6 Vacation Rental Interior Design Tips to Furnish Like a Pro

The Evolve Team

August 8, 2024

There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to vacation rental interior design.

That’s because your property’s aesthetic is one of the first things travelers see when exploring their rental options, and 75% of online shoppers rely on photos to make buying decisions. So, how you furnish your vacation rental is key to converting lookers to bookers. Plus, the quality of your design choices helps drive unforgettable experiences once guests are through the door — experiences you need to generate more five-star reviews and build a highly-rated reputation that attracts future travelers (and repeat bookers).

Whether you’re just getting started or looking to refresh existing spaces for maximum revenue potential, here are six expert tips for creating cohesive, income-driving vacation rental interior design.

Cut to the chase and get expert design and furnishing support from our partner, Showplace. They’ve helped owners increase nightly revenue by 22% on average.

In This Article:
Focus on Function and Durability
Balance Neutrality and Personality
Style Every Surface
Design Spaces for Special Moments
Be Thoughtful About Lighting
Remove Any Personal Clutter

1. Focus on Function and Durability

Photo of a spacious and modern living room with large windows overlooking a lake. The room features comfortable beige sofas, and a stylish wooden coffee table, with a staircase leading to the upper floor and a kitchen area with bar seating.

Driving bookings and great reviews should start with the furnishing basics: you need quality pieces that are not only pleasing to the eye, but also practical and built to last.

Since most guests spend a decent amount of time in primary living spaces, prioritize high-use furniture like sofas, beds, dining tables, and chairs — making sure your seating and sleeping options accommodate your home’s max capacity.

You’ll want to focus on durability and comfort with each staple piece — so the design experts at Showplace recommend sourcing from premium brands like Article, West Elm, or Williams Sonoma. While this is more of an investment upfront, it’s worth it in the long run. When your furniture is made well, it can better withstand typical wear and tear from year-round guests — which creates consistency from one guest experience to the next and limits costs associated with maintenance or replacements.

While shopping for your must-have furniture, consider how each piece fits functionally into your rental. To help, think about how you make use of your own living spaces at home. Seating orientation in your living room should make it easy for everyone to gather around the TV, for instance, and there could always be a surface within arms reach to put down a refreshment. It’s these thoughtful elements of convenient, functional design that allow your guests to truly relax.

2. Balance Neutrality and Personality

Photo of a living room in an a-frame cabin, with a gray loveseat and two round chairs in front of a wooden wall.

Maximizing your booking potential also means making sure your property appeals to as many guests as possible. To do this, you’ll want to balance simplicity and style in your vacation rental interior design.

For larger-scale furnishings like sofas and bedspreads, shop for neutral tones. Creams or grays create a sleek and modern base, while earthy browns create a warm, rustic feel. Whatever palette you choose, starting with a neutral foundation helps more people envision themselves in your space.

From there, you can layer on unique accents that set your home apart from competitors. Incorporate pops of color with throw blankets, decorative pillows, and area rugs. To make even more of a statement, consider adding wallpaper to amp up a space — or playing into a theme.

When adding personality in these ways, it can be helpful to lean into your property’s location. If you’re in a beachy area, for instance, consider nautical accents like anchor hooks for jackets or seashell art. If you have a cabin in a mountain community, explore reclaimed materials like wood, stone, and leather for a nature-focused feel.

3. Style Every Surface

Photo of a modern cabin living room with a large yellow velvet couch, blue accent rug and ottoman, and a minimal leather chair sitting in front of a stone fireplace with a large cardboard bear head above. A mid century dining table and chairs sits in the background looking out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the deck and woods outside.

The basics of comfort, convenience, and style set the stage for top-notch design, but it’s consistency in applying decorative touches that really rounds things out. In addition to being cohesive, each space should feel full without feeling cluttered.

To strike the right balance, Showplace experts recommend selecting at least one to three decor items for every table and shelf. Play with various textures, materials, and colors to make each surface’s aesthetic more dynamic. Think: a potted plant to infuse life, coffee table books for color, decorative trays and ceramic vases for dimension.

