Place is outdated

I think this is really nice. Clean, tasteful, not overrun with personal items. I’d stay there easily!

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I noticed that there is lots of white. It’s a very handy colour. Easy to paint the walls, do touch ups, and match, of course.

Everything here was painted white paint and primer. If I wanted to create colour, do it with lighting or accessories.

We use a LOT of honey hued wood. Oak, stained pine, mahogany. And lithos of Canadian wildlife.

Sounds like a place I’d like to stay!

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Great topic. The first photo struck me as odd to see a Victorian sofa without a rug. I have some great (real) rugs, properly sized, that I’ve either purchased at resale/thrift stores and others I’ve created using FLOR carpet tiles. The carpet tiles are my best investments as the clean up easily and if a guest damages one or two, they are inexpensive to replace.
I also NEED to have some type of rug next to the bed so I am not climbing into bed with sandy feet. My floors are clean until someone wears shoes in the house. Then sand. Could just be a Florida thing.
My walls are very dark gray (BM Steel Wool) in the LR + DR. I use the red color family-red/orange/pink throughout the small apartment as these colors always go together, just like flowers. I have green vintage color sofas, and a few yellow/gold pieces to turn it up.
My favorite trick is lighted art. I bought led art lights at Lowe’s and lit up two pieces in the living room. The art is thrifted. I found the Are and frames separately and created new pieces. It looks like I really did something. And it emphasizes bits of color.
Try adding a dark gray throw and deep pink pillow, maybe with pattern to your Victorian sofa. And keep an eye out for two vintage side tables that are more substantial. Ask your friends too. Lots of people have extra stuff that they would love to pay forward.
Take a look at what works in my 1940 stacked duplex.

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Love it!..

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Ooh, very cozy. Is the retro bathroom tile black and white or black and yellow? I just redid baths and entry foyer in my LTR with black and white hex tiles, and the kitchen is going to be black/white checked tiles. I actually hesitated – it may have been more cost effective in terms of resale value to go with the ubiquitous modern/minimalist big rectangular gray textured floor tiles, but I’m a a bit of a retro piece myself, and I’m just getting so tired of the TV remodel show look! My vacation home, which I’m going to STR by word of mouth only, was redone in minimalist/industrial style by a previous owner, and since I couldn’t afford to start over, I gritted my teeth and rolled with it. Metal shelving, raw wood, some vintage tools for decor, etc. It was OK once I got into it. The handy thing about industrial is that you can leave things “unfinished” and it looks like you did it on purpose! (My handyperson: “Do you want me to cover those exposed screwheads?” Me: “Don’t bother; it’s industrial!”)

My bathroom tiles are black and yellow, but the yellow tiles have a bit of pink in them. I still have the blue tub. We bought the property from the man who built it on his Grandfathers land in 1940.

Your vintage tiles w industrial sound just perfect.

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I would make sure to use words like vintage, retro, antiques (if you have any) and even put on the listing that this unit is more to keeping with an era and is not considered modern in any way. Our bathroom is from the 90’s so our listing says that our bathroom will not be updated till 2020 when we can truly afford it. Guest appreciated that.

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I’m loving everybody’s input on how to word that their places aren’t modernized. The pressure in our community to provide gutted and modernized guest experiences is considerable. I was one of 14 ABB when I started 9 years ago. Now a search shows 1000 plus. We went from a sleepy agricultural community to a top 18 places in the world to visit destination.

Here’s what I ended up putting to describe my place that a few young guests have called “outdated” and several guests have said was “noisy”. Most love the convenience as they can have nature and be a 3-minute walk at the same time. Thanks and I look forward to more suggestions on how to compete in an-increasingly very money-fueled tourist economy.

Short description: Vintage, thrifted, sunny century home in the heart of the heritage district, a 3-minute walk to shops, restos, and pubs…

Longer description: Welcome to my home. If you fancy Bohemian over modern and generic, you’ll be at home in this quirky 2-bedroom guest suite facing _____ Harbour, a 3-minute walk from town. Original art by painter, R___ N____, and an assemblage of vintage furniture funkify this humble pied-a-terre. Bedrooms are conveniently located in the back of the house away from the high traffic of U___ Street. The hustle and bustle is the price we pay for having a prime heritage location, so be prepared to find the area very lively. Across the street is an award-winning brekkie place with killer home-fries made with local onions and mushrooms. Try the eggs Bennie, too! (open 7-2). Walk for 3 minutes up the hill and you’re on Main Street. Have those cocktails or beers with impunity as you won’t have to drive-- it’s downhill all the way. The town’s best laundry mat is steps away and the little ice cream shop is where to rub shoulders with locals… We have a convenience store called T____'s on our street (4-minute walk). If you’re a nature lover, walk out back and let the creek lead you to 400 acres of conservation area.

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OMG! As they say, I have TWO of these antique, yes antique setees in my front room. I also have a big chair that’s a sofa bed, 2 newly upholstered “barrel” chairs and a table. I have 2 common rooms, and the other room has a big couch w/TV and modern table.
A recent guest said that my furniture looked like it was bought at a garage sale. The furniture is a mix of antiques, modern…beds are new,etc. I call it an eclectic mix, and have photos of everything on my listing, so no surprise there .
Here’s my listing. The lady who left review is “Cindy”. She’s only a few guests back. You can read my reply.
HOSTS: Please go ahead and also critique my listing. Does it look shabby? I did buy a new white fridge after her review…lol

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Stupid is as stupid does, as they say!

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Some things that I try to do to make my apartment decor look cohesive:

  1. Keep the same paint color scheme throughout the space. I started with Sherwin Williams’ Sea Salt, and just used some of the recommended coordinating colors on the back of the SS color card. I have the blue/green Sea Salt, a light (white) trim color, another coordinating shade somewhere in between these two, and a darker (gray) accent color. These four make up the entire color palette in the apartment.
  2. Stick with plain black picture frames - even if the artwork in them varies, the matching frames pull it all together. If you can’t do all black, then paint your frames with one of your contrasting (non-wall color) paint colors
  3. Choose light, medium or dark wood and keep all the cabinets/furniture similar in tone. If you need to use a light wood piece in an otherwise dark-toned room, consider painting that piece with either the trim or accent color.
  4. Accent pieces/knick-knacks: stick with the same color. When I’m at Goodwill or other thrift shops, I scan the shelves for colors first (blue, green, white, black) and THEN take a look at the item to see if it’s something I need or can use. This has really helped me to avoid having a lot of random items that clash with each other.
  5. Linens: white, white, white! While I’m sure it’s possible for some people (not me!) to make colored bedding and towels work, white is a no-brainer - and it reads as CLEAN to your guests.
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I like your style. I am going to use this as reference to revamp my listing description. Thanks!

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