How should I furnish my midterm rental? That is the question here. With endless styles, qualities, and places to purchase things, this Article is designed to save you some time and point you in the right direction for furnishing your rental space well.
Always begin with your purpose. How do you want your guests to feel when they walk in for the first time to your listing. At Evari Properties, when our guests arrive after traveling whatever distance, we want them to walk in and take a big sigh of relief.
We want them to feel cozy, clean, and comfortable and that this place is now their place to call home for a while. So the choices we make in furnishing our properties must reflect that in every way. In addition, we cater our spaces to be family and pet friendly so choosing furnishings that help them feel at ease is also an important factor.
Let's get right to it.
What NOT to buy and what to buy instead:
Do not buy couches or furnishings made of materials that will snag easily. Opt for materials that are quality and that stand up to longer wear.
As I mentioned, our properties are pet and family friendly so we strongly avoid purchasing things made of materials that can snag easily or you might as well have just thrown your money in the trash. This goes for blankets, bedding, couches, chairs etc.
An added piece of advice, is choose fabrics and upholstered furnishings that do not "absorb" pet hair. If your property is pet friendly, make sure the furnishing reflect that to save yourself the headache of pet hair removal agony. I've been there...for hours...it is NOT pleasant.
Do not buy all new furnishings. Buy pre-owned furniture when you can.
Do your homework and browse those pre-owned furniture apps and stores. It will increase your profits in the long run and is a really smart choice for your own economy and a responsible choice for our ecosystem. However, we do advise buying mattresses, bedding, and linens all new. If you want more tips with this, check out my Article "How to economically furnish your Airbnb rental with style and maximize profits."
Do not buy colored sheets or towels. Buy white.
We know plenty of hosts who do not do this, and they have their own reasons. It is a subject we have debated with a lot of them, and in the end, it all comes down to guest preference and cleanliness. After we took a poll and also gaged our guest's experience, white towels and white sheets leave NO mystery. They do not lie. Either they are clean or they aren't clean. If you want your guests to feel at ease knowing the bed they are sinking into that night is fresh and clean, buy white sheets. There is a reason why hotels stick with all white.
We actually started scaling our business in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. That sounds weird but some people still needed lodging and they preferred low traffic spaces with hosts who upheld cleanliness guidelines and protocol from the CDC. To ensure our bedding and towels were 100% clean, we wanted to be able to use HOT water and bleach to be able to kill any harmful bacteria. We wanted to use the strong stuff! This is simply just not possible if you have colored bedding. So white it was. Honest and true.
Do not buy comforters, buy washable duvets and washable duvet inserts.
This goes along with the cleanliness guidelines - though duvets are super annoying to change, they are worth the hassle in the long run. You do not have to wash the insert as often, but you can easily wash the duvet after each guest to maintain cleanliness.
Do not buy non-textured blankets or towels. Opt for texture!
There is something about texture that elevates the quality of a blanket. It looks richer, more complex and thus more sophisticated. In keeping with the white bedding and towels, I purchase textured duvets that are seersucker or waffle pattern. It keeps them interesting and they they lay more nicely on the beds and towel rods. Bedding with absolutely no texture that is one solid color can show any little wrinkle really easily.
Do not buy cheap furniture. Buy quality.
This may go without saying, and I will repeat it in every post that's relevant. The moment you find yourself desperate to finish furnishing a space and you just need that one item to fill a spot, a desk, a book case, some cookware, whatever it may be...don't go down to your local Walmart and pickup the first thing you find. You will regret it likely just after 1 booking. Quality furniture and kitchen essentials are better. Always. Don't cut corners or it will reflect in your guest's experience and at the worst, in your ratings.
I feel like this list could go on for a while, so I think I'll consider this our working list of what not to buy for now. What other things would you add to this list?
For more hosting insights, check out these Articles by Evari here.
