Furnishing a Holiday Apartment: what guests remember
Between showroom standard and real character lie a few decisions
Holiday apartments look alike because they are furnished with the same arguments: easy to clean, inexpensive, inoffensive. The result is a flat nobody dislikes and nobody remembers. Standing out from that does not take more money, it takes two or three pieces with character and a room that lets them stand quietly.
This page works through what has to be decided differently in a let than in your own home: materials that take punishment, fittings that work in photographs and details that get praised in daily use. The general sequence is under furnishing an apartment.
What counts differently in a let
In your own home taste decides, in a let it is the sum of the photograph, the first impression and durability. Three requirements stand side by side and contradict each other less than it seems: it has to look good in pictures, be robust in daily use and be cleanable in twenty minutes.
The mistake is rarely buying the wrong thing, it is being equally frugal everywhere. A clear gradient works better: high quality in two or three visible places, practical and easy to maintain everywhere else.
The three places where quality pays
The bed
The point where a review is formed. A good mattress and a tall upholstered headboard achieve more than any decoration. Selection under beds.
The living space
This is where the first image of the listing comes from. A generous sofa, a large rug and one good lamp carry the whole photograph.
One focal point
A mirror, a commode or a chandelier with character. Precisely that piece stays in the memory and turns up in reviews.
Everything else may stay restrained. More important than plenty of furniture is space: guests arrive with suitcases and need surfaces, free corners and empty drawers.
Material: what letting really takes
| Area | Proven | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Upholstery | Dense weaves, velvet with a high rub count, leather | Pale open pore fabrics, loose linen covers |
| Table tops | Sealed marble, lacquered wood, glass | Oiled solid timber, untreated natural stone |
| Flooring | Tile, vinyl in a wood look, sealed parquet | Oiled boards, deep pile carpet |
| Rug | Short pile in wool or a blend | Viscose and silk, they react badly to water |
| Hardware | Solid metal, brass, stainless steel | Coatings that chip at the edges |
One point is often overlooked: everything guests touch should feel good. Door handles, light switches, taps and cabinet pulls in solid metal change the impression of a flat more than an additional piece of furniture, because they are held several times a day.
Light: the difference in evening photographs
Holiday apartments are usually photographed in daylight, but bookings are also made on the evening picture. A flat with one ceiling light per room looks empty in such photographs. Three layers change that at once: base light, reading light beside the seats and one or two small points on the wall.
In practice wall lamps beside the beds have proved themselves, because they cannot be knocked over, plus a floor lamp in the living space and a table lamp on the commode. All lamps in the same warm colour temperature, 2400 to 2700 kelvin. Details under lighting a flat.
Two small things with a large effect: reachable switches beside the bed and enough sockets at the bedside table and desk. Both appear in reviews more often than any piece of furniture.
The sleeping area
Guests judge holiday apartments largely by the sleep. A stable bed without creaking, a good mattress, a tall headboard to lean against and two reading lights cover most of it. A bed with a storage box also saves a chest of drawers, because the bed linen disappears inside.
Blackout is the second point where people economise and which is criticised regularly. Two curtain layers, a light one for the day and an opaque one for the night, settle the matter permanently. The rest is symmetry: two identical bedside tables, two identical lamps, calm bed linen. Details under the luxury bedroom.
Dining area and kitchen
At the dining area robustness comes before elegance. A wipeable table top, sturdy chairs that survive being misused, and a table offering two centimetres more per place setting than strictly needed. Sixty centimetres per person is the minimum, eighty is comfortable.
A rug under the dining table rarely makes sense in a holiday flat, because people eat there and stains are inevitable. An easy care floor plus a rug in the living area, where it works and is spared, is the better arrangement. The measurements are under rug sizes for the living room.
Character instead of catalogue
The difference between an interchangeable and a memorable flat lies in two or three pieces that did not come from a chain store: a gilt mirror in the hall, a carved commode in the living space, a chandelier above the dining table. They stand in otherwise calm surroundings and are exactly what guests photograph.
The dose matters: one such piece per room, never several in one field of view. How classical and modern pieces mix is described under combining baroque and modern, the range under baroque furniture.
What Casa Padrino supplies for landlords
Casa Padrino has furnished hotels and restaurants for years, which brings holiday apartments the same advantages: robust construction, restocking over longer periods and complete dimensions for every item. The range runs from beds and sofas through dining tables and chairs to lighting, mirrors and rugs.
Private landlords buy on the same terms as hotels, no separate contract price is needed. For an overview see luxury furniture and the home page.
Fittings that last
Beds, sofas, tables, chairs and lighting from the hotel range, with complete dimensions.
View luxury furniture View bedsRead on
Frequently asked questions about holiday apartments
Is good furniture worth it in a holiday apartment?
In a few places yes, everywhere else no. Bed, sofa and one focal point carry the impression and the photographs. For everything else ease of care counts for more than material, because it is barely noticed.
Which upholstery fabrics survive letting?
Dense weaves, velvet with a high rub count and leather. Pale open pore natural fabrics and loose linen covers take stains quickly and are hard to clean back to an even finish.
How many light sources does a room need?
At least three at different heights. Only then do evening photographs look complete, and guests can adjust brightness to what they are doing. Wall lamps are particularly practical because they cannot be knocked over.
Does a rug belong in a holiday apartment?
In the living area yes, under the dining table better not. In the living area a short pile wool rug calms the room and works in photographs, at the dining table it is permanently at risk of stains.
What do guests notice negatively first?
Missing blackout, too few sockets, wobbly chairs and switches you cannot find at night. These four points appear in reviews more often than questions of furniture.
How do you create character without a large budget?
With two or three special pieces in an otherwise calm flat: a large mirror, a carved commode, a chandelier. They shape the impression more strongly than a uniformly expensive fit out.
How much space does the dining area need?
Sixty centimetres of table width per person is the minimum, eighty is comfortable. Allow another hundred centimetres between the table edge and the wall so chairs can be pushed back.
Does baroque furniture suit a holiday apartment?
Yes, as a single piece. A gilt mirror in the hall or a carved commode in the living space gives the flat a face. Fully baroque holiday apartments, by contrast, quickly look like a stage set.
What matters most about the bed?
A good mattress, a stable frame without noise and a tall headboard to lean against. A storage box additionally provides space for bed linen and makes a chest of drawers unnecessary.
Should furniture be available for restocking?
Yes, that is an important point in letting. If a chair breaks or a bedside table is damaged, a replacement from the same series should be possible. Ranges from the hotel sector are designed for that.
