Tips for styling and furnishing your holiday let
Styling and furnishing your holiday let doesn’t have to be difficult – you just need to familiarise yourself on some key factors that will make the property warming, welcoming and so it ‘feels like home’. It should combine comfort, elegance and practicality.
The easiest way to tackle the project is to think about each room individually and make a list of the normal daily activities that would take place. This will help you decide on what furniture you’ll need.
Consider who your target audience is and what would appeal to them. If you’re targeting families, glass tables with sharp edges isn’t a good idea. If your holiday let will be pet friendly, solid floors and washable throws on the sofa are logical.
Not sure where to start? We’ve put together some questions to think about:
- What’s the overall theme, décor or style of your holiday let?
- Who is your target audience?
- Are your current items functional?
- Is furniture durable or fragile?
These questions will help you decide on the style of your property, but it will also help you sift out furniture and accessories which could break or just isn’t needed. We’ll dive into these in more detail.
A little more on target audience
Identifying your target audience is so important and the first thing you should think about. It forms the basis of your whole holiday home. It’s a good idea to drill down on it too – so will you cater for different groups and sizes to attract a wider audience, or will it be for a niche audience?
If you’re catering for both smaller and larger groups, you’ll want to think about having flexible sleeping arrangements. Think zip and link beds. You can add child friendly items from the offset, such as stair gates, high chairs and child size crockery and cutlery.
Is your holiday let for a couple only? Then having a romantic snug sofa makes the perfect companion to your additional sofa.
Get inspiration from your surroundings
Is your holiday let near the coast, in the country or city? What’s the local history? Using local inspiration can add to the overall experience and provides local touches. If the area has an art focus, you could add locally painted wall art. Maybe you’re near the coast or in the countryside – which calls for using local materials or adding pictures of the local scenes or focal point. Local treats also go down like a treat.
Tips for furnishing your holiday let
Let’s dive into the furniture. There are a few things to consider here.
1. Quality provides longevity
Furniture and accessories are an investment which should last for a few years. Buying cheaper furniture and appliances could cost more in the long run – as you’ll need to replace them more often. Your guests are also likely to notice if you’ve cut corners and it may stop them from rebooking in the future or they could leave a negative review. Good quality, durable furniture is the way to go. It looks great and it will last longer.
2. Be practical
Be practical when choosing your furniture and accessories. If your holiday let is pet friendly or child friendly, you probably wouldn’t want to have light coloured carpets or bed linen as they can stain easily. The same goes for including bone china cutlery – looks great but not such a good idea.
3. What’s your space?
This brings us back to thinking about each room individually and looking at the space available. The last thing you’d want to do is cram in lots of furniture – making it difficult to move around. However leaving too much space free and not having enough furniture can make your rooms look unfurnished and sparse. This would discourage larger groups from booking as there wouldn’t be enough space to sit.
A couple of final points…
Necessities can make all the difference
The goal is to retain your guests, so they keep coming back. Provide them with everything they would need – such as tea, coffee, hot chocolate, toiletries, appliances and a fully stocked kitchen. This will enhance their overall experience and help them to settle in, so they feel at home. Who wouldn’t want to come back?
Use customer feedback – there’s nothing better
Customer feedback and reviews say it all. We live in a world where reviews are the first thing we check. Take advantage of this to make improvements by monitoring online reviews. Want to go a step further to making your holiday let perfect? You could leave a feedback book to encourage guests to leave suggestions. It’s a great idea if you use the feedback to make informed improvements. It can also tell you what you’re doing well, helping you identify what’s working and if it highlights anything unique – which you can include in your ads as a selling point.
If you’re looking for further advice on getting your holiday let ready for the open market, or maybe it’s time to refresh or update your furniture, accessories or appliances, then get in touch with us. Our friendly team are ready to go the extra mile to making it perfect. Email us at orders@manorinteriors.co.uk or give us a ring on 01618797137.
