Decorating a Cabin or Vacation Home

Decorate a Vacation Home According to its Backdrop

To begin with, pick a design look that is homogenous with its surroundings. Think rustic decor for a cabin, seashells and whitewashed furniture for a beach home or a cottage in Nantucket; create a mini ranch in a vacation home in New Mexico or Arizona! If the vacation home is in a tropical setting, pick pieces in bamboo and animal print and create a jungle safari!

For inspiration and ideas, look for books, magazines and online articles in the theme that works for the vacation home and then shop! Two great books to check out if rustic is a theme for a cabin are True West by Christine Mather, published 1992 by Clarkson N Porter, Inc., and The Not So Log Cabin by Robbin Obomsawin published 2003 Gibbs Smith Publisher.

Vacation Home Decor Need Not Break the Bank

When shopping for Your new vacation retreat, keep in mind that most of the time, expensive, brand new items are not necessarily needed to sufficiently decorate a vacation home. Sometimes weathered, gently used furnishings and decor add character and a relaxing atmosphere.

If a coffee table has a distressed finish, you and your guests are more likely to feel comfortable to kick back and put your feet up on it. A sofa covered by a furry animal print throw cover, will be inviting to curl up in; a denim covered sofa will be more welcoming than a white couch. Picking items that kids, relatives, pets, and party-animal friends can't destroy will help you and your guests relax.

Shop second hand stores, flea markets, garage sales, eBay, Craig's list and retailers' bargain aisles. Bring your "seconds" from home out of the basement or garage. Many items like this can be slip-covered, refinished, repainted, or re-purposed to fit a vacation home's theme perfectly.

There are so many inexpensive ways to decorate a second home that adds character. For cabins, branches can be used as curtain rods, tree stumps can be used as side tables, windows can be covered with gingham tab top curtains or Mexican blankets. For a beach house, second hand furniture can be painted with white paint and sanded back to look weathered. Blue and white striped curtain can be hung from an oar and held back with a piece of rope. A life preserver can be authentic beach decor. Fishnet can cover walls with seashells attached.

One Final Tip About Decorating a Vacation Home

A vacation home should be enjoyed! That vacation home is there for the homeowner to relax in. When they get there, they shouldn't feel guilty about avoiding their blackberry, texts or emails. As well, every trip to your retreat shouldn't spark a new flurry of interior design mania! And don't decorate so that you'll wind up spending endless hours dusting or scrubbing the floors. And, if the budget permits, hire a house cleaner or landscaper to maintain the home and grounds in your absence, so that you can just show up, grab a book and escape into another world....the relaxing world you've set up for yourself!

To begin reading this article series go to: Setting up a Vacation Home