Decorating Tips Property Owners Can Take Away from Boutique Hotels
Wie House Bedroom a soundfront rental in Kitty Hawk
When someone thinks of a boutique hotel, they imagine a stylish property with interesting décor. The goal of the boutique hotel is to provide an interesting and unique experience, along with a personal touch. As a vacation rental owner on the Outer Banks, you will find that you can learn quite a bit from the way that the boutique hotels operate. In addition to providing quality customer service and personalized care, you will find that they also have interesting ways to decorate their rooms.
If you would like to give your rental property a boutique feel, consider utilizing some of the different techniques used for decorating those hotels.
Your Personal Taste Is Not Important
Sure, if you are decorating a home that you are going to be living in, then you want to make sure that it appeals to your sense of aesthetics. However, when you are decorating a vacation rental property, you need to make sure you are thinking about the types of things that your guests will want and expect when it comes to the décor. By utilizing techniques used by boutique hotels, you will find that you can make your property unique and more attractive to potential guests.
Imagine someone coming upon two listings of properties of similar size and cost. One looks like a typical run of the mill home that is indistinguishable from all the other houses out there. The other property, your property, has unique lighting and décor. Naturally, they will want to choose the property that provides them with a unique stay.
Accessories Are Important
One of the things that you will often see in boutique hotels is a collection of accessories that help to personalize the rooms and the hotel overall. You want to attempt the same thing with your property. You do not have to have items that match everything else in the home, as you will find that many boutique hotels have eclectic designs. Accessories for each room are essential, and the types you choose can vary greatly. You can find some of the pieces through thrift stores and online, and you will find that you do not have to spend a fortune do get the look that you want.
Jay Jeffers, the author of Collected Cool, says to consider adding items in rooms that bring in a range of different textures, including something sleek, something natural, and something plush. Even though you can have different types of accessories, you may want to consider sticking to a color scheme so things do not become too outrageous.
Just make sure that these fit the style, and that they do not become too overwhelming in any room. This could make the place look cluttered, which is a problem, as you will see later.
What About the Color?
There is no single type of color scheme that screams boutique hotels. They are all different. Some of them have pure black and white furnishings. Other might have some bright colors that are different from what most people experience at home. You have many options when it comes to the colors you want to use with your property.
However, it is generally a good idea to consider having some color themes that flow throughout your property, as this can help to tie things together nicely from one room to another.
Fun With Mirrors
Many boutiques have a range of mirrors available in the rooms. The tried and true standard is to have a large mirror hung on the wall, but you can choose some other options, too. A modern style that is starting to become popular in some hotels is to have mirrored side tables and dressers.
The Right Lighting
Lighting can make a big difference in the look and feel of any property. You want to have plenty of lighting, but instead of using the typical lamps that you might find at IKEA, consider some other lighting options. Pendant lighting, antique style lamps, and even salt lamps are popular choices that could work well for your property. Since you are in the Outer Banks, having the salt lamps as additional mood lighting in the bedrooms might be a nice touch.
Even if you already have standing lamps and table lamps and do not want to get rid of them, you can still give them more of a boutique feeling. Best of all, this is easy to do. Just change out the lamp shades.
Take Care of the Clutter
Boutique hotels have a personal touch, but they are not full of personal items. You want to learn from this and make sure that there is no clutter in the home, or in any of the photos you use in your listings. Accessories are fine as long as there are not too many of them.
Consider Wallpaper
You might also want to think about having wallpaper in the home rather than just paint on the walls, even if it is just in the bathrooms and kitchen. Having wallpaper is a very easy way to add more style to any space. Just take care when you are choosing your wallpaper pattern. You want it to bring out the charm of the property.
In some cases, this might mean a bold wallpaper, where in other cases, something subtle will work better.
Remember the Outdoor Space
If you have an outdoor area for your rental property, remember to decorate that as well. Boutique hotels with outdoor spaces cater to their guest making the outdoor experience just as special and restful. You should have at least one table (more if you have a large space) with plenty of seating. The tables should be large enough for people to eat outside if they choose. In addition, there should be at least one or two comfortable chairs for lounging.
Natural elements, such as a small garden or plants, or a water feature can be nice, as well.
If you want to make your rental property have the feel of a lovely boutique hotel, consider adding in at least some of these tips the next time you decorate.