The Best Things To Use To Furnish a Tiny Home Short Term Rental: Bed, Bathroom & Beyond Edition
When we decided to build a tiny home to use as a short term rental, we knew we wanted to create an experience for our guests that was as comfortable as a high-end hotel, as cozy as a mountain cottage at Christmas and as functional as an Ikea utensil drawer. (that’s super functional right?)
The wheels in my creative, interior designer brain started turning and the research began. When hubby said, “So, do you wanna like, go to some garage sales or something?” I was slightly offended, maybe curious wondering why type of furniture I would have him drag home to refurbish, but ultimately, the answer was no. This might be the opposite of what many people feel the tiny home movement is, but to me, The Whispering Birch was going to be a pristine, high level experience for anyone who stayed.
A month before we were set to open, it was time to get everything in order. I left this too long, should have started ordering sooner and we pushed the opening a week because it don’t come together the way I had planned. As I scoured the interwebs for the perfect furnishings, although we were running short on time, I wasn’t going to sacrifice the user experience for a deadline, but I also knew it would be a bit of trial and error. As I started my research I was considering these 5 things before I made a purchase:
How would it wear: how will it look and feel in 2 months, 6 months 1 year or more.
Longevity: Will they need to be replaced often? What was the initial investment vs. the long term investment if needing to be replaced often.
Usage: Cleaning, stains and basically pretending like my 7 yo. would be the main demographic (no, the tiny isn’t only for kids, but I have known an adult or two to eat ketchup chips in a white bed… if you’re American and don’t know what ketchup chips are, they are amazing and you need to get your hands on some asap)
What do I want to have when I go to a high end retreat? What will make my life easier?
What are my habits when I am away at a hotel and how can I speak to them?
With these 5 considerations in mind, I went to work researching and ordering to create the space we envisioned. Here is the list and links of many of the choices I made. It is important to keep your individual concept and budget in mind when ordering to make sure that the environment you are trying to create is reflected in the merchandise that you choose.
Pillows: I like a variety of pillows when I am at a hotel which is why I chose 2 different types. The first are the Viewstar- hotel bed pillows for neck and shoulder pain, the second Celeep Ultra Soft with Lofty Microfiber Filling for an alternate. Also keep in mind you will want extras available for cleaning crews incase one gets damaged and you have a quick guest turn around. We bought 4 of each of the King pillow sets, we have placed one of both in each sleeping position on the master bed.
Sheet Sets: Fresh cotton, a high enough thread count, and crisp white linens were on the order list for The Whispering Birch and we found just the ones. Make sure to use a lint brush to remove any stray fuzz, hair debris and they feel as good as they look. Check out the
Duvet Covers: Although the description says white, they are in fact a slight off-white, waffle pattern duvet cover which allowed us to mix texture and tone. They also make it easier than washing a comforter every time. Stripping the duvet cover off and replacing it with a clean one is much easier for the cleaning crew and the duvet itself is laundered as needed, monthly, or after every other guest. We chose the: Duvet Cover Set-Cotton-Waffle-White King
Duvet Insert: The insert into the duvet cover is very important. Not too light, not too heavy and keep in mind the temperature of the sleeping area and the interior environment. We chose this one, Cozynight Down Alternative Comforter-All Season King Comforter Duvet Insert as a nice medium weight and provide extra blankets. The sleeping areas are in the lofts of this tiny home so generally this means that the sleeping areas are a bit warmer as the heat rises.
Towels & Cloths: Probably my favorite of all, are the BLACK MAKE-UP face clothes that allow guests to take off face makeup guilt free without leaving stains on the white towels. The bath sheets, hand towels and white face cloths had to be super soft and absorbent, but they needed to be white to show the high level cleanliness expected.
Window Coverings: We originally ordered custom blackout roller blinds for the sleeping areas, but in hindsight should have ordered these cellular shades for all areas of the home. What we loved about these cellulars is that they are cordless, top-down/bottom-up and allow guests to let in light, the amazing views and keep the inside spaces private. These blinds were extremely easy to order with tight measurements and the company was in regular communication with any questions. They arrived on the front step a few days earlier than expected and have been the perfect edition to the tiny.
On the less functional side of things, we picked up a few more fun details for our guests that added a bit of quirkiness to the overall feel, but were in line with the overall experience. We found these black stainless steel utensils, black and gold playing cards and of course this great little footrest pouf for the living room. (Don't forget the filling and follow the instructions to fill or you might be sorry!)
Want to know what we used for the larger furnishings?
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