Furnishings for a Cabin or Vacation Home

Whether its a cabin or beachfront home, when furnishing a vacation retreat, it's important to strike a balance between bare and overdone. It's fun to decorate a second home, and there are many decorating resources, but don't get carried away. Whether decorating a vacation home with a skies-the-limit budget or on a shoestring, a few things should be kept in mind:

* Clutter creates stress.
* Furniture needs vacuuming and polishing.
* Knic-Knacks need dusting.

A vacation home should be furnished so that it is a place in which you can relax. You won't want a bare living room with a few canvas sports chairs and a card table, but you also don't want so much stuff that you'll feel strangled! It's important to pick comfortable yet sturdy, as well as inviting basic items that can be spiced up with fun decor.

Vacation Home Living Room

Look for comfortable furniture which might be a sectional or sofa and love seat or plush chair. You'll need a few side tables and maybe a coffee table, where you can relax with a book and a cup of coffee or glass of wine. If the floor is tile or hardwood, an area rug is a must. If you want books, board games, DVDs or video games in your vacation space, plan out-of-sight storage for them, such as a bookcase or a TV entertainment center. Finally, add a table or floor lamp or two.

Sofas can be slip-covered to increase the casual feel of a room and hide an older couch. Tables can be distressed but sturdy. Look for log or twig tables or chairs to add a focal point. Find lamps made from wood or iron, with cowhide lampshades. Install ceiling fans or light fixtures that have western stars or antlers.

Vacation Home Bedrooms

Every vacation home bedroom needs a bed with a good mattress, a dresser with drawers, nightstand or side table, and at least one lamp. Bunk beds are great for kids rooms and log frame beds are readily available for the master bedroom. Dressers with birch faced drawers add an appealing rustic touch in a cabin. Coffee tables with a shadowbox section built into it, can contain sea shells or driftwood for that seaside touch.

Even if the bedrooms have overhead lamps, furnish each bedroom with a table lamp to create a cozy ambiance.

Vacation Home Dining Area

Space permitting, a vacation home needs a dining table and chairs. A table with benches provides flexibility in seating, and works in almost any environment. Look for sturdy pieces that will be easy to maintain and not prone to scratching or water rings. If there is not a designated dining area, a drop leaf table and folding chairs can be set in a corner or if there is a breakfast bar, meals can be eaten at the counter just fine. Worst case buy a set of TV trays that can be tucked into a closet!

Outdoor Living Space at a Vacation Home

Odds are that quite a bit of time will be spent outdoors at your vacation home, so it's important to have patio chairs, an outdoor table or two and possibly a gas grill. Adirondack chairs are unbelievably comfortable and many are designed so that they can be folded up and taken along to the beach or for a picnic.

Furnishing a vacation home is just common sense. It's a place that you'll want to feel at home in, and having it furnished with ambiance and comfort is as important for a pleasant vacation as good weather!

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