Most of my clients come to me because they’re overwhelmed by the number of choices to be made in their project, whether they’re remodeling a vacation rental, furnishing one from scratch, or making strategic updates to their decor. Of course they’re overwhelmed! They might have an idea of what they want, but they don’t have a design plan. And trying to make selections without a plan is like trying to make a wedding cake without training or a recipe.
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Here’s how I make choices when I’m designing a vacation rental.
If you like design, making choices is even more difficult.
My husband would rather swallow his own tongue than go tile shopping with me.
Give me a showroom (or screen) full of deeply colored glazes, hand-painted patterns, or softly textured matte porcelain, and I get the glinting eyes of a madwoman.
I really like tile, is what I’m trying to say.
Which is a good thing, because I’ve got six bathrooms and three kitchens in the projects I’m working on at the moment.
Having plenty of projects keeps me under control at the tile store. When I find something I like (that doesn’t suit the project I’m working on), I grab a sample and file it away for later. I move on with my life knowing I’ll have a chance to use it someday.
I haven’t always been that pragmatic about it. Before I knew I’d have plenty of projects, I had just one. Remodeling my first vacation rental. At that point, I was more of an enthusiastic amateur than a design pro. And making a choice in a tile store felt like choosing my favorite limb.
After all, to choose is to close off all other options, and that’s difficult if you like a lot of things.
It’s also difficult if you don’t like anything, or if you just don’t know what you like.
When I started working on my fixer-upper, I didn’t have a design plan so much as a general idea of how I wanted the house to look. That left a lot of room for interpretation. So when it came to things like tile it could become a real deer in the headlights situation.
Did I want to go dark and sexy or bright white? Minimalist or traditional with an edge? Every time I thought I had it figured out I’d find a tie I hadn’t seen before and start to doubt myself.
When you have a design plan for your Airbnb, it’s much easier to make choices.
Now it takes me about 10 minutes to choose tile. The difference is that now I have a complete design plan before I set foot in a showroom, which means I know exactly what I’m after and can narrow down choices very quickly. Other shiny things may catch my eye, but they don’t derail my project.
It helps that I spend a lot of time sourcing and have a pretty good idea of what’s out there. What’s even more helpful, though, is that I go in knowing exactly how that one thing is going to work with all of the other things that make up a project. Because there are a whole lot of things.
For example, I just finished a preliminary budget for the remodel of a 700-square-foot apartment. It’s a minor remodel. The spreadsheet has seven tabs and 113 lines. That is, 113 things to choose from before we even get to furniture and decor.
A professional designer will help you figure out the big-picture design plan for your vacation rental.
Most of my clients come to me not because they don’t have good taste, or because they don’t know what they like. It’s because they’re utterly overwhelmed with all the choices to be made.
They’re overwhelmed because they don’t have a design plan. The plan is the recipe for the project. Just as knowing how the final dish is supposed to taste allows the cook to substitute ingredients successfully, the plan defines the end result of the project. It defines the parameters for those hundreds of choices, making the decisions far more clear.
So how do you make a design plan for your vacation rental?
Well, you can either hire me to put one together for you, or you can learn how to do it yourself. There’s tons of info on this blog, on YouTube, and in books to help you, and there are lots of excellent self-taught designers out there proving that you don’t have to go to school to be a good designer.
But if all of that is as overwhelming as choosing all the things, then know that you don’t have to live in Los Angeles to work with me.
Designed DIY packages are a great way to get cost-effective professional help.
My Designed DIY plan will help you put it all together, stay within your budget, avoid the biggest design mistakes – and keep your sanity during the process.
How it works:
Schedule a free 20-minute call to talk about your goals and whether a Designed DIY package would be the best fit for you. We’ll talk about your property, your location, your schedule, and your goals.
I’ll send you a proposal outlining exactly what I’ll deliver with your package. This is customized for your goals and needs. For example, one person may want to research furniture on their own with my drawings and specifications as guidance, while another may want a list with links that allow them to purchase all of their furniture in an afternoon. You’ll read through my proposal, sign, and pay online.
I will send you an easy online questionnaire that will help you tell me what your needs and preferences are for your project.
I will send you instructions for photographing and measuring your project.
We’ll have an onboarding video chat to confirm that we’re on the same page for your vacation rental, that I’m going in the design direction you like, and to answer any questions you might have.
It’s Design Presentation time! On a video call, I’ll walk you through your design plan with 2D and 3D drawings, furniture selections, paint and material suggestions, next steps, and a budget. After our meeting, I’ll email you a PDF of your presentation to review on your own.
You’ll let me know if you’d like to see any changes to your design plan. I’ll make them, then send you your final design plan with detailed instructions on how to put everything together.
I won’t leave you hanging! If you have questions or hit a snag along the way, you’ll message me for help.
You’ll show me photos of your amazing new space!
With my DIY Vacation Rental Interior Design Package, you’ll be able to take on your short-term rental projects with confidence, knowing that a professional designer has your back.
Do you suffer from decision fatigue? Ever been involved with a remodel or new build and thought you’d lose your mind the 700th time the contractor asked you to choose something? You’re not alone. Let’s commiserate in the comments.
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