In this guest piece, Rob Lessmann, founder of Design’d Living, explores his five top tips for creating an attractive, luxe interior in a holiday rental.

Styling a property to let and creating a holiday rental are totally different areas of expertise when it comes to interior design. One needs to be a blank canvas that shows the capabilities of the home, and the other – a holiday rental – has to be bright, bold and well-thought-out in terms of spacing, appliance offering and Instagram-ability, especially if you want to attract the right clients to your rental property.

Furniture

One of the most important aspects of a holiday rental is its furniture. If you’re wanting to make potential customers stop and stare at your property, the furniture will do the talking and be one of the first areas of the property to be considered after the essentials (such as location, bedrooms, bathrooms and of course dog-friendliness).

When it comes to choosing pieces of furniture in your holiday let, it’s important to choose hard wearing materials that can cope with the daily use, (similarly with flooring choices, too) yet also have that home from home feel. It’s also important to look at key pieces that will make any subsequent holiday rentals in multiple locations across the country instantly recognisable as yours, such as having a stand-out piece of furniture.

When buying furniture, the size of it really does matter. Two small sofas for a home fit for 6-8 people isn’t going to work. Similarly, a huge dining table for a one-bed flat doesn’t make sense, and it would be better spent on storage solutions to make the property feel bigger. Planning your space well will make it easier for guests to move around the home and enjoy the space with ease.

Kitchen & Bathroom

When it comes to spending money on your holiday rental, its key to focus your budget on the kitchen and bathroom. A clean, fresh, and modern cooking area and a relaxing bathroom go a long way towards someone booking your rental rather than a competitor.

Adding in key appliances in the kitchen such as a high-end coffee machine and a hot tap also make living in the property easier and add to the enjoyment of stopping in a rental with modern gadgets that some may already have at home, or love to have.

It’s also recommended to explore the relevant worktops and cabinetry in the kitchen and bathroom, to ensure it lasts the test of time. Materials such as quartz are more expensive, but won’t need to be replaced every few years due to water or heat damage.  

Bold colours

Another element to stand out from the crowd is the clever placing on bold colours. Think bright wallpapers or tiles, and soft furnishings such as pillows, rugs and curtains. Creative colours look great on camera and can add a luxe feel if done right. A gallery wall full of different colourful paintings that match the location of the home can also give it that home from home feel.

Bedroom

With the bedrooms, you want to make it as functional but as cosy as possible. A recent survey found that 80% of people have trouble sleeping when travelling away from home, so those little extras really do make a difference, especially if you’re looking to attract the right customer that will want to return again and again.

Bed linen should be of a high quality, along with pillows and duvets. There should also be easy solutions for getting ready such as a long mirror for checking outfits and appearance, plus a dressing table for the client to get ready with plug sockets close by for hair styling tools. It’s really important to think about the movements of the person renting your holiday home, especially so you don’t end up with burn marks in the carpet from straighteners or make up stains on the floor.

Mood lighting

If you want to go a step further in making a holiday rental attractive, think about your lighting. Task lighting such as main spotlights that focus on a particular element of the room are really important. A kitchen would need task lighting around the cabinets, countertops and sink.

Mood lighting is also important. Look for fun ways to incorporate it into the holiday rental to highlight features such as walls, or points of interest in a room. This could be something simple such as some side lights, pendants or LED strips to accentuate an area.

Finally, reading lighting on either side of the bed is an added element which can give your customer that added hotel feel.

*Design consultant Rob Lessmann founded Design’d Living in 2015. The company offers contemporary interior design and consultancy, inspired by modern living. You can check them out on Instagram here.