Furniture in Airbnb

Hello. I am Natalia. I am trying to learn about Airbnb in general. I really like light furniture and I believe light colors give so much better look.
Is it bad idea to have light beige fabric couches in living room at Airbnb?

As long as it is easily cleaned light colors are fine. I prefer brown leather,.

Welcome to the forum!

RR

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Welcome to the forum!

We don’t do light fabrics in our home because we allow kiddos. And wine drinkers.

I don’t want to deal with beige fabric and grapes (in jelly or wine).

Thank you for your reply.

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I really appreciate the answer.

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@Natalia712 I would say it’s a much better idea for hosts to have removable, washable covers for upholstered furniture, no matter what color the furniture is, unless you can just wipe the whole thing down, as with leather. Guests aren’t necessarily going to be mindful that it’s a light colored couch and might spill red wine on it, sit with their dirty bare feet up on the seat, anything you can imagine, guests will likely do at some point.

So unless you want to be constantly trying to get stains out between guests, or getting into the unpleasant and often fruitless situation of having to try to charge them for damages, while it’s tempting to want to do a gorgeous job of furnishing an Airbnb, it’s better to try to make it as bulletproof as possible.

You can still get slipcovers made of a light color, as long as they are easily washable and don’t stain easily.

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We had a futon with a very light beige cover on the mattress. It definitely saw some spills and stains. Twice it was obviously from small children (chocolate hand prints, small footprints from shoes). In our case, the cover was removable, so that helped in cleaning.

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I agree with those who like dark colors or slipcovers. You might choose a design that is very standard so that buying slipcovers in the future provides a good selection and fit. You can always lighten things up with less expensive throw pillows or small blanket throws.

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Thank you for response. I am understanding to make my cleaning easier, I should go with darker color and probably leather.

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If you’re doing a light colored sofa, I would suggest a leather sofa that can be wiped clean quite easily or a slip covered sofa that can be removed and laundered. If getting a slip covered sofa, it’s always a good idea to buy an extra cover so if one is being laundered or dry cleaned, you can slip on the extra cover. Best wishes .

I’ve had 3 rentals on Airbnb (now only 1). Couches & recliners have been either microfiber (Brown) that can be easily wiped off or bonded leather.

I also have a couple of fabric accent chairs, I purchased on clearance at Costco. Cheap. Pretty. Expected to last 3-5 years then be replaced.

I added a recliner after several guests said they didn’t like my swivel, bucket chair & wanted a recliner. My recliner is cheap, comfortable and I expect to replace it every 5-6 years.

I opted for inexpensive furniture so less at risk if I something stolen or ruined. Plus styles change.

I try to have have a minimum weight support of 350 lbs. because I know I will have some guests of size.

My friend has a beautiful cream, slip covered couch. The slip cover can be washed plus additional protection is provided by a sofa cover. The combination has worked well.

I would never choose items that ‘don’t show the dirt’. If there’s dirt there, I want to see it. I assume that there are many guests who feel the same way.

We have cream leather sofas (or you could go for faux leather if the real thing bothers you) and all towels, bedding, shower curtains etc. are white. This way guests can be certain that the place is really clean and not just ‘hiding the dirt’.

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Whatever colour the sofa is, make sure you can remove the covers and wash them in a machine, preferably on a hot (90 degreeC) cycle. I have a black sofa in my Airbnb rental, and one time a particularly revolting guest shoved a pair of excrement-streaked men’s underwear between the sofa seat cushions. No colour sofa is going to protect you from having to wash the covers (twice!) in those circumstances.

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@Natalia712 I wouldn’t do it. You will only have headache all time around. You can still create a bright and light look and feel even with a couch of a darker color. I always use dark grey. On top of that I always place a complementary grey blanket (if accidents happen - and they DO happen, like spilling red wine) it prevents from having to deep clean the whole couch.

I like dark doctors. My slipcovers are mamma mia dark grey and dark chocolate.

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I think it matters most on the guests you attract. My suite is has a small cream color sofa and the space is best for 2 adults. If you attract families with small children then a more family friendly color (or fabric like real leather) may be more practical.

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Agree that you need furniture suitable to your guest bracket. I also think a very nice leather couch that is used and can be replaced in 3 years or so is a good choice. You will be wiping these down with soapy water with each guest and why buy a brand new one And do that? Also think laundry. Between guests you will have sheets, towels, blankets, throws, shower curtains, pillow covers, duvet covers/comforters, throw pillow cases to wash each time. Slip covers are just one more Thing to wash.

Sorry for digging this thread back up, it’s just really on point with what I’m trying to figure out
I’m a newcomer to the forum (and to ABNB in general),

I’m in the market for a couch to furnish my 2 bedroom apt.

It’s centrally located and I was thinking to target business trip customers.
(I now realise that having 2 bedrooms makes it not that great actually)

Anyways, I was thinking of purchasing a larger black leather couch, but my gf thinks it would look awful. Does anyone here have examples where it would look good?

Thanks a ton!!

Do you have a picture of the space? The color for your sofa should compliment whatever existing furniture you already have in the living room as well as the wall color and flooring.

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