The concept of this place is charming and we appreciated all the design choices that convey the owners' respect for the building and its site. Close to the center of town, it's ideal for both walking and driving. This is undermined by some odd flaws and omissions — and by some things that might be uncontrollable, such as the thin walls that forced us to listen to arguments from the occupants of the room next to ours. Here's what I'd do to quickly bring the place closer to its ideal: 1) Provide bathrobes. 2) Put a nightlight in the bathroom so you don't blind yourself if you need to go in the middle of the night. 3) Install dimmers on the bedside lamps, so the lighting choices are not just on/off. 4) Add more hooks and pegs on the walls, which substitute for closets and dressers here. Other issues may be harder to address: 1) The sink fixture is a cute old-fashioned brass thing, but the spout curves down so close to the sinkbowl (which is beautiful, btw) that I had a hard time using it without banging my hands into either the spout or the sink, or both. This seems like an instance of "Wow that looks good, let's buy it!" overcoming "Will this actually do the job in its context of use?" As someone who worked in design research for years, I've seen this a hundred times. 2) The toilet seat is needlessly high. Ergonomic studies show that the best toilet is low, putting the user closer to a squatting position. They could've found one that matches their design concept *and* satisfies physiological requirements. 3) Don't get me started on the inadvisability of an AC/heat system that runs multiple room units, each with its own remote control, off of a single compressor in a split configuration. Net: if you're not as picky as we are, you'll probably love the place! We liked it and applaud the owners for striving to be as intentional as possible.
