You’ve packed your bags, grabbed your favorite pair of sunglasses, and are ready to hit the road. Your destination? Your beautifully designed vacation home. You know that guests are on their way and will be ready to eat, drink and be merry with you in your favorite vacation spot. Spruce up your party space with this 10-minute, 3-step solution for an instantly inviting and extra cool space for all of your favorite people to enjoy.
Step 1: Go Color Crazy
Think of your vacation home as your “alternative home.” While you may not be partial to bright colors at your full-time home, your vacation home is perfect for letting your hair down and sprinkling in hues you’ve been desperate to try but too afraid to attempt. Some of our favorite shades to work into vacation homes include royal blue, bright yellow and a punchy red. While these tones may sound like a lot, they’re actually very complementary and easy to balance with more neutral shades and natural tones. As for your flooring, we suggest pairing a subdued hardwood floor, like a gray or natural tan, with your new bright color scheme. A lighter tone on the floor will add balance and dimension without taking the attention away from your boldly colored space.
Use royal blue as an accent color via accessories like a funky lamp base, books covers or a fun area rug. Bright yellow is perfect for a statement piece like an upholstered chair or plush ottoman. Weave a bright red tone into your vacation home through long, sinuous window coverings balanced by metallic accents. See? That wasn’t so bad!
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Step 2: Add Beauty with Bold Prints
Now that you have color covered, it’s time to move onto the next step: Patterns. Maybe you don’t want to mix bold colors with even bolder prints, and that’s totally fine. Use your favorite pattern like a pretty pinstripe or cool geometric as a neutral, like black and white or tone on tone, then layer on your favorite bold hue to spice it up. Not ready to fully jump into bold prints? Consider parquet hardwood flooring. This decorative flooring option adds a dynamic touch to your space without going overboard on the pattern.
Even if you didn’t add color in the first step, a touch or two of a bold print adds dimension and visual interest. Start by sprinkling in a couple of pillows, maybe a throw blanket. Before you know it, your vacation home will be full of fun patterns and interesting prints everyone will be complimenting for summers to come.
Step 3: Edit, Edit, Edit
This is our favorite step. Before you call it a day, take a second peek at your space. Are your storage spaces too stuffed? Cabinets or drawers brimming with clutter? The last step before stepping away from designing your vacation home is to edit out the pieces you don’t absolutely love. Reorganize your bookshelves, vanity, medicine cabinet, kitchen drawers and open shelving to reduce visual clutter and make it easier to find your favorite things. Whether you start at the beginning of the makeover process or held to the end like we do, it’s crucial to create a clean, uncluttered, joyful living environment that you’ll want to be immersed in all summer long. Looking for one less step in your editing routine? Opt for engineered hardwood flooring. This durable yet beautiful flooring option is perfect for zones in your home with a lot of foot traffic and is super easy to clean—the perfect vacation home staple.
Have you started revamping your vacation home yet? Which colors, patterns or editing methods have you implemented to make your space the best it’s looked?
Kerrie Kelly is an interior design who shares her home decor tips for The Home Depot. Kerrie pulls from her experience working with clients from her design firm, Kerrie Kelly Design Lab, and provides great advice on topics from how to choose the right hardwood floor to elevating your space with a punch of color.