot Street, Dublin 2; 01-660 3000; www. dylan. ie

Radisson SAS Farnham Estate Hotel, Farnham Estate, Cavan; 049-437 7700; www. farnham. radissonsas. com

Barberstown Castle, Straffan, Co Kildare; 01-628 8157; www. barberstowncastle. ie