Even the hallway fits with the theme.

Last time we talked about how important location can be for a vacation rental property, both from a proximity to the owner viewpoint, and from a proximity to relevant areas of interest. Today I’ll share some ideas for making the properties enjoyable by the tenants, and still easy on the owners.

Decor

The great room could use a fireplace but is otherwise cozy.

People seem to like houses with a theme. At least I do. And one thing that drew me to Casa Santa Fe was its southwestern US decor. And let me tell you, these folks were consistent when they decorated this space. I can’t count the Navajo-style blankets in the space, and on top of that there are a lot of tile surfaces (also easy to clean!), southwestern art, and things that look like animal skins.

Open shelving and many southwestern decor items.

The rustic furnishings are quite sturdy, which leads to low maintenance, vital for profit and convenience for the property owners. The open shelving in the kitchen displays even more southwestern decor, plus makes it easy for renter to find the plates and glasses. Smart.

The beds look great with lots of pillows and blankets that match the theme and are sturdy as well.

Touches

All the little boots in a bedroom.

The decorator went all out in the bedrooms, too. The one where Anita is staying has the cutest collection of tiny cowboy boots in it, while my bedroom has lovely blankets stored on the wall (and a creepy dude painting). The big bedroom where our kids will go has crosses, including a cool tin one that lights up.

None of the things they chose were expensive or precious, so they don’t have to worry about renters messing up antiques or anything. The rugs are from India, not Indians, and the posters are cool to look at, but not really old.

Practical things

One of my favorite rustic things is in, of all things, the toilet room. They use a barn-door with great character to hide the closet with all the cleaning supplies. Not having a door that swings open maximizes the use of all available space. Easy for the maid service, attractive for renters, which are both very important factors in a holiday rental.

I like these symbolic controls.

Also in the bathroom, don’t laugh at me, but I loved the shower control. It doesn’t have H and C for hot and cold; instead it has a sun and a snowflake. That is sweet. And not biased toward English speakers.

There is a stackable washer and dryer, which makes clean-up easy (and is convenient for guests that stay a while, like us). And all the sheets, blankets, and towels are dark gray. That makes them less likely to get all stained up, but also looks good with the decor. I’m keeping THAT trick in mind, for sure.

Lee’s favorite thing in the whole house is the horn vases. Poor bull.

The dishes are brightly colored but do not all match. That makes dealing with breakage a lot easier. They can just get more colorful items in with similar shapes and sizes and they are good to go. Same with the glassware. Cheerful, but not all the same. I really like this, because I’ve been at places where everything matched, and there was obviously some stuff mssing.

With the dishes and such, I was thinking that all white would be another option, or for a mid-century house, mixed cheerful patterns from that era (easy to find in thrift shops), and for older houses like ours, mixed old-fashioned china, perhaps all with flowers, or all with some other theme.

My brain just keeps going and going as I think of more and more ideas. Lee’s started a list.