How home staging can level up your holiday let

Understanding the impact of interiors is one of the best ways for holiday homeowners to achieve the best value and repeat business for their lets – that’s according to experienced home stager Elaine Penhaul, owner of Lemon and Lime Interiors.

The brand is working in collaboration with high-end holiday agency luxurycottages. com to help its portfolio of homeowners ‘level up’ their properties, as travel experts predict a huge resurgence of UK getaways for 2023.

Figures show 35.1 million visits to the UK are expected this year – an 18% increase on 2022, with a forecast spend of £29.5 billion – up 14% on last year, and 4% on the all-time spending high of £28.4 billion in 2019.

When it comes to choosing where to stay, the rise of Instagrammable interiors means location alone isn’t enough to win business – but with these clever tools, owners can easily enhance their offering.

Seasonal staging

The biggest difference with staging a home for sale and for holidays, is the need to cater for seasonal changes

– making the property welcoming and suitable all year round.

And this can be done through simple changes in accessories, soft furnishings and décor, rather than costly furniture. Having neutral tones throughout the home will undoubtedly make it easier to style for different seasons so this may be something to consider.

Sometimes a clever combination of virtual and physical staging can help with timely turnaround when marketing ahead of periods such as summer and Christmas, for instance dressing a living room with a Christmas tree, or creating a candlelit alfresco evening set up during summer can help a buyer find that emotional connection they are after, the ‘experience’ is often what holiday shoppers look for before converting.

Understanding how to maximise different elements of a home is also important for seasonal staging – a simple example is making the most of cosy lounges with log burners in the winter, and outdoor patio areas in the summer. Adding extra blankets, cushions and candles are good for colder months, while lighter bedding, flowing drapes and adding additional garden furniture outside can be swapped in for warmer temperatures.

Ensuring the marketing of the property matches the season is also essential to highlighting what guests may be looking for at different times of the year.

Form and function

Holiday lets should feel like a home away from home – but that’s not to say the way a home has been lived in has to dictate the way it functions for guests. For intergenerational groups, look to make a separate, more childfriendly play area and keep another communal room dedicated to adults. With the rise of remote working, desk space might also be useful – this could be a study area on the landing or even a small room in a bigger property. Work retreats are also on the increase, so consider how spaces can double up as conference rooms.

Functionality involves making sure if the home is advertised as sleeping a certain number of guests, then there also needs to be a dining area and possibly a lounge space to seat the same number of people comfortably. Not taking this into consideration risks losing repeat business, so it’s important to get right.

Homes also need to be practical as well as beautiful – everyone wants to feel like they’re living another life for a week or so on holiday, but this can only happen if the house has been set up to make life easy. A functional boot room for wet coats and muddy shoes is a useful addition in a rural setting, or a drying area for swimwear and towels if you’re near the coast.

Some of the simplest functional elements include places to unpack, recharge and get ready. Ensure every bedroom has ample storage, and that furniture is well-placed to make the most of plug sockets. A chest of drawers is great for doubling up as dressing tables, where appliances can be used, and phones can be charged. Full height mirrors should also be prioritised – particularly if the property is likely to be used for wedding guests getting ready.

Trends and personal taste

When it comes to deciding on interior design trends, it’s a careful balance of using personal taste to give life to a property but also keeping in the character of the home and heritage of the local area. Particularly with Luxury Cottages properties, there are many traditional styles including listed buildings and even castles – the style of these homes is what makes them stand out. Trends can be brought in using smaller accessories, or in touches such as cutlery and crockery.

Secondly, what separates holiday homes and cottages from hotels is that they are lived in spaces and shouldn’t feel clinical. A gentle nod to home quirks such as a selection of books, boardgames and maps of the area add a personal and useful touch.

Don’t underestimate a welcome gift either – at Luxury Cottages, homeowners aim to highlight local businesses and produce with treats or hampers, as well providing some essentials to help guests feel right at home as soon as they put their bags down.

Luxury Cottages and Lemon & Lime Interiors are now offering an exclusive and personalised home staging and marketing service to its property owners as their listed holiday rental agency. The bespoke service is set to generate strong interest and increase bookings for owners. To take a look at their most recent collaboration see their Lake District staged home here: The Old Vicarage, Irton | Lake District Luxury Cottages.

For more information about joining or booking with Luxury Cottages visit: Luxury Cottages | Official Website

For more information about homestaging visit: Property & Home Staging Company | Home Design Consultants | Lemon & Lemon (lemonandlimeinteriors.co.uk)