Does premium quality furniture really make a difference?

[Samuel250]

[Samuel250]

Okay that's really cool, you bring the personality and experience through combining a bit of old with a bit of new, I like that 😊

[Huma0]

@Samuel250, I'm like @Paul154. Most of my furniture is vintage but didn't cost me much  and I've upcycled a lot of it. I've even picked up some stuff for free.

This is a reupholstered vintage French bed. I would have spent as much buying a bed from IKEA. The bedside table was about £25 and then I painted it myself. They're both Ebay finds.

That being said, I do have a few expensive items in my home. One of the guest rooms has this bed for example, which is a real statement piece. I think it's worth it for the wow factor when guests walk into the room. I make the beds up much nicer than this though, mostly with designer bedlinens (the photos were all taken when I still had lodgers in my rooms).

I really agree that it depends on the property, the market you are going for and the price you are charging and also strongly agree that it depends on whether you are a live in host like me or not. I do worry sometimes about some of my things, but the vast majority of my guests are pretty respectful. I make sure to put coasters in the rooms and ask guests to use them so as not to spoil the furniture.

If I was renting out an entire unit (which I have in the past), I would avoid anything as fancy as the bed above, but still choose my furniture and design the space thoughtfully. It is possible to do that on a small budget if you shop around, choose cafefully and use a bit of creativity. I think in the UK we're spoilt for choice and there are plenty of bargains to be had.

Then I would stick to IKEA or other budget brands for stuff like crockery and glassware. You can expect to replace linens and towels regularly, so I wouldn't spend a fortune on those either.

One of the cheapest but most effective ways to make a space look more luxurious is with paint. I don't know why people think it's best to just paint everything white in a rental unit. It might increase the sense of space and light, but another pale colour would also do that, and unless you have amazing artwork or an incredible loft type space, white can be so bland and cold. On top of that, it will start to look grubby very, very quickly. I think grey is a more practical and more chic alternative if you want to go neutral.

[Sarah977]

@Huma0  Love the paint job you did on the night table!

I don't get the all white thing either. When I put my house in Canada on the market, the real estate agent told me I should repaint all the walls white. I had lots of colors, some quite deep shades. No way was I going to repaint it. The very first people who came to look at it put in an offer immediately and bought the place. One of the first things they said when they walked in was "We love the colors!"

[Huma0]

Thanks @Sarah977

I love colour and plan to introduce more of it to my walls. The dark blue room above is the only one with a really bold hue, but I do have feature walls with some colourful wallpaper in several rooms.

I think a lot of people are scared of colour though, which is why I often suggest trying out a grey or taupe or other neutral shade for starters. Even those can add so much more character than white and pretty much everything will go with them. The room with the gilt bed is painted a pale coffee colour and it's been very easy to update and change around the furniture without having to think to much about what will and won't work.

[Sarah977]

@Huma0  Yes, I have found that people are afraid to use color, which I don't really understand. It's just paint- if you end up not liking it after painting one wall to get the full effect, you can always repaint. It's not like it's some construction job that would be really expensive to change. Here's some examples of the colors I used in my Canadian house that the new buyers said they loved.

[Sandra126]

@Huma0and @Sarah977 and everyone interested in paint: there is whole thread on the forum dedicated to colour. I think you both contributed to it but I can't find it now. Some people have an aversion to it but hey, they can stay somewhere else...

[Huma0]

@Sandra

I don't remember that thread (middle age setting in) but I do remember some discussions on paint it the thread I started about before and after pics of renovations.

Of course people have very differing opinions on what colours to use on walls and it does depend on the property somewhat. @Sarah977 is brave and goes bold, but not everyone has the guts for that. She is so right though that it is not that difficult to repaint a wall and paint is one of the least expensive investments you can make in your home improvments so I think people should just go for it. I know I've made some mistakes with colours but they were never difficult to fix.

[Sandra126]

@Huma0, it was something Lizzie started from memory but I have very little of that. Can't find. I think the consensus was that bland is better with some very vocal non-colourists. I will hotly defend colour and I know it is because of how my listing looks that I get bookings in an extremely competitive environment.

[Huma0]

@Sandra126

Your listings look amazing. So creative. Did you do all the decorating yourself? I love the little hand painted touches. Also, how clever to use quotes from reviews as your photo captions. I might steal that idea from you 🙂

We're going a bit off topic here talking about decor rather than furniture, but I would love to see some before and after pictures of your place (if you have any 'before' ones to hand) or just the after ones if you'd like to share them. Would you mind posting them here: 

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/Before-and-after-pics/m-p/486728#M110692

[Sandra126]

Hi @Huma0, thank you. It wasn't my idea to do the captions, I got it from @Jeet0 in India who got it from someone... It is just the best way to say nice things about your own listing without bragging. Recommend!

Yes, I did all the renovations and paintings, have a few before pics. Think I already have put them here so mewhere, but will go and put some on your link. Cheers.

[@ mention updated]

[Letti0]

@Sandra126  The sad part is the captions are cut off on the phone apps. I've thinking about adding them, but since most guests view via the phone app anymore I can't see the time being useful to do so. 

[Lizzie]

Hey @Sandra126,

Is this the topic you are thinking about: 'Can color change the size of a room?'

[Sandra126]

That's the one! Thanks.

[Samuel250]

This is brilliant, thank you for this!

You've got a stunning place as well! 

[Betty124]

Hi Samuel!

I wondered about that too... I just started hosting  in March 2018.  

airbnb.com/rooms/231488

 I'm using :   #1.   the double bed  that I bought four yrs ago for my guest room, which was only used about 4-6 weeks a year, and it was not a really fancy bed..(Sealy Posturepedic).    #2.   A futon that was new in 2006.,   same amount of usage as the double bed.   #3.  A new twin bed mattress in the small single room.

I couldn't really afford a new fancy mattress for the main double bed, so what I did was  watch the sales at Amazon  and I got a  nice cushy mattress pad to  go on top of the mattress.  

Almost everything that I've replaced has come from Craigslist.   So I don't really have any  fancy furniture,  but guests report that they sleep just  great.  

Regarding the doggy issue..

I explain in my listing that my big Standard Poodle is a rescue,  and is good with people,  but not so good with other dogs.    The little one, Dillon,  is an Instigator,  and eggs Percy on,  and gets him into trouble.   So having a dog at home that reacts poorly to other dogs, has really helped avoid uninvited doggy guests.

Betty