How to Furnish a Holiday Let in Scotland: An Interior Designer's Guide

A really good holiday let should make you want to come back again. For me, that starts with creating somewhere warm, comfortable, memorable, and still working beautifully for guests.

Too often, practicality takes over completely. Everything is white because it feels clean and bright. The furniture is chosen because it will last. The kitchen cupboards are filled in one trip to IKEA. And somewhere along the way, a Highland cow print appears on the wall to make the whole thing feel a bit more Scottish.

But we’re already in Scotland. We don’t need to make it more Scottish.

What matters much more is how the place makes you feel.

Start with the feeling when you walk through the door

Before I think about paint colours or furniture, I look at the bones of the property.

Where is it? What is the kerb appeal like? How does the entrance feel?

Then I open the door.

What is the light doing? How does the layout work? How does the property smell?

Those first impressions matter because they are the foundations you build everything else around.

I prefer to work with what is already there rather than impose a style that doesn’t suit the property.

That might mean picking up on beautiful stone, timber or period details, or it might mean warming up a space that has become dominated by white walls and grey flooring.

The aim is simple: make the property feel like itself.

Practicality matters — but it shouldn’t take over

I completely understand why owners start with practical questions.

Will the sofa cope with constant use?

Can everything go in the dishwasher?

How often will I need to replace bedding or furniture?

All completely valid.

But if every choice is made purely around durability, the result can quickly feel flat.

Guests can still have a lovely holiday in a very ordinary space, of course. But when the surroundings are beautiful, interesting or slightly unexpected, they add something to the experience.

They heighten it.

And that is where design really earns its place.

Scotland needs warmth

White does not automatically mean fresh, bright and welcoming.

Sometimes it just feels cold.

In Scotland especially, I think interiors benefit from warmth. Even in summer, the evenings can be cool, so I want a property to feel inviting and cosy rather than clinical.

That warmth can come from colour, but also from layers.

Wood, textiles, rugs, cushions, throws, sheepskins, plants, artwork and soft lighting all help.

Warm white bulbs are a small detail, but they make a huge difference. Harsh lighting can undo a lot of good design very quickly.

Spend where comfort really matters

There are some things I would spend more on.

The sofa.

The mattress.

Lighting.

And I would never underestimate bedding.

A good mattress matters, but so do the duvet and pillows. There is nothing luxurious about climbing into bed and finding a thin duvet and two lumpy pillows.

Holiday-let bedding needs to be practical, but practical does not have to mean cheap.

I always come back to one question:

How would you feel if you were staying here?

That is a surprisingly useful test.

Save on the things you can change easily

You don’t need to spend heavily everywhere.

Cushions, throws, rugs and artwork can all be sourced really well without huge budgets.

Artwork in particular is one of my favourite ways to give a property character.

A print in a hallway, something unexpected in a bathroom or a small gallery wall can create a focal point without filling every available space.

You can find brilliant prints and vintage-style frames at very reasonable prices.

The trick is not to make everything look as though it came from the same place.

Don’t buy everything from one shop

IKEA and Dunelm are useful. I use them too.

But I wouldn’t want every plate, bowl, mug and glass to come from the same range.

At Dublin Street in Edinburgh, I used a practical everyday dinner set alongside some more interesting pieces — pasta bowls, salad bowls and serving dishes.

Everything still needed to be usable and dishwasher-safe.

But the mix made the table feel much more considered.

And that principle applies throughout a property.

Mix suppliers.

Mix price points.

Mix old and new.

That is what stops a holiday let feeling like a furniture package.

Protect the things you have invested in

Good design still needs to work in real life.

If you have invested in a lovely wooden table, provide placemats and plenty of coasters.

Use mattress protectors and pillow protectors.

Think about how the cleaner will maintain everything.

Practical decisions can protect the more beautiful ones.

Don’t forget the small things

Often it is the smallest details that make a property nicer to stay in.

Have more crockery than the number of guests the property sleeps, especially if there is a dishwasher.

Provide plenty of hangers.

Give guests drawer space.

Make sure there are useful mirrors.

If the bedroom has room, a luggage rack is genuinely handy.

Think about sockets too. We all travel with phones, watches, laptops, hair tools and chargers now. In an older property with limited sockets, a couple of extension leads can make life much easier.

And even something as simple as a toothbrush holder in the bathroom makes a difference.

Then there are the completely unglamorous essentials.

Plenty of toilet roll.

Still important.

Add personality without adding clutter

I like things that are both decorative and useful.

Instead of a pile of board games that quickly become scruffy or incomplete, something like a ceramic noughts-and-crosses set can sit beautifully on a coffee table and still be used.

Plants are another favourite of mine.

Real plants aren’t always practical in holiday accommodation, but good artificial plants can soften a room beautifully.

They just need cleaned.

There is nothing luxurious about a beautiful artificial olive tree covered in dust.

Think about scent too

I notice smell the moment I walk into a property.

Guests do too.

A subtle, good-quality diffuser can make that first arrival feel lovely.

The important word is subtle.

It should never smell overpowering, artificial or as though something has just been sprayed around the room.

The goal is simply for someone to open the door and think:

This feels lovely.

Design for photographs — but also for real life

Of course photographs matter.

Holiday accommodation is sold online, so a property needs to look appealing in the listing.

But then someone actually has to live in it.

A beautiful chair nobody can comfortably sit in is not a good buy.

A dining table that looks perfect but doesn’t seat the number of guests the property sleeps makes no sense.

A gorgeous bedroom with nowhere to put a suitcase becomes irritating very quickly.

The best holiday-let interiors do both.

They photograph beautifully and they work beautifully.

Give it some soul

A holiday home can be practical, durable and easy to look after without becoming bland.

Use colour.

Bring in artwork.

Mix materials.

Add warmth.

Choose a beautiful lamp.

Put something somewhere slightly unexpected.

Give guests something to notice.

Because the best holiday lets don’t just give you somewhere to sleep.

They become part of the holiday itself.

And a really good holiday let should make you want to come back again.