Design on a Dime – Reuse, Remix, and Rearrange for a fresh look!
After selling a vacation home to our clients, we were commissioned to furnish, decorate, and buy all supplies for a 5 bedroom short term rental vacation home on a shoe string budget. Learn how to do this in 5 steps.
- Determine the STYLE & VIBE. Perhaps you like both Modern and Spanish style. It’s fine to blend the two styles but make sure you don’t go too extreme on either. In my humble opinion, blending styles makes a place more welcoming and interesting. In choosing items to purchase, make sure you find some commonalities in color and/or shape that make the room look cohesive and intentional. The architecture of the house and the neighborhood may help you decide. In terms of the vibe, do you want a more relaxed or formal vibe? This will dictate how you decorate as well.
- Find an INSPIRATION (AKA INSPO) PICTURE. Since I’m not a trained designer, the first thing I do is to go to the internet and find some “INSPO” pictures. What’s an INSPO picture and where can you find one? Websites such as Houzz.com, Pinterest, and just Google have a plethora of design pictures of rooms that you can mimic. As they say, a picture is a thousand words.
- Determine the COLOR PALETTE based INSPO picture. Color is extremely important to create a vibe/mood for your space. For cohesiveness, I would recommend choosing 2 main colors and 2-3 accent colors. Keep in mind the wall and floor color when choosing your main and accent colors to make sure they all compliment one another.
- Make a SHOPPING LIST of what you need to shop for and start with the large investment pieces first. Large investment pieces include: Sofas, Beds, Dining Table & Chairs. For a short term rental property, buying brand new beds and supplies (ie. Kitchen supplies, linens, etc) is critical for 5 star reviews. For all other furnishings including art, second hand, stylish, good shape and durable is key. The balance of the two will allow you to stretch your dollars and accomplish a “designer” look and feel.
- SHOP NEW AND SECOND HAND online (NextDoor, CraigsList, Facebook Marketplace, Amazon) and in stores (Thrift shops, HomeGoods, Marshalls, TJ Maxx, etc). It’s great for the environment to shop second hand if you can. If it’s good, quality furniture brands, they will last and will be both stylish and durable. You can also find Consignment stores a great place to find quality furniture pieces. Inexpensive small décor items and artwork can be found this way too.
