Making and decorating your furnished apartment for short term rentals is something you have to approach with a bit of strategy. Toronto furnished apartments or Airbnb’s, especially short term rentals downtown Toronto are a competitive space so you have to do what you can to stand out from all the other furnished rentals Toronto travellers look at when they search online.
You have to design and affordable short term rentals in Toronto in such a way so that it requires minimal maintenance and is not easily ruined. Putting all of this together we can see how this is not an easy process. You want the place where you live to be perfect so every single detail requires your attention and close thinking.
While you need to create a well designed space, you must not forget to be practical as well. For that, it is highly recommended to choose the right material and fabrics that don’t easily wear and tear – you will have lots of guests going through your short term rental in Toronto and need to make sure the furniture can handle it. Aesthetics too can be practical so you will not have to worry about looking cheap.
One major tip is to try to stay away from Ikea – we love Ikea and they have amazing furniture at the best prices BUT everyone has or knows what Ikea furniture looks like. You don’t want the “Oh but it was an Ikea apartment..” – majority of people will treat nice, more expensive furniture better than a basic Ikea piece, because they know it didn’t cost much and is cheap to replace. That doesn’t mean a $3,000 couch is a good idea, but neither is a $400 Ikea sofa. Ikea is perfect for all your accessories, your kitchen utensils, your towels, sheets, garbage cans, etc you should get all these from Ikea. But for the rest shop around, you’d be surprised what furniture you can find for your furnished Toronto apartment at basically the same prices.
Now let’s look at the major areas where people make typical mistakes and tips which will make your life easier, and things you must be very careful about.
We also rate the items in a wear-and-tear scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the worst):
Bare walls
Try to avoid bare walls at all costs. Accessorizing your Airbnb condo walls will bring all the place together and give it character. Without anything on your walls, your furnished apartment can look very boring and lifeless. You can either buy paintings from furniture stores, or have your favourite paintings printed and framed to hang on the walls. For a one bedroom condo you need at least one wall hanging in the living room and one in the bedroom.
Wear & Tear Score: 6
Fabrics
You must keep in mind to use fabrics that are cleaned easily on your furniture. For this, try to avoid fabrics like suede or fabrics that are too light. Stains will stay on them and will be very hard to get rid of. Leather is a good option but that too if its synthetic. If your sofa cover is removable that will make it very easy for you to wash it. Use darker shades if you can, but that doesn’t mean everything should be black or grey.
Wear & Tear Score: 9
Lighting
Dim lighting is romantic and soothing but it must not be an all-time thing. Furnished apartments in Toronto and especially newer Toronto condos usually do not come with good ceiling lights so be sure to add additional floor lamps that add that wow-effect to your apartment. Lamps are also a furniture item that do not have a lot of wear and tear so you can splurge a bit and buy nicer ones. A really nice lamp can really make a place stand out, even if the rest of your furniture is not super premium.
Wear & Tear Score: 2
Carpet
This is one of the first flooring options that will come to your mind living in an affordable rental in Toronto. While that is something we know, we must fight it. Avoid carpets if you can. It will soak in the dirt, can be hard to clean and can become very unsanitary in the long run. Spills will happen and after a fairly short time you will have to dry clean or power wash it.
Wear & Tear Score: 9
Mirror, mirror on the wall..
Mirrors are very useful and look very trendy and nice. Other than that, these will add dimension and space to your apartment as they will make the place look larger than it is. Make sure to hang it on the wall and not simply lean it against one, which someone can potentially knock over.
Wear & Tear Score: 1
Wooden tables
Instead of running to find a coaster each time someone is having a drink, avoid wood. Instead, go for a marble or synthetic marble (yes they look great actually) or even glass, which are materials easier to clean and hard to stain or leave permanent watermarks on. Your dining table probably gets the most wear and tear in your furnished apartment in Toronto, so get something sturdy and the right material.
Wear & Tear Score: 9
Indoor plants
While a lot of people might not be a big fan of these, it is essential to bring in some colour and life to your apartments. Indoor plants will greatly help you achieve that as they bring a very natural and fresh effect to your setting. Just make sure to ask your guests to water them!
Wear & Tear Score: 4
You do one thing wrong and everything can turn out to look absolutely off. Another thing that one needs to take about is that it must reflect you. It must be designed and furnished in a way that it speaks your name whenever someone enters. As we all are fabulous, our apartments should be too.
