Whether you run a B&B or a villa, the interior design of your vacation rental has a considerably stronger influence on reservations than you may believe (and if you already knew that, congratulations!). In terms of design, hotels (particularly boutique hotels) still have an advantage over vacation rentals. After all, hotels have the resources to hire specialists to curate and arrange their rooms and common spaces for optimal comfort and beauty.
We can, thankfully, alter it. A few easy rental interior design improvements may significantly impact your home while retaining the charm and local inspiration that makes vacation rentals so unique.
Designing Interiors for Short-Term Rentals
When it comes to your visitors’ mood, your vacation rental’s interior design may have a huge impact on their experience. Tracie Weeks thinks it’s a good idea. Different textures and patterns provide a lasting sensory experience and may elicit favorable feelings. Calming settings may reduce stress hormone levels, blood pressure, and anxiety and depression levels.
Most visitors pick a vacation rental property because it has a distinct interior style to their own house. This implies you have a great chance to wow visitors throughout the research phase.
Vacation Rental Design’s Importance
Customers expect a lot from vacation rental properties, and this is particularly true when it comes to interior design. Although your rental may not be a Caribbean beachfront house, a well-designed interior may transform an otherwise ordinary property.
The perfect Airbnb décor or apartment design, on the other hand, may create a lasting impact on visitors. From a collection of vacation rental staging experts, we’ve compiled our top “dos and don’ts” below: An experienced traveler and photographer, as well as an expert in hospitality. There are also a few more recommendations to help you go the extra mile.
Make your vacation rental photo-ready (and guest-friendly!) with these pointers. What’s the greatest part? All of them may be completed in a single day. They won’t break the bank, either.
Marcinek Designs, Tyann Marcink, photographer
- Invest in a few throw pillows. Throw pillows may bring a dash of color to your space and, when created from local or traditional textiles, can convey a narrative about your house.
- DON’T: Forget to cut the tags and loose threads off your throw cushions. Shabby pillows aren’t shabby chic, and every detail will be seen in your images.
- D.O.: Decorate your walls with local art and souvenirs. You can support local artists and small businesses while giving your home a tale to tell. Show off some local goods about your property to inspire your visitors. Rather than filling your house with gaudy decorations and fridge magnets, this means showcasing wall hangings, artwork by local artisans, or ceramic collections made by you or your family.
- DON’T OVER-RELY ON SMALL ART. Whether canvas or framed images, large art unifies space and looks fantastic in real estate photography.
- Ensure that your artwork is hung at eye level. The way your work is displayed impacts how it is received. Eye-level is a good place to start, but we usually suggest utilizing detachable hooks for subsequent adjustments.
Lynne Martin, the author of Home Sweet Anywhere, is a seasoned traveler.
- D.O.: Provide hooks for your visitors. Owners, keep in mind that robes, towels, cosmetic bags, and other personal items need a place to be hung. Please don’t skimp on the hooks! Bathrooms, bedrooms, front halls, and kitchens all benefit from them.
- D.O.: Allow light to shine. Guidebooks, bestseller novels, travel books, and maps are favorites among travelers. Place lights or overhead illumination near the bed, beside the recliner, and in the kitchen, where people truly need them. A larger bulb will not break the wallet, and your guests will be ecstatic.
- D.O.: Provide a large number of hangers. Because these items are inexpensive and disposable, why not provide a plethora of them to make your visitors ecstatic? If you’re feeling very kind, include a couple of skirt hangers. If you do, your karma will improve!
DO NOT: Allow your pillows to get lumpy. Everyone enjoys good pillows, so invest in some very great, fluffy pillows and change them often. After a long day of touring, resting one’s head on a clean, welcoming cushion is a lovely experience that will help you get those rave evaluations.
Mercedes Brennan, 1 Chic Retreat, is the designer.
- D.O.: Incorporate blue into your home design. Blue is the preferred hue of 42 percent of individuals of all ages and from all walks of life. Trust, kindness, and calmness are all associated with the color blue. The world’s most prominent firms have blue logos for a reason. You should do the same!
