Houston Chronicle Sunday

Make summer vacation rental feel like home

- By Joseph Pubillones Joseph Pubillones is the owner of Joseph Pubillones Interiors, an award-winning interior design firm based in Palm Beach, Fla. His website is www. josephpubi­llones.com.

The summer is quickly approachin­g. Discussion­s and decisions about what kind of vacation to take will ensue.

Some may choose vacations abroad, hopscotch jumping from one country to another. It’s a great way to experience other customs, taste new types of cuisine and see new landscapes and different styles of architectu­res. More than likely, this type of holiday will include staying in multiple hotels.

Others may choose to do a more local-specific vacation on a lake, mountain or beach.

While there is never a shortage of hotels and motels, many vacationer­s now like to opt for a summer rental. Rentals can be found on websites like Airbnb and VRBO for as little as a weekend to a couple of months. With more and more jobs that are mobile, more people bring work on the road to relaxation.

When staying in one place for more than a week at a time, many wonder how to make these rentals feel more like home. Here are some tips to make your vacation rental seem like your own: Arrange and rearrange. If the furniture layout is not to your liking, moving furniture and accessorie­s around the home or apartment can give your temporary space your own point of view. This may entail creating a corner or space for a specific use such as a card table or office desk. Landscape and flowers. Go out to the local garden shop and get some accent greenery in decorative ceramic or terra cotta planters to scatter throughout the house or at the entry. A vase of flowers may give a bedroom, den or dining table warmth and will bring to light your style. Run for cover. Move any furniture that you may not like out of the way, into another room or simply buy some colorful sheets, quilts or blankets and make slipcovers with the addition of a few pins and a stitch or two. Dine al fresco. Should there be any patio furniture, picnic table or bistro set, drop a tablecloth and matching napkins. Having a place for meals outside is a great time to bond with family and friends and make great vacation memories. Simplify. Some homes may have more than your share of accessorie­s and knickknack­s. Do a clean sweep of every room. Find and empty drawer to store unwanted items.

Go for fun. Add a bit of the unexpected to the decor. It might be the hanging of a guitar on the wall, or making a bed skirt out of the hula-skirt.

The unexpected can be the source of fun in a vacation rental. Feel free to experiment with ideas.

Light candles. A familiar scent can help air out a home that may have been closed awhile, and make you think of home.

Finally, decorating or redecorati­ng a vacation home can be exhilarati­ng.

There really aren’t any rules to follow except making things stylish and above all comfortabl­e. Whatever changes you make to “your” vacation home, make sure to snap before photos so before you leave you can revert everything back to where it was.

 ?? Creators Syndicate photo ?? Decorating or redecorati­ng a vacation home can be exhilarati­ng. There really aren’t any rules to follow except making things stylish and above all comfortabl­e.
Creators Syndicate photo Decorating or redecorati­ng a vacation home can be exhilarati­ng. There really aren’t any rules to follow except making things stylish and above all comfortabl­e.

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