Dark finishes and even darker lighting in the hotel's front bar make for a "tradie enjoying a cold beer on a hot day" atmosphere, while bright vintage globes and marble out the back set the backdrop for family dinners and parties.

I've sat and enjoyed the occasional gin and tonic in the front bar at Hotel Queanbeyan - but this is stuff I've never even noticed. CIT interior design students Mel Riley and Bianca Lewis have. They're obsessed with the hotel's renovation - from the new wall tiles, window dressings (or lack of) to the herringbone floor in the main bar.

"As interior designers we tend to see the unseen," Riley says.

"We see a space in a way that others don't. We see how carefully an aesthetic is planned and delivered, and while you're enjoying your beer, we're admiring the use of marble and timber or the colour palette."

For Riley, the beauty of the new Hotel Queanbeyan - know affectionately by locals as "Top Pub" - lies in modernising but also paying respect to the original 1920s interior.

"The black wall tiles are the same shape inside and outside, but they've used gloss outside and matte black inside," she says.

"They replicate the bricks that are the existing walls of the original pub, but add a modern touch."

Meanwhile, fellow CIT student Lewis says there are elements of the pub's interior that could easily work in Canberra and Queanbeyan homes.

"Although the pub is a hospitality venue, it feels very homely and many of the finishes could be used in a residential sense," she says.

"The styled cornices, the deep wooden skirting, the glass French doors, the mixed use of finishes like marble, timber and brick - and of course any home would feel complete with a beautiful alfresco area."

Over in New Acton, fellow CIT interior design students Jillian Storrs and Olivia Schmidt point out the things I've never noticed at Monster Bar. (Okay, so the fireplace is obvious but have you ever noticed the cork wallpaper? And can you name the three types of rock in the terrazo floor?)

"The open dining area has brutalised elements like the exposed cement beams and pipes, and the modern chandelier adds drama," Storrs says.

"The open dining and lounge areas are separated by an art installation that almost evokes the feeling of a mad scientist’s laboratory."

Schmidt is a fan of Monster's "eclectic" furniture choice and says it's a design approach Canberrans can copy at home. You'll need to add retro and mid-century inspired furniture to your shopping list.

"Whether you're matching old and new or using a wide range of furniture and accessories, you can create a dynamic and interesting home that's completely unique," Schmidt says.

You can add pops of colour with cushion covers and rugs, which helps adds to the mood and the overall ambiance."

WEAVE, CIT 2018 fashion and interior design graduating exhibition, Thursday November 15, 10am to 3pm, CIT Reid, Constitution Avenue, Reid. Free event, open to the public.