- DON’T: Use earth-toned interior hues in excess. Browns and beiges are the least popular hues in the world since they are associated with degradation in people’s perceptions. You’ll make your visitors pleased and attract more reservations if you balance your browns with blue and blue-greens.
- D.O.: Create a color scheme that is unique to your property. Many beach resorts, for example, would most likely utilize blues and turquoises in their interiors to mirror coastal hues. Rural houses, on the other hand, should employ more natural palettes and timber elements to bring the outside in. Keep your patterns and designs to a minimum.
- DON’T: Begin painting without first making a strategy. You don’t want a kaleidoscope of clashing hues in your vacation property. Before you begin, take the time to sit down and consider the aesthetic of your rental.
- USE VINTAGE AND NEW FURNITURE IN THE SAME ROOM. Adding antique and vintage furniture to a vacation rental and some modern stuff helps it seem more genuine and high-end. For example, a stack of antique books next to a new light gives the space patina character.
- DON’T: Furnish a space entirely with antiques or brand-new furniture. The former gives your vacation rental the appearance of a dusty secondhand store, while the latter gives it the appearance of being hurried.
- D.O.: Include natural elements in your house. Plants are loved by almost everyone and provide a beautiful appeal to any house. If you’re not a plant expert, don’t panic; there are many alternatives for novices, such as pothos and snake plants. If your rental allows dogs, be careful to double-check which plants are poisonous to animals.
- DON’T: Purchase furniture that is all the same height. Buying furniture that is the same height is a classic rental design blunder. To finish your home, consider developing a balance of diverse heights and dimensions.
- MATCH YOUR BRAND WITH YOUR COMPANY’S. Consistency on and off the internet may be achieved by matching the interior decor of your business to its logo and website design.
Additional Rental Design Suggestions
- D.O.: Make sure your linens are clean. It’s a fact that you’ll have to clean between visits. However, spot-check them as soon as they come out of the dryer. Mrs. Stewart’s Bluing, for example, can keep linens gleaming white and make minor stains “no big deal.” And always tuck that bed to perfection! There are no exceptions.
- DON’T: Bring your linens to your vacation rental and recycle them. It’s time to reinvest in your linens if they’re more than two to four years old for the benefit of your visitors. Bedding is an investment that should not be skimped on.
- D.O.: Take a minimalist, high-design approach. Put another way, keep things basic and current, which creates a clean, open atmosphere (and makes the housekeeper’s work a lot simpler!). Make sure that the objects you leave out have a reason for being there.
- DON’T: Overdo it on the trinkets. Fake plants, sculptures, and other decorations acquire dust, which raises your cleaning costs. Choose a few exceptional, well-placed accents instead – additional points if they’re local!
- Invest in environmentally friendly materials. For socially aware tourists, eco-friendly solutions are becoming more popular. Changing your interior design to be more ecologically friendly may help you attract more visitors and motivate them to modify their behavior when they get home. Small adjustments like adopting energy-efficient lighting and providing appropriate recycling facilities might encourage visitors to examine their behaviors.
- DON’T: Limit yourself to a single furniture brand. We all adore IKEA, but visitors are quick to notice when a house is furnished from the same store. Research a selection of budget-friendly manufacturers to keep your rental’s interior decor fresh.
- USE OLD OBJECTS IN NEW WAYS. With the growth of inspiration-gathering sites like Pinterest, an increasing number of individuals are realizing they have the confidence to do their D.I.Y. projects. There is a sizable market for reused products, yet ready-made items may be rather expensive. Plus, half the fun is getting your hands dirty and doing tasks on your own. There are a number of creative ways to repurpose pallets for outdoor furniture, kitchen scales for a towel rack, or even an old door for a headboard in the bedroom.
That concludes our discussion.
Owners may express their individuality and style via the interior decor of their vacation rentals, which is one of their most alluring features. Unlike standard lodgings, such as chain hotels, which are often very inflexible in their design and preferences, vacation rentals come in a wide range of forms, sizes, and designs.
These details will not only give your house a distinct and distinctive personality, but they will also inspire visitors to consider how they might remodel their own homes and repurpose unwanted items. As a landlord, your goal is to make your guests feel at ease and at home, whether you completely change the color scheme or simply add a few items by local artists.
