Make a summer rental feel like home

The summer is quickly looming over us. Family discussions and decisions for what kind of vacation to take will ensue. Some may choose vacations abroad, hopscotch-jumping from one country to another. It's a great way to experience other customs, taste new types of cuisine and see new landscapes and different styles of architectures. More than likely, this type of holiday will include staying in multiple hotels.

Others may choose to do a more local-specific vacation, perhaps on a lake, mountain or beach. While there are never a shortage of hotels and motels, many vacationers now like to opt for a summer rental. Rentals, for a weekend to a couple of months, can be found on websites like Airbnb and VRBO. With more and more jobs that are mobile, more people bring work on the road while seeking relaxation.

When staying in one place for more than a week at a time, many wonder how to make these rentals feel more like home. Here are some tips to make your vacation rental seem like your own:

• Arrange and rearrange

If the furniture layout is not to your likings, moving furniture and accessories around the home or apartment can give your temporary space your own point of view. This may entail creating a corner or space for a specific use such as a card table or office desk.

• Landscape and flowers

Go out to the local garden shop and get some accent greenery in decorative ceramic or terra cotta planters to scatter throughout the house or at the entry. A vase of flowers may give a bedroom, den or dining table warmth and will bring to light your style.

• Run for cover

Move any furniture you may not like out of the way or into another room. You can also simply buy some colorful sheets, quilts or blankets and make slipcovers with the addition of a few pins and a stitch or two.

• Dining alfresco

Should there be any patio furniture, picnic table or bistro set, drop a tablecloth and matching napkins. Having a place for meals outside is a great time to bond with family and friends and make great vacation memories.

• Simplify

Some homes may have more than your share of accessories and knickknacks. Do a clean sweep of every room. Find and empty drawers to store unwanted items.

For fun: Add a bit of the unexpected to the decor. It might be the hanging of a guitar on the wall, or making a bed skirt out of the hula skirt. The unexpected can be the source of fun in a vacation rental. Feel free to experiment with ideas.

Candles: A familiar scent can help air out a home that may have been closed for a while, and make you think of home.

Finally, decorating or redecorating a vacation home can be exhilarating. There really aren't any rules to follow except making things stylish and, above all, comfortable. Whatever changes you make to "your" vacation home, make sure to snap before photos so you can revert everything back to the way it was when you arrived.

• Joseph Pubillones is the owner of Joseph Pubillones Interiors, an award-winning interior design firm based in Palm Beach, Florida.

© 2017, Creators Syndicate