Owner Design Tips

The design of your holiday home is one of the most important (and fun!) aspects to consider. Most cottage searches start with a location and any must have amenities. Taking the time to consider the style and décor of your holiday home to create a cohesive look can make more guests choose your home over another. The photography of your property also plays a big part in where guests book..

The best place to start is by choosing a theme or specific style that you’d like to encompass in your holiday home. To get some ideas, think about where your property is, from the village to what’s in the garden. The initial impression from the kerb can influence your styling, is it a Cotswold stone cottage or a modern timber clad retreat? Would your property suit a more modern style or a traditional cottage aesthetic. You could also take influence from your own life, perhaps from travels abroad or maybe just your favourite colours. It doesn’t need to be complicated, and we’ve put together a handy guide to help you get started with styling your property.

Choosing a Style

City Sleeper

If you have a holiday home in a city or larger town you might want to choose more modern elements. An industrial style wit a modern twist can work well to add personality to a newer building which may not have as much of its own history and built-in character.

Modern styles tend to be quite minimalist. Choose one colour for the walls and stick with it, extra details can be added later. Norton Coach House (above left) is a perfect example of clean industrial styling. You will see that only four colours have been used, white, grey, brown and green. Using a variety of textures throughout the home keeps things interesting. The greys are in metal, brown is found in the brick wall, wooden furniture and chairs, the greens are soft with sofas and plants.

Similarly, 33 Percy Street (above right) follows the same simple structure. A handful of colours have been used with textures added in flooring and furniture. You will notice a lack of patterns, particularly when thinking about decorating, if you keep the walls one colour it is much easier to maintain with touch ups when required.

Choosing neutral and more muted tones make these properties appealing to a number of different guests with varying tastes and is in-keeping with their town centre setting and contemporary exterior.

Country Manor

Cotswold stone cottages have often got an abundance of original features with exposed wooden beams, stone flooring and large fireplaces. Embrace this and add heritage colours and antique furniture in-keeping with the period. Guests visiting from abroad or big cities love experiencing more traditional countryside homes for their holidays.

Work with what you already have. Down Farm Manor and Green Farm House (above) both have beautiful fireplaces and exposed wooden beams. Keeping the walls muted lets these features stand out, and working with natural browns emphasizes the wooden beams. Rich tones work well in grand country houses, think deep reds as seen in the Green Farm Manor sofa. This splash of pattern is reminiscent of old tapestry designs and traditional fabrics, fitting in well with the age of the property.

When decorating it is important to bear in mind what rooms will be used for. Both of the properties focussed on here have more than one reception room. There is no TV in the two rooms pictured, they have been designed with conversation and quality time spent together as the main priority. The seating is comfortable and while large, still leaves space for you to move around the room. Shelves are filled with books and there is artwork to spark conversation and accent the space.

As with our City Sleeper theme, there are no more than around five colours in each room. Green Farm House only uses tones of brown, red and cream. The stonework of the fireplaces adds interest in textures, as does the natural flooring showing that all parts of the room should be considered.

Bring the Outdoors In

Choosing a theme can be as easy as looking around you at the natural setting of your home. Use the colours of your surroundings to inspire you, bringing nature indoors with blues and greens. Picking a stand-out colour for each room makes it easy to choose matching soft furnishings, artwork and accent pieces.

Overlooking a serene lake, Goslings (above left) may have a very obvious theme, but it is incredibly effective. It embodies its location using the soft greens of the vegetation seen outside and making a feature of its namesake. The wicker chairs pick out elements of the reeds outside and makes this room work seamlessly with the view. Wallhope Retreat (above right) demonstrates how you can adapt your theme to work in any room. The carefully chosen wallpaper in the bathroom depicts bridges, birds and greenery which mimics the cottage’s countryside location.

There are some key things to consider when you are using nature as your inspiration. Focus on the colours you can see from the windows as a base, pops of colour can be added using brighter colours found in flowers. Use natural materials like wood, linens and stone. These details combine to create a unique style for your property.

Splashes of Personality

A great way to make your holiday home stand out from the crowd is to add a splash of your own personality in fun details. Try to avoid adding too many clashing details or any controversial artwork. Instead, focus on little details that bring a smile—they’ll help create a warm and welcoming atmosphere for your guests.

