Let’s talk about vacation home lighting.
You have a second home and you’re thinking about starting to rent it out on VRBO or HomeAway. You’re standing in the middle of the living room wondering, “What do I need to make sure the house has that will make my guests feel at home?” Suddenly, it strikes you! Lighting! The living room needs better lighting!
I’m sure this isn’t a scenario that takes place very often, but for some reason, many vacation rentals seem to be devoid of good lighting. This seems odd since isn’t one of the quintessential items of a really great getaway being able to curl up with a good book and just read for hours – letting the cares of the everyday world pass us by? I’m not talking about overhead, ceiling lights. I’m talking good, end table lamps that one can really curl up next to and read by. Why is this?
Perhaps, it’s a case of once a property owner makes the decision to start renting their second home they actually go through and start taking out anything that looks like it might get broken easily, and table lamps could easily fit that mold. Especially, if the house is suddenly filled with young children or pets, cords can become tangled and over goes the lamp. If it was Aunt Susie’s heirloom Tiffany, then, by all means, get it out of the house! But, there are plenty of inexpensive, attractive, and functional table and floor lamps on the market to replace the Tiffany with something that if broken won’t break the bank.
Plus, one cannot forget about every room. The living room isn’t the only place people like to read. They read in bed, they read on the porch, they read on the beach, etc. Okay, the beach might not be a place one can solve the lighting issue, but you get the idea!
Also, reading isn’t the only activity that people like to do while on vacation. How about playing games? Or, cooking? Both of these seem to be popular activities, but I swear the last few vacation homes I’ve rented have been absent sufficient lighting for either of these purposes, either. It’s very difficult to sit at the dining table and play a game when the only light in the room is a tiny wall sconce at one end of the room. Equally, it’s a challenge to cook when the only light is a small, overhead jobby that casts a shadow on everything one is trying to fix for dinner. Heck, in one of the houses even fixing a decent cocktail required pulling out the flashlight on my phone!
