A relaxing vacation home is a low-maintenance vacation home! It stands the test of time. Requires minimal upkeep or repairs. Can be rented out in the off-season (if you want) with no harm done. Best of all? A relaxing vacation home supports your lifestyle, whether that means kids or grandkids running around, features designed for entertaining, or materials and furnishings that prioritize comfort.
Designing a vacation home is about putting you first. Today, I’m sharing my best design tips for a home that is low in maintenance and high in rewards.
1. First Rule of Thumb? Keep It Simple
If you plan on renting out your vacation home, or even letting family and friends stay there, keeping things simple will allow everyone to enjoy their visit without placing a big burden on cleaning up. It also makes it easy for you to drop in and visit whenever the mood strikes.
This means a simple, universally appealing design, as well as uncluttered spaces. We recommend keeping spaces open and clear, decorating (but not cluttering) the space, and implementing all of the following simple strategies, too...
2. Select a Neutral Color Palette
Ostentatious color can turn away prospective renters, so we suggest using neutral tones for your paint and as the base fabrics for most of your furniture. You can add color and personality later, through artwork and accessories. These are low-commitment items that can also easily be changed out easily over time, or as your own tastes change. (More on accessories further down.)
3. Splurge on Resilient Furnishings
First, remember that vacation homes are designed for lounging, de-stressing, and spending time with friends and family. You’ll want to pick pieces of furniture that encourage comfort and a social atmosphere. This means a variety of seating options, comfy cushions, and furniture configurations designed for gathering and conversation.
As for low-maintenance options, pick resilient fabric for your sofa and accent chair. Distressed leather and sometimes even outdoor fabrics (look for performance fabrics like Sunbrella or Crypton) can be used on indoor furniture. They will look great and wear well, too.
4. Amp Up the Amenities & Accessories
In a primary home, even though accessories are the finishing touches that make a house feel like home, most people will keep their accessories low-cost to save a few bucks. In a vacation home, however, not only does decorating the home make it feel high-end and finished (and worthy of renters’ care and respect), your accessories often become amenities!
For example, nice hand soaps, lotions, and candles create a retreat-like experience for you and your guests. Keep the linen closet stocked with extra pillows, blankets, towels, and washcloths — quality ones.
Greenery is also essential for adding a touch of life, relaxation, and bringing the outdoors in. Though we love the look of house plants, they are tough to maintain since you are not living there full time. Instead, incorporate some branches, dried flowers and even artificial (yeah, artificial) plants. Believe me, it makes a big difference!
Last on the list of amenities, don’t forget the electronics… Keep the home stocked with chargers and power adapters for charging your gadgets. Pick the right size HDTV (but don’t make it the center of attention) for long rainy days or cold snowy ones, when you or guests want to snuggle up by the fireplace.
5. Don’t Overlook the Cozy Bedroom Essentials
Speaking of snuggling, let’s talk about bedroom essentials. First, get a high quality mattress. It’s a must. Every Airbnb we have rented over the past few years has had the worst mattresses ever. I swear, they picked them up at the side of the road. There isn’t an excuse for having a junky mattress. You deserve better, and so do your guests!
We love the Sleep Number mattresses which allow you to control each side of the bed. Best part, they don’t have springs that wear out over time. At a minimum, go for a foam mattress that is relatively firm. This will resist sagging as guests stay over.
Keep the bedding simple yet comfortable, with nice sheets (scratchy sheets don’t make you any friends), a comforter, and a few throw pillows. We love crisp, white linens just like you would find in a hotel. They look great and are easy to pair with any type of bedding. (Plus, you can toss them into the laundry with some bleach and they will look like new each time.)
Each bedroom will also benefit from a storage basket with a few extra blankets (in case you or your guests get cold at night), as well as bedside lights and an ottoman or accent chair where guests can rest or toss their bag or suitcase.
6. Create a High-Performance Kitchen
Neither you nor your guests want a kitchen with limitations. It’s a vacation home, after all! If you don’t have time to perfect your culinary prowess here, you never will. The best way to ensure happy times in the heart of the home is to fully stock it with pots, pans, cutting boards, utensils, and extra seasonings and spices.
(Plus, the more you have at the vacation home, the less you need to pack in the SUV each week as you frantically try to make it out of town while fighting Friday Chicago traffic.)
For high-performance, low-maintenance countertops, we prefer quartz. Quartz on its own is a durable material that looks great and is easy to clean up and maintain. You won’t have to worry about water rings if you leave your bottle of beer on the counter, or spaghetti sauce and red wine leaving a stain. Quartz has it under control. (More on the secret to functional Kitchen Layouts here.)
We also suggest selecting a matte, suede, or leather finish for your quartz (all of the manufacturers, such as Silestone, call their finish something different). This type of finish wears well and looks better with time. If you are renting out your home on Airbnb, VRBO or HomeAway.com, these finishes will also look amazing in your listing photos and wear well if your guests aren’t as tidy as you are. Win-win!
7. Harness the Underestimated Power of Window Treatments
Window treatments do more for your home than just cover the window. They can offer privacy without blocking the view of the lake, fool potential burglars with automatic settings, and look like a million bucks. (Seriously, the right window treatments can transform your home.)
We love automated roller shades or roman shades. They look great and can be programmed to automatically close with your voice using Alexa or Google Home device, or on a schedule (e.g. 60 minutes after sunset). This is great for keeping burglars and nosy neighbors guessing when you are at your vacation home or not.
We also suggest finding a provider that will measure and install the shades for you. Windows come in all shapes and sizes, and it’s likely that not all retail options will fit yours. ShadeStore.com is one of our favorite providers for quality options and great service.
If you’re thinking, “Kathryn, I would much rather do it myself,” that’s fine, too. If you are looking for a DIY option, YooLax on Amazon is a great option; however, they are a bit quirky with their dimensions. Make sure to order a single shade so you can get the dimensions right. Then order the rest for your home.
8. Plan a Work Space
Yeah, we know, who likes to work while on vacation?? No one, but if there is one thing that COVID has taught us, it’s that work can be done anywhere. If you are fortunate to have a flexible job where you can work from anywhere, why not take the family to the vacation home a day or two early (avoiding that dreaded Chicago traffic) and work from the vacation home? Or give guests and renters the option to stay at any time of year, not just when they can get PTO?
Outfitting a nice office with a comfy chair and a large monitor allows you to be productive while in a fun and inviting environment. Trust me, we work from the road a lot… answering emails next the pool barely feels like work. ;)
And there you have it — a vacation home that supports your lifestyle, ensures endless relaxation, and isn’t going to tax your nerves when renters take up residence. That’s a design success in my book.
Need help with any aspect of renovating or decorating your vacation home? We’ll help you find the sweet spot between prioritizing you, your budget, and your dream lifestyle. Let’s chat!
Yours,
Kathryn (& Bill) Cherne