Achieving this isn't always easy. Carolyn Varney, of Melbourne's Varney Design Inc, says space and simplicity are two of the keys. Her company designs major public buildings in Dubai, including the Fairmont Hotel's penthouses, where the average apartment is 500square metres. (One of the larger penthouses has seven bedrooms, each with ensuites.)

"As residential land becomes harder to come by, most people will end up living in smaller spaces," she says. "Therefore any dwelling that offers larger spaces or a sense of larger space will in itself be luxurious."

Copolov says sometimes the feeling of space can be something of an illusion. In Crown Towers in Melbourne the decade-old rooms are regarded as small by 21st-century notions. In the recent revamping, one of the biggest challenges was creating the illusion of space.

The clever cheats he and his team devised are a great source of inspiration for small homes, especially those with bathrooms not quite up to day-spa size. "What used to be a solid, single door into the bathroom, we changed for a pair of glass doors," Copolov says. "You have a greater sense of space, because you borrow the space beyond. And when you stare into the vanity, carefully placed mirrors reflect back through the glass door to a mirror on the far wall."

Inside the bathrooms, Copolov has also made the room appear bigger by reducing the once fashionable floor-to-ceiling shower screen to a small modesty screen at "shoulder height, so you can look out and even look beyond the bathroom".

"I like the notion that you're not in a fully enclosed room," he says. "By opening the bathroom up you're able to have a visual connection but you don't have to have the bath in the bedroom if you don't want it."

It's a sentiment shared by Hecker, whose firm Hecker Phelan Guthrie designed the interiors of Shanghai's exclusive Jia and is regularly pressed into service on luxury homes.

"To me, the sexy parts of the bathroom should be on show while the other parts are hidden away," he says. His latest definition of luxury is "his" and "hers" toilets. "I don't believe that you should share smells and noises," he says. "In large-scale residential houses now we're looking at things like that and they are hotel-inspired."

Like Copolov, Hecker believes even small spaces can be made to feel as luxurious as their large counterparts. "Everybody says, 'I'd really like my bedroom to feel like a hotel room,' and what they are basically saying is that there's lots of aspects of the way hotel rooms are laid out that are really fantastic," he says.

"Luxury means having all the services close at hand and being able to do everything from the bed; being able to operate all the lights in the room from the bed, the remote control blinds, the TV. It is about convenience; an ironing board in the bedroom, having a mini bar, having the ability to not leave the bedroom, so the bedroom becomes a true retreat that people can utilise."

And these qualities aren't reliant on space. "A lot of us live in smaller spaces that can still be luxurious," he says. "It's about the quality mattress, beautiful underlay, really comfortable pillows; the best bed and the best linen. How often do people spend the night in a hotel and say 'I had the best sleep!"'

Hecker says when designing a bedroom the rule is to focus on the things that are most important. Start with the bed and work your way out. If it's convenience you're after, then consider little things, like Crown's iPod docking stations in every room.

It's almost an afterthought that designers discuss furnishings in these uber-luxury spaces. With the emphasis on serenity, furnishings are pared back, often to allow the experience of the view or the space itself to take centre stage.

But there's one thing all the designers agree on. "Being unique has a certain cachet," says Hecker, who is renowned for adding quirky bespoke fixtures, be it the hand-woven wicker light shades in his first big project, Melbourne's Prince Hotel, or the quirky metallic door handles in the recent Hong Kong luxury hotel Jia. "I think one of the important things with luxury is the sense of bespoke and the special," he says.

Copolov agrees. "In the '70s and '80s hotels became relatively cliched ... regardless of what country you were in," he says. "I think that had a lot to do with the trepidation travellers had in strange lands."

He says a lot of the big hotel groups have design manuals and these were once giant, prescriptive tomes. Increasingly these days, apart from some technical aspects, designers are being given a more or less free hand.

"Now the trend is towards introducing handcrafted and bespoke," he says. "The same is happening with residential design: less of the pressed and more of the unique. It's a personalised experience. In general, it's an appreciation for all the senses."

Home trends from luxury hotels

What was once considered hotel-level luxury has a habit of filtering its way down into our homes. We are exposed to features while on holiday or away on business and want to have the same experience in our domestic environment. Consider these now commonplace features, once the epitome of luxury:

• Double sinks in bathrooms.
• Marble bathrooms.
• Freestanding baths.
• Wall-sconces above the bed, instead of bedside lamps.
• Oversized headboards in bedrooms.
• Plasma TVs mounted into bed ends.
• Continental pillows.
• Sheer curtains.

What next?

Want to stay ahead of the trend? These features are currently cutting-edge hotel luxury. Adopt them in your home for a luxe feel.

• Greater convenience around the bed. This includes arm's length access to minibar, iced water, even fresh espresso.
• Less glitz, more subtle quality such as natural stones and wood.
• "His" and "hers" toilets.
• A sense of light and large, open spaces.
• Lighting that makes spaces glow from hidden recesses and that you can adapt to your mood.
• iPod docking stations in every room.
• Fragrant smells as part of the lure experience.
• No more layers of extraneous pillows and throws, just streamlined comfort.