How You can Design a Weekend Home for Relaxation

When college professor, Mithi and her banker husband, Argha bought their weekend home in Bolpur, it was one of the dreams come true for the Kolkata-based couple. They always wanted to live in a place tucked away in greenery, but their jobs didn’t allow them to do so. That’s when they decided to have their own slice of heaven far from the concrete and smoke of the city, where they could escape to during weekends.

Mithi and Argha are not alone; weekend homes are increasingly becoming popular among urban homebuyers. However, to make the most out of a vacation home, you need to make sure that it’s well-designed and equipped with features that can keep you comfortable in all seasons. Also because these vacation homes are mostly built in the outskirts of the city, it’s important to consider the climate and the landscape of the location. For instance, Bolpur experiences comparatively hotter summer temperatures and cooler winters than Kolkata. Places like Digha, Tajpur, and Mandarmani are nearer to the sea coast hence more humid. These factors should be kept in mind while designing your vacation home.

That said, here are some tips that will help you design a weekend home of your dreams.

Know What Works Best for Your Location

The first step in designing your vacation home is to understand the requirements of the location. Coastal areas are humid and have higher salt content in the air. Therefore, adequate precaution must be taken to avoid rusting. Also, make sure to have minimal use of steel and other metals in your home décor. If you’re building your home in an area which receives heavy rainfall, the exterior wall, furniture, and appliances must be protected from excess moisture and humidity. For warmer climates, proper ventilation and cooling is a must.

Have a Low-maintenance Décor

Your weekend home should be designed in a way that offers maximum comfort and least hassle. Remember, you’re going to use this home only during your getaways so avoid fabrics and furniture which requires your complete attention. You might want to stick to easy-to-maintain fabrics like cotton, while upholstered furniture will demand regular cleaning and care so they might not be a good option.

Also, before you leave the house to get trapped in the frenzied rat race don’t forget to wrap your furniture and accessories with a fine sheet of fabric to minimize the cleaning time when you return.

Less is More

An easy way to ace the design for your weekend home is to keep things simple. Avoid too many accessories and accent pieces. Have only the most essential appliances that would make for a comfortable stay.

Opt for Neutral Tones

The ultimate purpose of your weekend home is to offer a space for relaxation. In keeping with this thought, it’s best to showcase a neutral theme — right from the walls to your décor. Pastel blues, greens, greys, and beige are classic colours that create a soothing effect.

Add Some Greenery

Fancy plants? Great — nothing adds a fresh and relaxing touch like plants. However, as with everything else, make sure to invest in types that don’t need much maintenance and can survive long periods of neglect. Some great options are hardy plants like bougainvillea, tropical evergreens such as crotons, different varieties of palm trees, and colourful caladiums. Just make sure to trim and water these plants during each visit and they will be fine.

Another brilliant tip is to build your very own rock garden, complete with several types of cacti. It needs practically no maintenance yet looks gorgeous.

Invest in a Good Bed

Let’s admit, most people build weekend homes so that they can spend their holidays lazing around. And what better way to do that than to have a super-comfy bed to crash on? After all, fuss-free getaways are the perfect opportunity to catch up on some sleep or binge on your favourite Netflix series. Therefore, if there’s one department where you wouldn’t want to cut corners when designing your weekend nook, it’s your bed.

Choose Local Materials

Finally, when designing your weekend home, always try to choose locally available materials. This will not only reduce your costs but make sure your home is built in a way that’s best-suited to the location.

If you’re planning to build a weekend home that’s true to its purpose, these are some handy tips that will guide you in the right direction. Give them a try and share your experiences with us in the comments below!