Styling a master bedroom for a holiday rental can be tricky.

You need to find the right balance between luxurious, yet not over fussy; stylish yet homely.  But boy is it worth getting right!

Beautiful photographs of a luxurious well-styled master bedroom will really help sell your holiday rental. I know mine does! And yours can too if you follow these simple tips. Also at the bottom of this blog is a video of me in the master bedroom of my cottage, talking you through these styling tips.

The Bed

This has to be the most important thing in the room (apologies for stating the obvious). But I mean, this has to impress and give the wow factor.  Also spend as much as you can afford on the mattress. A good night’s sleep equals happy guests which is what we all want!

Size

This is one instance where size does matter and the bigger the better!   Opt for a kingsize bed over a double if you have space.  Go one step further and go for superking if possible.  A superking zip and link bed is the best possible option as you can split the bed into two singles, offering a really flexible sleeping solution.

Bedding

Always opt for white or cream cotton bed linen, ideally with a small pattern or texture to it.  Linens  must be crisp and clean.  The moment they start to show any sign of usage (eg piling or stains, no matter how faint) they need to be replaced.

Get it ironed professionally. I don’t know about you but no matter how hard I try with my domestic iron, I just can’t get the creases out of cotton like a professional service can.  The cost of this will vary but my local ironing service charges me £12 for a fitted sheet, duvet cover and four pillowcases – money (and my time) well spent!

Pillows – provide two for each person. I’d recommend hypoallergenic pillows and avoid feather as they are harder to wash and are not suitable for guests with allergies.

Finishing touches

Scatter cushions  – my preference is for three – two matching and one in a contrasting fabric. Here’s an example:

Adding a throw to the end of the bed adds a luxurious feel.

Blackout blinds are essential in opinion, helping your guests to have a better night’s sleep.

Hooks – always provide a hook for guests to hang their bathrobes, towels, jackets, either on the wall or on the back of the door.

Furniture

You need to provide a bed, two bedside tables, a wardrobe and a dressing table/chest as a minimum.

Please and pretty please do not use ‘orange’ pine furniture. It looks cheap and dated.  If this is what you have, then paint it! Furniture recycled this way not only saves you money, but actually looks good too. You can see in this image, the dresser is painted in an off white (and it looks fab!)

If you’re buying new bedroom furniture I’d chose oak as there’s a wide selection available on the high street and it fits with any scheme – modern or traditional.

When it comes to furniture, mix it up and use some painted pieces of furniture and some pieces in oak, just like I’ve done.

Bedside lamps – for the purpose of symettry provide matching lamps at either side of the bed.

Colour scheme

Avoid a white/off white or magnolia colour scheme. So dull!  Instead add a feature wall in a bold colour. If you’re feeling brave add pattern too with wallpaper.  This then decides your colour scheme for your curtains and accessories as well as giving impact and wow factor to the room.

Flooring

In the UK and other colder climates, carpet underfoot is the best option.   Or if your flooring is wooden stripped floorboards use a large rug.

One large rug under and extending the bed looks visually better than two smaller rugs, or a rug that’s too small. This diagram from Buzzfeed.com highlights this perfectly.

Artwork

A big piece of art hung centrally above the bed works best.  Be careful that you don’t use pieces of art that are too small and are therefore overwhelmed by the bed.  Use artwork which picks up on the colour scheme you’ve chosen. Or you may have built your colour scheme around a piece of art?  The artwork in this image, by Sue Fenlon, contains the blue/green colour of the feature wall and both this piece of art and the colour scheme complement each other perfectly

Video Tour

To show you in person, my master bedroom, I’ve created this video tour. I apologise that the sound’s not great but hope it helps.

If you’d like to know more about how I can help you with styling your holiday rental, please check out my Styling Packages on the Work with Me page of my website.