We’ve saved the best (most work) for last! On the final episode of season 2 of Renovation Inspiration, we take you through our transformation of the bathrooms and outdoor areas of the ‘green monster.’ Last week, we talked all about the outdoor spaces — if you didn’t get a chance to check that out, you can give it a read here. Now this week, it’s all about the bathroom, specifically the powder room that gave us so much trouble, and how designing a bathroom with AirBnb in mind differs from designing one in a permanent residence…
See how it all concludes: Watch the final episode of Renovation Inspiration here:
How Designing for AirBnb Differs from Designing For Yourself…
There’s likely to be more foot traffic in the bath of an AirBnb so maintenance and usability helps inform the design of the space from an aesthetic point of view – While powder rooms in your home can be fun spaces to take some design risks and go for moodier colors and fun prints, the bath in an AirBnb should be incredibly clear and simple. Bright, modern, well-lit – these things make the space incredibly easy to navigate and easier to maintain. Here are some of the ways you can achieve that in your vacation rental renovation:
- Easily Maintainable Materials
Choose products and materials for your powder room that are easily maintained. Rip out that bathtub and install shower tile in a larger format and opt for bath mats and rugs with traction to prevent slipping.
- Open It Up!
Opening up the space by installing a glass panel for the shower. This simple shift changes everything – It makes the small powder room appear much larger. And having a panel as a shower door, rather than an operating door, saves money on materials and on installation and it’s less likely to break. Win all around! That’s the kind of thing we’re looking for in an investment property.
- Another way to open it up: Windows in the Powder Room
Establishing an indoor-outdoor connection, even in small powder room is a great idea. Closed-off, artificially lit, windowless powder rooms used to be all the rage (and in some cases they still are, and are unavoidable due to how certain homes are built), but we’re seeing a trend in natural light installation in even the smallest of powder rooms and it makes a world of difference – adding a skylight or even a small window allows natural light to flood in while still maintaining privacy.
- You Still Need Artificial Light in Your Vacation Rental Bathroom…
Even with all that vitamin d permeating your vacation rental bathroom windows, the sun still sets here, in SoCal and you’re going to need functional light when relying on the sun isn’t an option. Here are some of the best bathroom lighting tips you’re going to get from the first season of Renovation Inspiration:
- Get Specific About the Use of Space
This will help you determine what amenities you’re going to need to include. All the extras. Who/how many are using this bathroom and what’s happening here – A master bath has different needs than a powder room but if it’s the guest bathroom in a rental property it has another set of requirements — kind of a cross between the two. For example, people will likely be spending more time getting ready in the powder room of their Air Bnb than they might in their friends’ guest bathroom. So you’ll want to be sure it’s well stocked with product and amenities like towels and hair dryers.
