IF you have a house that you plan to put up for rental or lease for long term, and you want it to be able to attract guests or tenants, it will do better if you spend a bit of money on interior design (ID) to enhance the property.
Interior designer Faizal Zain of Zaldeco Inspirations has a few tips to share with readers on the essentials of decorating homes for rental.
“Some people are afraid to spend on ID when they buy a house, which includes decoration and renovation. They don’t know that ID will help enhance
the rental price of the property per say compared to a house that has no ID or even for flipping compared with a house which is empty,” said Faizal.
He said houses that are absolutely empty, partly furnished or fully furnished will fetch different prices. However, a fully furnished house that has the most ID carried out by an expert will have a different price tag.
“I discourage the usage of expensive material for the furniture because we don’t know how our tenants are going to take care of the furniture. Hence, the usage of low-cost materials like melamine boards to make the kitchen cabinets, cupboards and shelves might be the most suitable. Rental homes can also look at other materials like 3G, 4G, acrylic, glass and solid wood.”
For homestays and daily/short term vacation home rentals Zaldeco builds fixed furniture.
He told NST Property that this type of furniture would avoid the owner the hassle of rearranging furniture each time a guest leaves.
“We also have an open concept ID. This means that all the wardrobes will be doorless, but with plenty of railings and shelves for the guests to stow their belongings. This can prevent guests from leaving their belongings behind and it is also easier for us to manage,” he said.
For the furniture, Zaldeco avoids the use of textile fabric and instead opts for synthetic patent leather (also known as PU leather) split leather with a layer of polyurethane applied to the surface and then embossed.
“For decorations, as our rental homes are competing with others, we have to make sure that it must have an interesting or attractive feature, maybe the concept or colour,” said Faizal.
“Concept-wise we have many themes but not all can be implemented at home rentals because they are expensive and hard to maintain. The recommended ones are modern minimalist, Scandinavian, and hip culture by using bright and flamboyant colours which are funky and also Asian culture, with rattan furniture and rustic elements,” he said.
Faizal also stressed that owners must avoid colours that are used in ordinary homes like white, black, grey and earth stone as it won’t attract renters as they are common.
On a side note he reminded home rental owners to provide enough plug points and air conditioner is also a must for comfort.
Applying the “minimalist glamour concept” for the design of his own apartment, Faizal said that with the right blend of furniture, colour and lighting we can make our homes warm and cosy, even if the space is not that big.
“When I was living in an apartment in Kota Damansara, I had a garden home concept. Everytime, I move house I will try to experiment with a
new design concept. Apart from my own benefit it can also be used for potential clients,” he said.