Let’s talk about my favorite part of the Airbnb adventure we’ve been on; the design! I’ve always loved design in general, spaces, interiors, and decorating, but I think the knack that I have for it has developed over some time. When my kids were younger, I loved revamping their rooms and giving them something unique, fun, and fitting to their personalities, so I think I owe my design obsession to them (thanks kids)!
When I’d revamp their rooms, we were always on a budget, so I’d come up with creative ways to do something different and fun; I remember when Cole grew out of his nursery, and we were transitioning to a ‘big boy room. I did a surf theme, got this super cool bedding, hung an oar on his wall, and did sail on the ceiling! This was all twelve years ago, but it still is one of my favorites! With Avery’s, I recruited a friend to help me, which is beneficial when it comes to doing the design yourself; grabbing a friend with a similar taste and style to help you is a must. I really wanted to do something different for her room, so we ended up taking these small stones we found at the dollar store and glued them to the wall as a 5” border with light green and pink tones – I’m still impressed with my skills in that room because truly, it turned out amazing.
Today, I get my inspiration from all over; Pinterest, liketoknkowit, social media house accounts where people are sharing their homes, and so many more. I love checking out Pinterest boards to see what’s trending or what people are doing because there is always something new and exciting there that lights my design soul on fire. Liketoknowit is excellent too because if someone posts a fantastic lamp, it’s directly linked, and you can purchase the exact same one, no shopping around to find something similar for hours (I know you guys feel me on this one). I’m obsessed with design shows on Netflix and love seeing the before and afters of space; it’s always so unique that a simple bedding swap or pillow swap can change the entire look making it more comfortable or inviting.
When designing a space, I always start with a color palette; are we going with bold, bright colors? Neutrals? Once we decide on that, we’ll move into furniture pieces and focal point selection; do we want to see the fireplace first? The accent wall? A piece of artwork? Then we work on the more minor details, which is honestly my favorite part – greenery, lighting, candles, frames, interesting objects, books... what do we get to add (and where) to give it a look we’re trying to achieve? I love decorating with books, and with Vista Lago, I went to Goodwill, bought a ton of books, took the covers off, and found a perfect neutral color palette that looked amazing in our space.
If I have one tip to give you when it comes to design, it’s to do what makes you happy. Sometimes we get so stuck in what’s trending or popular, but you’re the one who must live there, so do what you like or what makes you feel comfortable. Speaking of trends, white walls are huge right now, which I’m in favor of; you can work anything in with white. I’m not a huge fan of painting a house with tons of bold, crazy colors – I love a good accent wall, but I can’t do the entire room the same color. Wood slat walls are also trending right now, and I love that because it’s so cost-effective to do but makes a huge difference. Wood walls with details are popular too as an accent wall and the cool thing is that all of this can be affordable with sites like Amazon and Target. We no longer have to pay outrageous prices for these things, which is great when you want to swap things out from time to time.
Now, I’m a very visual person, I have to see things put together and completed before I freak out and get excited. I’m working on much darker tones for our new cabin because of the mountains. There are so many beautiful green trees around us, everywhere you look, so I want to accent a few walls with a gorgeous forest green and sprinkle that throughout the space to bring nature in. I’m also doing black cabinets with gold hardware, an awesome butcher block countertop, a bar cart, and dark furniture to really set the tone of class, all while keeping that cozy mountain feel. This is the part I like; can you tell?
The design allows someone to walk in or see us online and say, ‘that’s where I want to stay.’ When someone chooses our property as a place to make memories, it’s everything. We love getting the compliment that we are clean, comfortable, and accommodating and we will never take that for granted. First impressions are everything, and we hope your first with us is magical.