Color clashing can be tricky to master, but when done right, it’s an incredibly impactful design style. If you’re not ready to fully embrace it, try incorporating smaller elements into your holiday home.

Lily Cottage (above left) is a beautiful example of maximalism. Grouping framed paintings is an easy way to add your own personality. Lay the images out on the floor first before hanging so you can choose the best arrangement.

A big part of maximalism is the use of not just colours, but also patterns. Lily Cottage uses a mix of straight lines, florals, and dots while mainly sticking to reds and blues to tie them together. From the tartan footstool, to the throw, and cushion, squares are the key element. Florals are in the armchair and curtain and there are splashes of polka dots in the other soft furnishings. Without a common colour scheme, this could easily be too much but by keeping a shared thread it makes for an intriguing living room. Brock Cottage (above right) demonstrates the same techniques. Stripes in the sofa and rug juxtapose with the circle upholstery, yet red ties the stripes together and there are still only five main colours used throughout.

Beautifully Boutique

Add a bit of luxury and style to your holiday home, mimicking your favourite boutique hotel. A bit of luxe in furry blankets, mirrored furniture and padded headboards is an easy way to ramp up the elegance for guests that are fond of the finer things in life.

Creating a glamorous, boutique style is easier than you might first think. Starting with a neutral backdrop and adding one rich pop of colour is the basis. Pineapple Spa (above left) uses a luxurious turquoise while The Parsonage (above right) makes taupe a highlight. Elevating the style is done in the finishings and textures. Both rooms have tactile throws and plush velvets, creating layers with soft furnishings. Thick, elegantly swathed curtains add depth and volume to a room making it feel expensive (though it doesn’t have to be).

The finishing touch to any beautifully boutique room, is a splash of metallic or glass. Pineapple Spa has an ornate, gilt mirror in pride of place with smatterings throughout the room in the side table and ornaments. The Parsonage embraces sparkle with its silver bedside tables and light fittings. These elements aren’t too overwhelming when the surrounding décor is neutral.

Soho Chic

There are two key elements to consider when it comes to embracing a Soho Chic aesthetic. Keeping your guests’ comfort at the forefront of your mind, using the layering of accessories and pieces of furniture to create a carefully curated design.

Using a variety of patterns and block colours which contrast in scale and design but are kept in the same colour scheme is a lovely way to add layering. Each of our examples shows this in action with a combination of cushions and bedding. The addition of these cushions is also paramount to a feeling of comfort, it adds warmth and invites guests to sit down and relax.

Armada Cottage (top left) also incorporates layering in the furniture and structural elements of the room, note the mix of exposed brown beams, painted white panelling and natural oak dresser. Lighting is a pivotal part of interior design which often goes unnoticed. Employing a mix of large, bright lighting with softer lighting to bring life to corners and add gentle illumination creates this appearance of layers. As seen in the bedrooms at Otmoor House (below right) there is a choice of bedside lighting to suit your needs and moods.

Contemporary Country

A modern take on the Country Manor style can appeal to younger groups and is a great way to keep your holiday home up to date with the current styles. Brighter colours and sleeker materials can be combined with traditional elements for an easy to maintain finish.

While painting furniture can be a divisive decision, it can be an easy way to add colour to a room without stepping too far away from the history of a building. The bedside lamps at Merchant house (above left) have a traditional shape, but the eye-catching red brings them to the forefront of the design. Alongside the blue mirror they also clash wonderfully with the more natural colours of the headboard and bedding. Another example of classic and contemporary style working together.

Banbury Hill Farmhouse (above right) uses a classic shaker kitchen design, but using a soft blue/grey gives the country style an up-to-date twist. Adding wooden stools and an industrial style light fitting to contrast is a wonderful way to create the contemporary country look.

In The Garden

Don’t forget to consider your garden furniture as well as furnishing inside your house. It’s important to have comfortable space to dine outside with chairs for all your guests. A charcoal BBQ is a much requested facility and if you have space to add a hot tub this is always a popular addition which can increase your bookings.