These finishing touches are where your home’s personality can shine, but they’re also an opportunity to add function. Make one of your three coffee table items a stack of cute coasters, for instance, or pop a floral pitcher guests can actually use on a kitchen shelf. Your styling details can make good vacation rental interior design great — and be a key difference in creating a memorable at-home experience.

And good news: you don’t need to spend a fortune on decor accents, so this is where you can offset some of your high-use furniture costs. Our partners at Showplace recommend checking out wholesale websites like Wayfair for inexpensive options that still fit the bill.

4. Design Spaces for Special Moments

Photo of a cozy mountain cabin living room with a large stone fireplace and a wall-mounted TV. The space includes comfortable seating and a foosball table, along with floor-to-ceiling windows that provide a breathtaking view of snow-covered trees and a sea of clouds.

While travelers turn to vacation rentals to find a home away from home, they’re also eager for unforgettable experiences. Make your home the star of their getaway by intentionally designing spaces for memory-making.

Turn a bare window into a cozy reading nook by adding a cushioned window seat and bookshelves. Or, make your den a cinema-lover’s paradise with a movie projector and plug-in popcorn machine. Showplace design experts say you can even consider creating an “Instagram Wall” for guests to capture photos together — adding funky wallpaper, picture-worthy signage, or an array of themed props.

By emphasizing the importance of special moments guests can create, you’ll paint an idyllic picture for potential bookers and give them unique experiences to reminisce about in those coveted five-star reviews.

5. Be Thoughtful About Lighting

Photo of an open-plan living and dining area featuring a vibrant green sectional sofa, beige armchair, round marble coffee table, and a stylish dining table with wooden chairs. The kitchen in the background has white cabinetry and stainless steel appliances.

Generic light sources (like pre-installed overhead fixtures) can make even the most beautifully furnished interiors feel harsh and unwelcoming. Add to your home’s overall ambiance by investing in softer lighting options.

In living and sleeping spaces, consider swapping standard fixtures for pendant lighting to create a warmer glow. Add table and standing lamps, too, so guests don’t even need to flick on the overhead. You can even upgrade the wash of existing lamps with Edison bulbs or new lamp shades — which, bonus points, can also play right into your decor aesthetic.

It’s not just about the kind of lighting you choose, though. Be mindful of location to guarantee convenience. Guests should never have to feel through a room in the dark, so make sure switches are easy to find — and there’s a source of light near every room’s entryway. Consider placing nightlights along hallways and staircases, too, so navigating your home at night is simple and safe.

Finally, don’t discount the impact of natural light. Large windows and south-facing rooms make for sunny, well-lit spaces travelers love. Just remember to add curtains or blinds so guests can soak up the sunshine as they please — then shut it out for movie time or sleeping.

6. Remove Any Personal Clutter

Photo of a bedroom with a large bed against a dark wooden backdrop with a mounted cow skull, all next to an exposed brick wall.

Great vacation rental interior design feels homey and personal — but it shouldn’t look like someone else lives there. Even though you’re likely using your vacation rental from time to time, make sure family photos, articles of clothing, toiletries, or other personal items are out of sight for your guests.

That’s not to say you can’t share tidbits about your family or the history of your home in a place like your welcome book. But when it comes to what’s on the shelves and in closets, your vacation rental should have no trace of other people — so guests can truly make it their own.

Consider locking off the basement, attic, or a particular closet for owner use only. Your personal belongings will be safe and secured while guests are on property without impacting their experience — but still easy to grab when you pop in for a stay.

Simplify Vacation Rental Interior Design with Expert Help

The bottom line: your vacation rental interior design matters, and how you choose to furnish and decorate can help you earn more in the many rental seasons to come.

Wherever you are in your ownership journey, hitting the right design notes can be a lot to take on without support. Our partners at Showplace specialize in furnishing vacation rentals, and can flex to your needs to help achieve your vision. Explore custom and predesigned packages, plus a number of optional add-ons like white-glove delivery and installation. Best of all, they can get your property fully furnished in just six weeks, making it that much easier to get a home designed to drive revenue open for bookings fast.

Of course, there’s one other thing you can do to help maximize vacation rental revenue while minimizing your to-do list — and that’s partnering with a management company like Evolve. When you team up with our professionals, you unlock expert tactics and proven strategies that level up your business. Our management plans meet you where you are and help you get where you want to go.