How should we plan the decor in our vacation home? This is one of the questions we should answer in advance so you can fully enjoy your time off. It's worth having a well-appointed home with the right amenities for relaxation.
If you have an apartment, flat or house where you go on vacation, we present the keys to decorating it and turning it into a comfortable, beautiful and personalized space.
Interior design
In a vacation home, it's important to have comfortable and versatile spaces. The main goal is to achieve the necessary well-being to have all the resources to disconnect and rest from daily life. The idea is that it should be a house where you could move in permanently, even if it's a prefabricated or modular home.
Is interior design really that important in a vacation home? According to a study by Booking.com, one of the world's largest travel e-commerce companies, "69% of travelers have a more memorable trip when their accommodation has an attractive interior design." This holds true for beach houses as well as village homes.
In this sense, it's quite clear that holiday apartments should be decorated in a way that reflects personal taste and a defined style. Keep in mind that it's your second home, but do you truly feel comfortable there? If you find it impersonal, then it's time to get to work and transform it into a cheerful, bright, and sophisticated family apartment.
In harmony with the environment
The location of a house can influence its style. Whether it's near the sea or in the mountains, different interiors are needed, but decorating a seasonal home has its own key elements. For interior designer Jessica Bataille, it's essential to "adapt the interior style to blend with the exterior and avoid cluttering the spaces," although she also points out, "don't stick to the basics either." She gives the following examples: "Look for bowls that make you smile when you're preparing food, local crafts that will enrich your life, and romantic lighting by investing in candles."
For an ideal bedroom, she adds, "I would choose large pillows, textiles like those in a luxury hotel, and indirect lighting." Shannon Arena, of Le Sable Indigo Interiors, a studio specializing in the decoration and renovation of residential and tourist properties, believes that in a modern apartment, "comfort is paramount, and decoration follows... right behind. It's about achieving a cozy minimalism, not cluttering the space with too much furniture that isn't used, and opting for a more open layout instead of creating partitions."
Ultimately, these types of homes for relaxation should be functional, without excessive furniture, with a peaceful atmosphere and in harmony with the surroundings. Just because it's a second home doesn't mean anything goes; in fact, it can't become a dumping ground for whatever's left over. And if you renovate it, focus on enhancing its qualities and natural light with an open-plan layout or enclosures to create indoor and outdoor spaces
Retro is in
The search for vintage pieces in local workshops, flea markets, and antique shops has allowed for the creation of a unique atmosphere in this country house, decorated by interior designer Annie Moore. She combines minimalist furniture—inspired by Eero Saarinen's iconic Tulip —with the traditional folding garden chair. A delicate collection of decorated ceramics and an antique garden spade adorn the wall.
Hearst documentation.
Al fresco
With its solid stone walls and cross-braced wooden shutters, this house in the Aran Valley maintains the traditional style of Pyrenean dwellings. In summer, the mild mountain temperatures invite you to enjoy the sun on folding wooden sun loungers, perfectly complementing the fence and the architecture.
Hearst documentation.
Slow decor
Hearst documentation.
An original roof provides inviting partial shade to the whitewashed porch of this Menorcan house, considered the perfect holiday home. Its decor, which blends vintage with rough-hewn tree trunk tables—in keeping with the raw or the beauty of imperfection—invites relaxation and has the effect of stopping time. Interior designer: Rocío Olivares.
Decorate in blue
Play with a variety of blues to energize the decor. They evoke the sea, the freshness of the breeze, but above all, they enrich an interior design based on the luminosity of white. Lightweight and breathable fabrics, such as linen and cotton in dusty blues, are in style, as seen in Sika Design's proposal, with a soft contrast in the Caroline sofa, which creates a feeling of well-being.
Hearst documentation.
Wooden kitchen
Wood is key to connecting the interior with the surrounding nature, but its visual weight should be balanced with light colors or white to brighten the spaces. The surprise element here: the fresh touch of blue. In the words of interior designer Jessica Bataille : "Dare to paint your furniture in bright colors! Upcycling is always a good idea in a holiday home. Color and natural textures inspire joy and relaxation."
Alec Hemer.
