6 holiday home makeover tips
It’s that time of year when many of us are setting goals and making plans. If your new year’s resolution is to give your holiday home a makeover, then we have some important tips for you. Before you choose a new colour scheme or spend money on designer furniture, you need to consider your target market.
An interior decorating makeover can add huge value to your Airbnb but, if you make the wrong choices, it can also lead to fewer bookings and less people clicking on your listing.
So before you pick up the paintbrush, here are our top tips for holiday home makeovers!
Holiday Home Makeover Tips
1. Take advantage of natural light
One of the reasons Guests are booking your holiday home as opposed to a large hotel is because they want to feel connected to what’s around them and that means letting them see the outside world.
Design your living spaces so they take advantage of natural light. Place desks by windows. Put your couch facing the double sliding door so your guests and sit down to enjoy the sunset.
And try to keep windows and doorways free of clutter so that light can filter through. If you have a balcony, don’t put too much outdoor furniture on it if there’s the potential that those objects will block the view or natural light.
If you live in an apartment that doesn’t get much light, invest in beautiful lamps and make sure they are all switched on before your guest arrives. Most travellers don’t want to rock up to a dark cave when they check in!
2. Opt for feature items over feature walls
It can be tempting as an Airbnb host to get ‘creative’ with colours when giving your holiday home a makeover. Painting the living room bright red or the hallway deep blue might seem like a great way to attract attention on the Airbnb platform but remember that bold moves like that could also result in repelling guests. Instead, invest in feature items that bring colour to the room without being overpowering.
These could be works of art, ornate rugs or some large cushions. If you do add colourful items to your space, try to coordinate them. For example, if you are creating a middle eastern theme in your living room by adding red Turkish rugs to the floor, try to find cushions and art that fits with that theme.
3. Invest in comfort & style
When you’re contemplating new furniture for your Airbnb as part of your makeover project, think about comfort. Yes, you might have fallen in love with a funky couch from IKEA that’s affordable and would look great in your space but is it a sofa that anyone is going to want to sit on it for long periods of time? Is it cosy and comfy? The same goes for beds.
Always invest in quality, comfortable mattresses. Don’t cut corners when it comes to giving your guests a good night’s sleep. This includes choosing quality linen and duvet covers. Cheaper options might look great and be better for your bank balance but in the long-term, they will result in bad reviews which will impact your holiday rental’s profitability.
4. Personalise the space but don’t overdo it
As we’ve mentioned, guests who book stays on Airbnb are after a more authentic and unique experience. If they wanted a bland room with stock-standard features, they would have booked a hotel chain.
Part of the charm of Airbnb is that guests are able to get a feel for you and your neighbourhood by the way you decorate and design your space. If your apartment is near West End in London, you may want to create a framed piece from the show tickets and flyers that you’ve accumulated over the years.
If your holiday home is a rustic cottage in the countryside, you might want to feature old farm equipment in the garden. The trick is to personalise the space without overdoing it. Guests do not want to see photos of your family on the mantlepiece or your son’s graduation pictures in the hallway. Let them know who you are, and where you live, without being too creepy!
5. Make it practical
If you’ve got some grand ideas for interior decorating and redesigning your holiday home, always consider the practicality of those ideas before you begin work. Maybe you are keen to make the bedroom bigger and want to knock down a wall.
Great! But make sure your new sleeping space has all the practicalities that a bedroom should – such as lots of cupboard and hanging space for guests to store their clothes. If you create a beautiful outdoor patio area for guests – think about adding rain cover so that it can be used all-year-round.
6. Use tricks to give the illusion of space
Many of our Airbnb hosts own small apartments and they often ask our advice on how to make their space look bigger. There are a couple of interior design tricks you can use to give the illusion of space. The most popular of these is adding mirrors.
The reflection will pick up on the natural light within the property – making it look brighter and bigger. Our other big tip for ‘adding space’ is to keep your rental property completely free from clutter. Shelves full of novels and tabletops covered in knick-knacks might look fabulous in a large living room but these items won’t do you any favours if you’re trying to make your tiny apartment feel spacious.
If you’re confused about what road to take when it comes to the interior design of your Airbnb furnished rental, give our team at GuestReady a call. We have many years of experience in helping hosts decorate their apartments. We can help you turn your holiday home into a highly desirable travel destination, with the chance to earn Airbnb Plus status!
We also have a partnership in the UK with HomeWings to decorate and style properties for Airbnb. Our hosts in Portugal can benefit from discounts when they use TGV for decorating.
