As much as we hate to say goodbye to summer, it’s great to look ahead to the soft, filtered light of the fall sun, combined with the crunch of orange and red leaves underfoot. Autumn is all about serenity and warmth and yet it also can make us feel more invigorated to take on new challenges- like adding some fall vibes to your vacation home or STR/Airbnb. Elements giving off the fall vibe make guests feel cozy and the cozier guests feel, the happier they become and we all know happy guests make happy hosts.
We combed Amazon for some moody yet comforting finds with a textured and unpretentious feel, easy to incorporate quickly into a home. Let’s get into it:
Books (how we love books in vacation homes)!
We always decorate with books because not only do guests read them, but they also add patina and authenticity to a home.
For the coffee or side table, we recommend Eat Drink Nap- Bringing the House Home by Soho House, the quintessential cooking, style, and decoration book from one of the world’s leading private clubs. In the 17 years since the first Soho House opened its doors, they’ve perfected the art of entertaining: how to make people feel at home, how to cook the food they love, how to make a room stylish but welcoming, how to throw a party, get the lighting right, mix a cocktail, design a bedroom, build an art collection. Guests will feel inspired!
If you have a handy kitchen shelf, we recommend S’mores, by Lisa Adams. There are suggestions aplenty for making s’mores on a barbecue, in the oven, over a stovetop, and on the hearth of your living room fireplace. If you get the book, make sure you provide the ingredients in a gift basket so guests can get right to making them. Personally, we can’t wait to get some spears and make the Mint Raspberry Sophisticate!
An off-white vase with dried Bunny Tail grass
There is something about an off-white ceramic vase that evokes fall and winter, especially when combined with dried reeds such as Bunny Tail or faux eucalyptus leaves, especially those from Afloral. (For more tips on finding extremely realistic faux plants, read last week’s post).
Glass Match Cloche with Black-Tipped Matches
What is it about a glass cloche and how everything looks chic inside them? We are excited to have found this hand-blown ribbed glass one on Amazon. There’s a removable cork stopper in the bottom, as well as strike-on-bottle flint for easy lighting and it’s refillable. Inspired by a vintage glass cloche which was originally used to protect emerging seedlings in gardens, this baby looks good anywhere! And hey, black-tipped matches are the perfect vibe for autumn.
Sofa Throw (cashmere version)
A sofa throw is an obvious cozy touch to fall’s nippy weather. Airbnb and STR guests love to curl up on a sofa with their feet up and a throw is nice to wrap around one’s body. We spotted this cashmere throw on Amazon and thought, “A little expensive but it will last a very long time and will look sooooo good thrown over the back of a sofa,” so we are featuring it.
Table Top Fire Bowl
The hues of orange and red and yellow in fire flames instantly elicit feelings of coziness, or as the Swedes say hygge. For those of us not lucky enought to have a fireplace in our vacation homes or Airbnb’s, a fire bowl is a great alternative. We found this sleek modern one from TerraFlame that can be placed anywhere, such as an outside coffee table, a dining table or a coffee table. It’s clean burning and smoke-free and provides a serene, mood-lifting vibe to any ambience. It burns for a full 2-3 hours with its accompanying fuel cans. Say hello to guest happiness, folks!
Diffuse Away
Last but not least, we cannot forget about the elegance of a great diffuser. Nest is among our very favorites because their fragrances are subtle and do not overpower a room, which is key in vacation homes and Airbnb’s and STR’s. The scent of birchwood evokes the fall-into-winter feelings and Nest delivers on this big time! We like to place these on a mantel or console table, somewhere where people won’t fiddle a lot.
