What a soft refurb covers, and what it does not
The scope is FF&E and soft furnishings: headboards and bed bases, casegoods, armchairs and desk chairs, curtains and sheers, rugs, lamps and mirrors, plus lobby, bar and breakfast room furniture. Bathrooms, flooring, partitions and building services are works, carried out by the contractors you appoint. Soul Design does not sell works, which keeps a soft refurb simple to contract and quick to deliver.
Done well, it repositions a property for a fraction of the time a full renovation takes, and it fits between two heavier cycles of works.
Keep, reupholster, replace: an item-by-item audit
Not everything needs replacing. Solid-wood casegoods in good condition can be refinished; sound frames can be reupholstered in a tested contract fabric; dated lamps can be swapped while keeping the wiring points. We walk the hotel with your operations team and tag each item: keep as is, refresh, reupholster, replace or take back for reuse.
The audit becomes the budget. It also shows housekeeping’s pain points, such as heavy chairs, fabrics that stain or bed bases that block vacuuming, which the new selection must solve.
- condition of frames and casegoods checked
- fabrics and fillings identified for fire documentation
- maintenance issues logged with housekeeping
- items for reuse or take-back listed
Fire documentation: new fabric, new evidence
Reupholstering changes the fire behaviour of a piece. Under French rules for hotels, upholstered seating and headboards are judged on the fabric and filling assembly, and textiles such as curtains on their reaction-to-fire class, usually M1 or a Euroclass equivalent. A new fabric therefore needs its own evidence. We collect test reports before ordering and have the list approved by your inspection body, so the safety commission’s next visit is uneventful.
Phased by floor, invisible to guests
We plan batches with revenue management: rooms taken out of inventory in the low season, a pilot room first, then floors in sequence. Items are delivered to a back-of-house area, installed by partner installers during agreed hours and packaging removed the same day. Rooms go back on sale floor by floor, with a signed snag list.
Typical cases
Typical case
A 60-room city hotel losing ground on review sites
- Situation
- Comments mention tired rooms; the bathrooms were redone five years ago and do not need works.
- Our approach
- Audit, then new headboards, curtains, lamps and armchairs, with casegoods refinished, delivered in batches of ten rooms in the quiet months.
Typical case
A lobby and bar that no longer match the brand
- Situation
- The owner wants a new atmosphere before the high season, with no closure.
- Our approach
- New lounge seating and lighting, banquettes reupholstered in a tested fabric, rugs replaced, installed over two nights.
Typical case: a representative situation, not a completed project.
What decides the cost of a soft refurb
The audit drives the budget. These choices make the biggest difference.
| Item | What drives it |
|---|---|
| Replace or reupholster | share of frames worth keeping, fabric grade and its testing |
| Headboards and casegoods | new, refinished or bespoke, integrated lighting |
| Curtains and rugs | fabric, lining, blackout, fire classification |
| Lighting | number of fittings per room, finishes |
| Phasing and installation | batch size, night or day slots, storage on site |
We quote item by item, per room type. Professional clients can spread the cost through a finance lease over 24 to 60 months, subject to approval by the finance partner.
How we work
- 01
Walk-through audit
Each item tagged with operations and housekeeping.
- 02
Concept and samples
Mood boards, fabrics and finishes, with fire documents identified.
- 03
Pilot room
One room refreshed to validate look, comfort and cleaning.
- 04
Batches and installation
Floors in sequence, aligned with occupancy and any contractors on site.
- 05
Handover
Snag list, fire reports and care instructions for each item.