Rental villas live hard lives. Twenty different families a summer, wet swimsuits, sun cream and suitcases. Here is how to furnish for that, and still look beautiful in the photographs.
A villa you rent out has two jobs. It must look exceptional in photographs, because that is how guests choose. And it must still look exceptional in September, after a season of guests who are on holiday and, quite reasonably, not thinking about your sofa.
Owners often furnish for the first job and are surprised by the second. Upholstery fades, particleboard swells where a wet glass was left, chair joints loosen, and by the second summer the villa looks tired in a way the listing photographs no longer show. Reviews follow.
Start with the hardest-working pieces
Think about where guests put weight, water and heat. Dining chairs are leaned back on. Outdoor tables meet wine, citrus and sun. Beds are moved to make room for cots. Bedside tables collect wet glasses. These are the pieces worth building properly: plywood rather than particleboard, because it copes far better with a spill and keeps its grip on screws, proper fixings that can be re-tightened, and finishes that can be repaired rather than replaced.
Fabrics and finishes
For upholstery, choose performance fabrics designed for heavy use, with removable covers that can be washed between guests. Linen looks wonderful but creases and marks; a linen-look performance fabric gives a similar feeling with far less maintenance. Darker or mid-tone colours forgive more than white.
For wooden surfaces, oiled finishes are often a better choice than lacquer in a rental. Lacquer looks perfect until it is scratched, and then it must be refinished. Oil can be touched up in an afternoon between bookings.
Build the pieces guests touch most as if they were for your own family.
Design for the way guests really live
Guests travel with luggage, so every bedroom needs somewhere to open a suitcase that is not the bed. They charge phones, so sockets need to be where the bedside tables are. They eat outside, so the outdoor table should seat everyone the villa sleeps, not two fewer. They arrive with children, so sharp stone corners and glass tables at child height cause more trouble than they are worth.
Storage matters more than owners expect. A lockable owner's cupboard, a place for spare linen, and a utility space for the cleaning team will make each changeover faster and more consistent.
Photograph-ready, season-proof
The villas that do best combine a few memorable, well-made pieces (a long dining table, a beautiful headboard wall, an outdoor lounge that guests photograph themselves) with simple, robust furniture everywhere else. That is also where a made-to-measure maker helps: designing the signature pieces for the photographs and the hard-wearing pieces for the season, in one consistent style.
Plan the timing
Made-to-measure pieces take weeks rather than days. If you want the villa ready for the first bookings of the season, the conversation should start in autumn or winter, not in May. The atelier can schedule delivery and installation around your changeover dates.
