Every year, every unit, every guest, we learn something new in our vacation rental journey. Everything from, getting furniture that tolerates wear and tear, replacing existing appliances, and dealing with the rust factor in Florida, to the details of bedding, decor and lighting. The bottom line is, even though we have VERY good guests, people are not as careful when on vacation as they are in their own homes. This is why, nearly 4 years in, we gave one of our vacation rentals, the Beachside Bungalow, an upgrade.

Hospitality, Design, DesignHacks, RemodelOnABudget, HomeStaging, HomeFurnishing, DesignStyles, VacationRentals, PeriodicUpdates<br />

The Beachside Bungalow was our first vacation rental in Florida and at the time we were working with limited budget and experience. Even so, the BB is booked nonstop and performs in the top 10% of vacation rentals in Cocoa Beach. I feel like there is always room to make things better and I would LOVE to shoot for the top 5% or better yet 1% in Cocoa Beach, so I made a plan.

Hospitality, Design, DesignHacks, RemodelOnABudget, HomeStaging, Hom
Hospitality, Design, DesignHacks, RemodelOnABudget, HomeStaging, Hom
Hospitality, Design, DesignHacks, RemodelOnABudget, HomeStaging, Hom
Hospitality, Design, DesignHacks, RemodelOnABudget, HomeStaging, Hom

I needed to replace some chairs and bedding that were not wearing well and I wanted to lighten the whole place up. I began with the chairs in the seating area, which were not as durable as I had hoped. We have learned to steer away from furniture with detachable legs (wobble-o-rama) and certain fabrics which don’t cleanup well. We found some chairs that I loved at Target and purely by accident, found that the legs and chair were all one piece of wood (wobble-be-gone). Alas, we had to go to 3 Target stores to get all 4 chairs we needed, but we made it an adventure! They were lighter in color and narrower in width which made the whole space feel more open. 

Hospitality, Design, DesignHacks, RemodelOnABudget, HomeStaging, Hom
Hospitality, Design, DesignHacks, RemodelOnABudget, HomeStaging, Hom

Next, I had a dinette set with white, rattan chairs that fit perfectly in the dining area, a new light fixture with a rattan shade and new artwork added some much needed light. I changed all the other light fixtures throughout the Bungalow—an inexpensive way to refresh a room—including the ceiling fans which didn’t have lights before, but now they do. My most favorite and economical method for brightening a room is by changing out the throws and pillows. I switched the pillows in the seating area, the living room area and the bedrooms to neutral colors with subtle patterns for a beautiful refresh in the whole unit.

Hospitality, Design, DesignHacks, RemodelOnABudget, HomeStaging,
Hospitality, Design, DesignHacks, RemodelOnABudget, HomeStaging,

The refrigerator and stove came with the property and at the time we thought to save money by not replacing those. However, there was a dent in the refrigerator door and since the kitchen is visible immediately upon entry, I wanted to make that area look brand new. I found a great deal and got both the refrigerator and stove for $1300. We could easily have spent 10s of thousands of dollars on this refresh, but we actually only spent $3K and I love it so much, I don’t want to leave. That is when I know I have hit the target I am aiming for—I want to sit down in the space and stay.

For more information on giving your spaces a refresh, get my book, 

7 Seconds: How To Leverage The Seven Second Rule In Your Home Designs and Real Estate Investments Second Edition. You can find all my tips and tricks and beautiful before-and-after photos to ignite your creativity. Get yours today!

Refreshingly,

Karen Conrad Metcalfe