How to bring more light into your vacation rental
June 2026
Let there be light! No one wants to spend their holiday fumbling around in the dark. If your holiday rental doesn’t have great lighting, your guests may feel miserable and gloomy. Here are some tips to ensure a bright, breezy holiday home.
Look for natural light
The best lighting of all comes from the sun. If your property has plenty of sunlight, it’ll be easy to take great pictures to advertise holiday homes. With great lighting, guests are sure to flock there.
Of course, some rooms have more natural light than others, but you can always work with what you’ve already got. North-facing rooms don’t get much sunlight, so make sure the windows are clean and clear from any obstructions. Don’t put plants or ornaments on the window sill, as you’ll want your windows to look as wide as possible to maximise sunlight.
Think about how you cover your windows, too. Heavy, dark-coloured curtains can make a room look gloomy. Choose curtains in a light colour. In a bedroom, you can use a light-blocking internal layer that lets guests sleep in comfort without making the room gloomy by day.
You can also consider adding internal windows between two rooms to bring more lighting into your home. For example, if your kitchen is dimly lit but your living room gets plenty of natural light, an interior window connecting the two will help brighten up your kitchen. These glass inserts in the wall have the added bonus of making the space seem bigger.
Get help from above
Need more lighting in your home? Consider a skylight to bring in more daylight. However, keep in mind that this is not exactly a DIY project. You should consult an interior designer or architect before you take a hammer to your ceiling. In some rooms, skylights would be an unwelcome distraction, as they can create too much glare and make the space hot and uncomfortable.
Solar tubes are an interesting, smaller alternative to a skylight that brings more light into the room. They’re less obtrusive and can work well in spaces that can’t take a skylight.
Remember, if you’re going to install a skylight in a bedroom, it should have a shade — one that’s easy to use and doesn’t require guests to stand on a chair. When someone rents your house for holidays, they may want to spend a leisurely morning sleeping in. A bright, glaring skylight makes that impossible.
Use multiple lighting options
One of the most important ideas for lighting the modern home is to use layers of light. Think of a hotel room: it rarely has a single ceiling light that guests can just switch on or off. Instead, there are several different lighting options — a ceiling light, table lamps, free-standing lamps, and so on.
There are three layers of light to consider:
- Ambient light is essentially the base light. It is usually provided by a ceiling light, and the switch should be close to the door and easily accessible. This provides general light for the room.
- Task lights are smaller lights that focus on a specific area. These give your guests enough light to carry out specific tasks when they rent your holiday apartment, like cooking, reading, shaving, or putting on makeup.
- Decorative lights aren’t necessary for practical reasons. They’re also for fun and add more lighting. These include wall sconces, picture lights, walls with light bricks, and so on. They’re a great way to improve your room’s light, as well as provide some visual interest.
Use all three kinds of lighting to make your property look its best. If you want a warm, cosy look for photos when you advertise your holiday home, you can turn on some of the lights.
Look up lighting design ideas to find ideas to suit your holiday home decor. You can have the most fun with decorative lights — antique table lamps, ornate wall sconces, or Japanese-inspired minimalist lights will all look good in different settings.
How to make a room seem brighter
To make your property stand out on a holiday rental portal, you’ll need photos that show it looking bright and cheerful. Of course, strategic lighting points for the house help, but there are other ways to maximise the natural brightness of a room and encourage people to rent your holiday home.
Use the right paint
Colours are crucial. Light colours will make a room seem lighter and brighter; dark colours can make it appear gloomy and oppressive. That seems obvious, but actually, there’s more to choosing the right shade of paint than just grabbing the lightest colour. You need to consider sheen, too. The shinier the finish, the lighter your room will look.
Each shade of paint actually has an LRV or Light Reflectance Value. This measures how much it reflects the light. To find the right paint for your holiday home, look for colours with an LRV higher than 50.
Check out design ideas on Pinterest or similar sites for basement colours, staircase painting ideas, and other ways to make sure you choose the right paint for your property.
Remember to think about ceiling paint, too. Many people paint their ceilings with matte finish paint, which will not reflect light particularly well. Instead, use a shinier finish.
Install mirrors
Mirrors literally bounce light around a room, making it seem both lighter and bigger. They should be key in any interior design plan.
Think carefully about where you’re going to place them. They must look purposeful and well-integrated into your decor. Above a mantelpiece or a dresser makes sense. You should also consider where guests might not want a mirror. For example, mirrors are necessary in a bathroom, but placing one opposite the toilet might alarm your guests.
Use the right furniture
Remember, it’s not just about the paint that you choose — the colours of furniture are crucial, too. Again, light colours will help make a room seem lighter. You may prefer dark colours for your colour scheme. In this case, look for other ways to lighten your rooms. For example, glass tops on coffee tables and other horizontal surfaces reflect the light effectively. You can also use lighter colours as effective accent pieces. For instance, the darkening effect of a black sofa can be mitigated with a cream throw and cushions.
You should also make sure that your property is free from clutter. The more objects you have in a room, the more shadows will be cast. A decluttered property is appealing to guests for many reasons, and it will seem lighter.