Our Top 5 Tips for Holiday Accommodation

1. Research - In the age of social media, first impressions count when it comes to holiday accommodation. When furnishing and decorating your accommodation research your local competition and style in a way that ensures you will stand out from the crowd. You want your place to be the place that people want to stay in because it’s ‘insta-worthy’!

2. Concept – When working with our clients we always start with a concept. This is something every element of your design  relates back to, create a visual mood board to support this concept. If you are struggling making design decisions you will then be guided by this concept throughout the project. For example if your concept is ‘Relaxed Coastal’ you can then create a mood board including images of natural woven textures, soft cool colour palettes, relaxed natural linens and texture. Every single time you go to select finishes and fixtures, design a space or purchase furniture, homewares and linen you can then refer back to your concept and ask yourself – does this piece work in with the design elements and principles of my relaxed coastal concept? This way, you will justify every single one of your design decisions and create a cohesive, considered space.

3. It’s all in the details – As a designer, I can walk into any space and spot design flaws or notice a lack of detail. Small details in styling your holiday accommodation are what add to the entire experience of staying in a beautiful place. Go ahead and ensure you have the best local tea and coffee for your guests, beautiful tableware and glassware, lovely hand soaps and bodywash, soft inviting linen and sheets etc. It is these small details that make up a home, so why should it be any different in your holiday accommodation. And again, ensure all of these things relate back to your concept!

4. Consistency of Cleanliness + Styling – This goes without saying, always ensure your holiday accommodation is spotless and styled to perfection for each and every guest. Cushions and accessories are beautiful for styling but if done incorrectly they won’t give you that effortlessly styled feel – have someone (whether it be the cleaner or manager of your holiday accommodation) learn how to style the place so there is consistency in the styling for each guest. You wouldn’t want someone to see your accommodation looking beautiful on your Instagram and website, and arrive disappointed because it is not styled how the photos showed it would be online.

5. Branding – The branding and identity of your holiday accommodation goes hand in hand with a beautifully styled interior. For consistency and brand awareness we would always recommend engaging a graphic designer to complete your branding for you, this assists in creating an identity for your property and standing out from the competition. Your logo and overall graphic aesthetic can then flow through into your interior by using it to create signage, special guestbooks, information packs and guidebooks for your local area.

The Stables founder Catherine Heraghty interviews Katie on how she transformed her home into a Hampton's style guesthouse in Byron Bay.