Tips for Designing a Holiday Property
Founder of SOUL home and new boutique holiday accommodation The PAUSE, Simone Mathews is sharing her top five tips to consider when designing a holiday property.
Photography: The Palm Co
1. Expectation
When you style a holiday house, your guests are expecting to arrive and see the same ‘wow’ images from your website and social media. So it’s important to find ways to style your property consistently with minimal fuss so you can turn it over quickly between guests, yet ensure the property looks incredible and inviting every single time. Create a styled space, but not a sterile space. You want your guests to feel like they can put their feet up and not be scared to break anything. When styling don’t use pieces that you can’t afford to replace or pieces that will devastate you if damaged. You want your guests to respect your property and items, but understand that accidents do happen.
2. The Boxing Day test
Style is important, bu it also needs to be practical. The Boxing Day test is to ensure that every person that your property can sleep, can also be accommodated on the lounge or the dining table. So if you property sleeps eight, you need to seat eight on the lounge and at the dining table. When on holidays, people want to come together and spend time as a group.
3. Storage
In your own property, you need dedicated storage for everyday items like wardrobes and storage robes. In holiday properties, you can create open hanging spaces that can form part of your styling. Don’t waste space in holiday properties with excess storage that will not be utilised.
4. Use everyday items to add character
In a holiday property, you can style your everyday items with open shelves, particularly in spaces like the kitchen. Place your stacks of plates, bowls and glasses on open shelves; not only are they then easy to find, they also look great.
5. Quality linen
It’s easiest to stick with the same colour linen and bedding in your holiday property. It will save your dollars with your laundry as they can all be washed together, rather than different loads for the cleaners and laundromat. You can dress up the beds with bed covers and throws instead. Also pick quality linens that allow for repeat laundering.
