How To Create A Vacation Vibe At Home

Get my favorite ideas for creating a vacation vibe at home – you can live as though you’re on vacation all year long! If you want vacay vibes at home, we’re going to show you the way.

In this guide, you’ll find the best tips and tricks to create a calm, soothing oasis that feels like your favorite luxury hotel. 

Create your own private getaway at home, for a space that is a calm and relaxing retreat you long to return to.

One of the best parts of vacationing is the calm, soothing feeling of your accommodations, right? Why not recreate that feeling in your own home?

I love sharing simple lifestyle and decorating ideas with my readers. Looking for inspiration? Start here! Check out 20+ ways to start Living a Simple Life.

Today, we’re considering the decor elements we love at our favorite hotels. Is it the soft or dramatic lighting? The spectacular amenities in the bathroom or spa?

Whatever it is, let’s bring that feeling home with us! Need some inspiration? Check out the photos of the beautiful Baha Mar resort in the Bahamas. 

I’m going to show you how to create the getaway you’re missing right in your own home! Vacation vibes, coming your way… make yourself a cocktail and create that hotel at home.

Vacation Vibes at Home

You know that feeling that you get when you’re on vacation? The one where you instantly forget your to-do lists and you (literally) leave your worries at the door?

When you take the less is more approach, both you and your home inevitably feel relaxed. That’s what we’re helping you achieve today!

First thing’s first! If you’ve been reading this blog for long, you probably already know what I’m going to say.

That’s right…the first thing you need to do if you want to create true serenity in your life is de-clutter. This is the most important thing you can do to help create an atmosphere that is serene, calm and relaxing at home. 

Simplifying your spaces is key. This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to organize your entire home overnight. If that’s overwhelming, start small!

Soft White Backdrop

There’s a particular reason that I gravitate towards soft, neutral paint colors in my home. They simply make me feel a certain kind of calm, and it’s the only way I am truly at ease.

I love the serene, warm feeling it creates and quite simply, my brain needs that feeling in order to operate at full speed! 

Luckily, I have spent a lot of time perfecting my favorite paint colors in order to make your paint decisions easier! Read my guides to the prettiest Warm White Paint Colors here.

In lieu of paint, you can also integrate a patterned wallpaper for a chic style that helps transport you to faraway places. Read about Serena and Lily Wallpaper here, as well as our favorite Amazon Wallpaper.

Cohesive Color Palette

Beyond the white background that creates a chic, modern look in any space, you can create a cohesive, designer-inspired color palette throughout your home.

In our case, we took notes from the sparkling blue views out our windows. Read our guide to coastal modern home decor.

You can also paint furniture, walls, and accents with your favorite shades! Check out this collection of the prettiest blue gray paint colors and coastal blues.

Flexible Seating

One of the things that I always notice in hotels is that the seating is on point. There are areas nestled for seating around every corner, allowing guests to escape their busy lives.

There are also many items that do double duty! Benches become luggage racks, desks become a place to eat your room service dinner.

One great way to embrace this less-is-more, calm lifestyle is to select items that multi-task. For example, I love folding stools! They can be used as a side table, a place to kick your feet up, extra seating in a pinch and as a luggage rack!

You can even use several of our folding stools indoors and out! The more versatile, the better. We do this throughout our home so that it doesn’t become consumed with “stuff” – everything is multi-purpose. 

Rattan Furniture

Oh, I adore rattan texture so much! I have incorporated this style into both of our homes, and I think it instantly gives you the feeling of a laid back, relaxed vacation.

Throughout our modern lake home, we’ve incorporated accents of this material. In the folding chairs, below, of course, but this material goes beyond seating!

Our rattan bar cart, for example, is a great way to serve guests indoors or out. And it doesn’t even need to feature alcohol- it can be any of your favorite treats!

Similarly, rattan beds and rattan lighting can give you the feeling of a tropical oasis. Without going overboard, this is a subtle but gorgeous way to transport you to the islands.

If you’re craving a vacation vibe at home, rattan furniture is the best way to capture it!

Soft Wood Tones

We captured a modern, fresh look in our lake cottage by using softer tones of wood, in comparison to our more traditional St. Louis home. It’s soft, easy on the eyes, and yet gives us that organic element we were after.

Below, you can see that we combined a teak dining table (meant for outdoor use) and white oak floors in our kitchen for a soft, calm look that we love.

Add Greenery

One of the most important elements that I always take away from our vacation destinations… greenery!

There are always incredible displays of fresh cut flowers, or beautiful plants and landscaping at resorts. With that in mind, bring plants or fresh cut blooms into your home (or outdoor spaces) whenever possible!

Read my guide to Easy Houseplants You Can’t Kill, which includes our favorite plant for the lake house – a ZZ plant!

Create Outdoor Living Spaces

Our lake cottage lighting is inspired by my favorite modern resort vacation memories, and I love bringing the feel of outdoor dining to our home.

Whatever it is that you enjoyed about your most recent trip, try to replicate that feeling at home.

Dive your outdoor spaces into areas for lounging, spots for coffee, dining and more. With designated areas for relaxing, you’re sure to enjoy the views!

Add Hanging Chairs

When we added this hanging rattan bench to our lake home, it added instant vacation charm.

We also added comfy, relaxing upholstered seating and a new wicker sofa where we can enjoy the view. Read more about our Serena and Lily Outdoor Furniture here.

Luxury Bedding

Another important area in your home to consider is creating a welcoming space for guests (or let’s be honest…yourself).

While it’s not always possible to allocate an entire room for a guest retreat, you can try to create the relaxing feeling of a hotel room anywhere in your home. 

Can’t afford all new bedding? Splurge on affordable new sheets!

Or, simply freshen up your current duvet with new shams. Read my guide to the best guest bedding here.

Upgraded Bath Essentials

I like to live with a varied selection of high and low elements throughout our home. A few key purchases can truly elevate your spaces and give you the luxurious feel of a hotel room that you crave. 

Read about my favorite bathroom accessories here. It’s the fastest way to add a little luxury to your life without going through a full remodel.

How do you like to bring vacation vibes into your home? Are your spaces as relaxing as you’d like? I’d love to hear! If you have ideas, please share with us in my Facebook share group, Celebrating Simple.