San Diego Studio Vacation Rental
We just gave our South Park, San Diego studio a much-needed remodel. We are so excited to share the updated pictures with you along with some design tips we’ve learned over the years!
I personally love looking at before and after pictures. There's something so exhilarating about seeing the potential of a house come to life with a lot of love and elbow grease.
My husband and I took on a huge fixer upper 4 years ago for our own home and it's (oddly) one of the best decisions we've ever made. We've definitely taken our time on it. It takes teams of people to make progress and we're always so appreciative of everyone involved. Of course there are days we wish for perfect baseboards and pristine quartz countertops, but it's humbling to realize how much love and time we've already put into our home. Our home is growing with us.
I bring that side story up because we put that same level of effort into all our Sustainable Properties - San Diego rentals.
It might take a little longer to make it all work, but every piece is selected and placed into a rental with the same level of care we give our own home.
...but you came for pictures!
Find Your Center(piece!)
The living room is the central hub of the home- unless you're like me and prefer to be cooking eclectic, farm-to-table dishes in the kitchen! The living area is also my favorite room to design because you want something- whether it is a picture, fireplace, or artwork- to be the focal point of the house. For this reason, we scoured the Internet for art prints online that fit our sustainable theme and found an artist off Art.com. I loved the simplistic, yet enchanting colors the artist used to create pieces so inviting and "Southern California".
© Photo by Matthew Jimenez
Mix Custom with Standard Items
I like to get the best deals on everything. (I keep multiple online shopping carts full of items for months until the prices drop!) For this reason, Ikea is a rental owner's dream. All their products are always reasonably priced and affordable. Use Ikea to your advantage. Mix some higher-end pieces from Home Goods with your Ikea Godmorgons and Ribbas to can create something custom and special.
© Photo by Matthew Jimenez
Choose a Wall Color that Fits the Space
Darker colors can make rooms look smaller. You can see how much bigger and brighter the white walls make the room look! Plus, white is timeless. Seriously. Our house built in the 50s had white walls, which I regret painting over because I'll probably just paint them white all over again!
© Photo by Matthew Jimenez
Paint then Pick!
When designing rental units, it’s important to be as efficient as possible. We can’t afford to lose a steady income stream, so the renovation has to be quick and well thought-out.
What works best for us is to buy our paint first and then choose an art piece for color inspiration. The art helps us solidify our overall design plan and buy our furniture. We like to keep a running spreadsheet of all the items we need to purchase and all the items we can reuse. We then block off a day on the rental calendar to paint the walls and take final measurements.
Once the walls are painted, it's a lot easier to match items like duvet covers and window coverings to the undertones in the paint.
© Photo by Matthew Jimenez
Remove (or Donate) Consistently
There are two types of clutter- your clutter and the guest's clutter. We all like “stuff” and sometimes require extra comforts when we travel. Our team at Sustainable Properties - San Diego constantly works to eliminate clutter to ensure our rentals are cleaned after every visitor. You'd be surprised how many things get left behind- blankets, extra pillows, jackets, lawn chairs, and a lot more. So we do our best to take it out, or donate it if it's still in useable condition.
On the other side, homeowners tend to pack all their furniture into their rental units- we are guilty of this too! It's important to eliminate unnecessary furniture (and knickknacks) as much as possible. Already have a closet in a bedroom? You don't need two dressers. Shelves are full of antiques? You might consider getting rid of some so the renter has a place to put their stuff. Trust us- less is more (and makes better pictures)!
© Photo by Matthew Jimenez
Traveling can get messy. Visitors will appreciate your ability to keep things clean, beautiful, and functional in their home-away-from-home!
I hope you enjoyed the pictures from our most recent remodel! If you'd like to stay in our South Park Studio, feel free to contact us or check out our Airbnb listing here.