Journal · 2026-09-08
The cost of furnishing a holiday let: how to build the budget
There is no single figure, because the cost of furnishing a holiday let depends on how much of the property already works. What you can fix is the structure of the budget: the largest share on beds, seating and the kitchen, a middle share on storage, lighting and window treatments, a small share on the character layer, and a real contingency held back. Design and photography are separate, predictable lines you can plan in advance.
Work out what you are actually buying
Before any number means anything, walk the property and sort every room into three piles: keep as is, keep but restyle, replace. A house where the sofa, the beds and the kitchen are sound needs a fraction of the budget of an empty shell, even though both are described as 'furnishing a holiday let'.
Count the number of guests you will sleep, not the number of rooms. Occupancy drives the cost of mattresses, bedding, seating, plates and towels, and those quantities are where budgets quietly double.
Where the money should go first
Beds and mattresses, seating, and the kitchen. These are the items guests use daily and write reviews about, and they are also the hardest to upgrade later without redoing the room. Being generous here and plain elsewhere consistently produces a better result than spreading the budget evenly.
Directly after that: storage, lighting and window treatments. They cost less than people expect and change how large and finished the property feels more than any decorative purchase will.
Where overspending actually happens
Rarely on one expensive item. It happens in quantities, in shipping and assembly on smaller properties, in made-to-measure work ordered late, and in a decorative layer bought piece by piece over several months without a list.
The other reliable cost is buying twice: something chosen without checking it against the floor, the light and the existing furniture, then replaced within a year. A design phase exists precisely to prevent that.
Always hold back a contingency
In every project one or two items come in higher than planned, or something on site turns out different once a wall is opened up or a floor is lifted. Keeping a reserve means you move money on paper instead of stopping halfway through an install with rooms unusable and a booking calendar already open.
Order in delivery sequence rather than decision sequence. Made-to-measure furniture has the longest lead time and gets ordered first, even when it is installed last.
What design and photography cost
These two lines are predictable, which makes them useful anchors. A photography package is € 1.200 per property and includes preparation and a shot list per room, an on-location shoot, styling support using what is already there, professionally edited images and usage rights for rental platforms, your website and social media.
The styling and photography package is quoted after a first visit, because the range is genuinely wide: from a soft upgrade where the rooms and furniture are good and only the final layer is missing, through to a full renovation including briefing and supervising painters and contractors. It always closes with the photo shoot.
Treat photography as part of the furnishing budget
Furnishing that nobody can see does not earn anything. The images are what convert a search into a booking, and they keep working for years after the last delivery arrives, which makes them the cheapest line in the whole budget per booking gained.
Update them after every visible change. Photographs that no longer match the property cost you review stars, and outdated images are the most common reason a well-furnished holiday let underperforms.
Frequently asked questions
- Can you give a price per square metre?
- No, and any figure like that would be misleading. The cost depends on how much already works, how many guests you sleep and how much is made to measure. I quote after a first visit.
- What does a photo shoot cost on its own?
- € 1.200 per property, including preparation, the on-location shoot, styling support based on the existing situation, edited images and usage rights.
- Can the work be phased across seasons?
- Yes, and with multiple properties that is often the sensible route: finish and photograph one, then roll out the rest using what the first one taught you.
- How long should I allow?
- Three to six months for a holiday rental, three to five months for a complete home, and one to two weeks for a photo shoot only.