If you could personally meet all of the potential vacationers out there looking for the perfect holiday spot, you’d be sure to offer them an invitation to your rental. Since that isn’t likely to happen, your home’s curb appeal has to speak for itself instead.
Color is the best way to grab the eye and create a welcoming space that invites a further look. It’s also sure to make your home’s photos pop, and since so many vacationers browse for rentals online, that is important. There are a number of ways to introduce more color to the exterior of your home without investing in a giant painting project.
How to Add Color to Your Vacation Rental
1. Go Bright with Seating
Having a great place to sit and relax is a key ingredient for any vacation home. Choose bright, cheerful patio seating that can be used for outdoor dining and colored chairs, cushions and pillows to match. Using vivid hues on porch rockers or Adirondack chairs also sets the scene for fun.
2. Flower the Patio or Porch with Color
Beautifully tended flower pots show that you pay attention to your property. There are easy-to-care-for flowers that manage to survive even if you don’t have a green thumb. Red, pink and white begonias, as well as periwinkle, are good choices for continuous blooms. They can also last longer without constant watering.
3.Create a Container Garden
If you want a colorful array of flowers but don’t want to deal with weeds, create a container garden. Choose some pretty pottery in varied sizes. Group them together, fill them with seasonal flowers and nestle them in front of your home or on your patio as a focal point.
4. Accent with Colorful Paint
Rather than re-paint the entire home, just add color to the details. Paint a pretty shade on an accent you’d like to highlight, like the front door, the shutters or even the porch posts. Even the mailbox could be a spot to spruce up.
5. Amp up the House Numbers
Fun, large house numbers can become an artistic focal point for your rental. They can be painted one of your accent colors. Not only can you get creative with these, but your visitors will thank you for making it easy to find the house!
6. Bring Cheer with Accessories
Wrap up your new look with some carefully chosen accessories. A new door mat creates a great welcome. Add a local flag to really set the scene. However, do be sure to keep your choices in character with your home’s location—if your rental is by the ocean, keep it looking beachy and don’t introduce a rustic mountain theme.
7. Pay Attention to Details
Above all, a welcoming vacation spot should be clean and neat. Make sure that sidewalks and porches are pressure washed, windows sparkle and the lawn is maintained. Drive by, and also walk around the house, with a fresh eye to details. Make sure that items such as trash receptacles are hidden by fencing or landscaping, garden hoses are hung on hose reels and exterior lights are clean and working well.
Final Thoughts on Curb Appeal and Interior Design
You’ll want to take time to plan your color scheme before you start making purchases. Using a discriminating eye, choose a main accent color and then a companion color or two—you don’t want your home to feature every color in the crayon box. Start by taking a good look at your exterior colors, then bring home a handful of paint swatches and hold them up to your exterior in order to get a hands-on idea of what shades will work. Tuck those colors into your purse or wallet and keep them on hand as you shop. Then, use any of these seven tricks to make your rental stand out from the neighborhood.
A bright and inviting environment outside is just the invitation needed for vacationers to look into a long stay with you. Whether you have a beautifully vibrant patio or a welcoming bed of flowers, color is the key to attracting more renters.
This article was written by organizational expert Lea Schneider, who writes on topics of importance to homeowners, including those who own vacation rental properties, for The Home Depot. Lea’s tips on color and paint are designed to help increase the curb appeal of your property. To research a selection of colorful outdoor furniture available online, you can visit the Home Depot website here.