How To Furnish A Holiday Let: Tips Everyone Should Know

It goes without saying that creating a welcoming, relaxing, and stylish ‘home away from home’ for your guests is vital, but deciding how to furnish a holiday let can often be overwhelming. With so many things to consider, from styles and fabrics to spacing and furnishings, it’s often easy to get carried away. 

So if you are starting the process from scratch or you’re looking to renovate your existing property, we’ve put together a list of top tips everyone should know and consider when looking to furnish their holiday let so you can create a stylish, comfortable, and sort after oasis for your guests.

Tips On How To Furnish A Holiday Let

Knowing where to begin when deciding how to furnish a holiday let is often difficult. The furnishings, artwork, paint colours, and decor you choose are crucial elements of every space within your holiday home and there’s a fine balance to be had in order to make it a space that’s practical and inviting and caters to your guest’s every need.

Don’t go overboard

Many property owners might think that you need to fill every possible space with practical items and often get excited when furnishing their holiday cottage, however, less is always more in our opinion. 

While choosing paint colours, decorations, and artwork are all part of the fun in creating your ideal sanctuary, you need to remember that it won’t be you that primarily stays within the property. 

So you’ll need to consider the needs of others, and a calmer, less congested environment will result from not overdoing it with the patterns, colours, accessories, and knick-knacks.

Comfort is key

Imagine you’ve just got home from a busy day walking and exploring the local area, you’re joyful, content, and exhausted. All you want to do is curl up and rest in your home away from home. 

Instead of sinking into a plush sofa cushion or a comfy mattress, you’re met with the equivalent of a church seat. If that were us, we’d be really disappointed. So when considering how to furnish a holiday let, make sure you always have comfort in mind. 

The comfort of your guest is crucial and soft furnishings play a significant role in making sure they return time and time again. This is definitely one area you do not want to scrimp on.

Make the most of your surroundings

First impressions really count when people choose to stay at your holiday let, so it pays to make sure you get the look and feel right. A great way to do this is to pull inspiration from the location of your holiday let. 

If your property is located in the Cotswold countryside why not embrace its beautiful surroundings with neutral colours, vintage ware, and antique furnishings? Similarly, if you’re next to a canal in Oxford then using a nautical theme including cool blues and greys will help you bring elements of the outside in making your guests feel that little bit more connected to their surroundings. 

No matter where you’re property is located, whether that’s in the Cotswold countryside or in the heart of historical Oxford, why not pull inspiration from your surrounding area? By including elements from your surroundings, you bring a bit of individuality to your property whilst also making your guests feel connected to the area they are in.

Storage

If you want your property to feel like a home away from home for your guests providing plenty of storage is one way to do this. You want your guests to be able to temporarily store their clothes and other personal items without them having to live out of a suitcase. 

Having ample storage in your property is also a great way to keep clutter at bay, however, that doesn’t mean you can buy lots of stuff and then hide it in cupboards. Some simple ways to increase storage but also keep a feeling of openness within your property would be to use ottomans and divan beds.

Combine quality with durability

Your holiday home is likely to see a lot of different guests throughout the year, so it’s worth thinking about the durability and longevity of your furnishings and decor. 

You need to view your furniture as an investment and choosing long-lasting furnishings and fittings will help keep your self-catering accommodation from looking weary and worn and will reduce the need to replace items frequently.

De-personalise your property

It’s good to be surrounded by joyful memories, personal items, and knick-knacks in your own home, but your holiday let, however, is not the place. Your guests want to feel like your holiday home is entirely theirs and nothing shatters that illusion like leaving your personal belongings all over the place. 

Keep your family portraits and personal belongings out of your vacation rental. This way your visitors can feel like the place is theirs and you’ll also be making sure nothing valuable gets damaged or harmed.

Find out how Short Let Space can help you with all aspects of your holiday rental in Oxford, The Cotswolds, and surrounding areas. 

At Short Let Space we provide a full property management service to take the stress off you as a landlord. We’ll handle everything from guests’ questions, to laundry, housekeepers, and more. It’s an end-to-end service for you and your guests.