Airbnb for Kids: Playful Rooms and Smart Storage

We’re thrilled to finally unveil the finished photos of two of the most hardworking yet smallest spaces in our duplex rental: the bonus sleeping nooks! These mighty little areas pack a punch, offering both comfort and functionality. Beyond these cozy retreats, we’re also pulling back the curtain on two crucial but often unseen spaces: the impeccably organized linen closet and our discreet, locked owner’s closets. These nooks and crannies are essential for a seamless guest experience and efficient property management, and we can’t wait to show you how they turned out.

Thoughtful Design for Bonus Sleeping Nooks in Rental Properties

Given that our duplex already features two generously sized bedrooms on each side, complete with ample closet space and dressers, we affectionately call these smaller areas “bonus sleeping nooks.” This concept is quite popular in coastal communities like Cape Charles and other beach towns, where maximizing sleeping capacity is key for vacation rentals. These spaces aren’t just an afterthought; they fully comply with all local building and rental codes, including the annual rental inspection our town requires. Essentially, they are cozy, well-appointed havens designed to comfortably accommodate additional guests.

We’ve integrated thoughtful amenities to ensure a comfortable stay, including a ceiling fan for air circulation, light-blocking blinds for uninterrupted sleep, a sound machine to create a tranquil environment, and two convenient wall sconces that guests can easily switch on and off without leaving the bed. Every detail aims to enhance the guest experience in these compact yet complete sleeping solutions.

Creating Comfort and Charm: The Art of Small Space Aesthetics

While these bonus nooks might not be suited for year-round living (though the “tiny house movement” might argue otherwise!), they are perfectly designed for a week-long vacation. Guests typically spend their days exploring the town or relaxing on the beach, returning to these cozy spots primarily for a good night’s sleep. Our goal was to make them feel inviting, comfortable, and, most importantly, fun. A significant portion of their visual appeal comes from the vibrant wall murals, which we installed a few months ago. These murals instantly add character and depth, transforming simple walls into engaging focal points. You can read more about our removable wallpaper installation process here, offering valuable tips for your own projects.

Optimizing Sleeping Arrangements: The Twin Bed Advantage

Throughout the planning stages for these rooms, we explored several layout options. Bunk beds, two separate twins, a trundle bed, or even a single large bed (including a Murphy bed) were all on the table. To make the most informed decision for our rental property, we conducted a poll, and an overwhelming 13,000 participants weighed in, decisively choosing two side-by-side twin beds. While we adore the built-in bunk beds at our beach house, the twin bed setup offers greater accessibility and ease of use, especially for adult guests. It’s also significantly simpler to make the beds, a small but impactful detail for busy rental turnovers. Furthermore, the versatility of twin beds allows them to be pushed together to create a king-sized sleeping surface if requested, catering to various guest preferences and enhancing the room’s adaptability.

Other options, such as a trundle bed (whether pop-up or traditional), received considerably fewer votes. Many respondents noted that children don’t always sleep well together, and adults often prefer not to climb over one another. A single large bed, whether a Murphy bed or a standard queen, garnered even less support. This likely stems from the fact that our duplex already provides two other queen-sized beds for couples. Guests appreciated the flexibility of a room where individuals could sleep separately, reinforcing the decision for twin beds as the most practical and guest-friendly option for these bonus nooks.

The popularity of twin beds didn’t surprise me. When we travel with our own children, we consistently seek out rooms with two twin beds. Beyond their practical advantages, twin beds can also be incredibly stylish and aesthetically pleasing, adding to the overall charm of a room. This combination of function and form makes them an ideal choice for our duplex rental’s bonus sleeping spaces.

Smart Storage Solutions for Compact Sleeping Nooks

As you spin around in the space, you’ll notice a pocket door, a crucial design element for small rooms. Unlike traditional hinged doors, pocket doors slide into the wall, maximizing usable floor space by eliminating the swing radius. This allows for more furniture placement and a less cluttered feel. We’ve also installed a handy wall shelf with empty baskets, providing essential vertical storage. Guests can utilize these for children’s pajamas, favorite books, or a few personal clothing items they wish to keep within easy reach inside the room.

Here’s a closer view of the shelving system. It’s a slim 9 inches deep, a dimension carefully chosen to prevent it from feeling intrusive in the small room. This depth is comparable to the sconces by the head of the bed, ensuring a cohesive and non-overbearing presence. At 5’2”, I can easily reach items on the bottom two shelves, while the top shelf is reserved for decorative touches. Furthermore, there’s enough clearance at the foot of the bed for guests to discreetly slide in a suitcase, offering additional luggage storage without cluttering the sleeping area.

The Indispensable Linen Closet: Accessible & Organized for Guests

Understanding that the in-room storage might not suffice for all guests, we designed a thoughtful solution just outside the bonus sleeping nook. Good news: there’s a spacious, half-empty closet just a single step away, specifically dedicated to guest use. This strategic placement ensures that guests have easy access to additional storage without feeling confined within their cozy sleeping area.

Upon opening the linen closet, you’ll find a meticulously organized space. While a few shelves are dedicated to extra guest towels and linens, along with essential infant supplies like a high chair and a Pack ‘N Play, the entire bottom half has been deliberately left empty. This generous open space allows guests to store extra clothes, suitcases, beach bags, or any other personal items they may have, keeping the sleeping nooks clutter-free and welcoming.

Ingenious Organization and Clear Communication

Notice those clever silver rods neatly corralled in the bottom corner of the closet? That’s John’s ingenious solution for storing the legs of the high chair, which itself lives on a top shelf. This vertical storage method makes the legs easy to see and grab, preventing them from being hidden or lost on a high shelf. The “white hoops” holding them are simple 3-inch PVC pipe couplings, sourced from the plumbing aisle at Home Depot for just $1.68 each! We took the extra step of labeling them, preventing any guest confusion – no one needs to wonder if they’ve stumbled upon headless golf clubs, a fold-away tent, or a new means of alien communication!

A closer look reveals other essential items: a few extra bath towels (each main room is already stocked with a pair upon arrival), two Pack N Play sheets for infant guests, an iron, a hairdryer, and a well-stocked first aid kit. We had a bit of fun with a label maker, as John mentioned on Monday’s podcast, to clearly mark everything. While it might seem like a small detail, clear labeling ensures that guests can easily find what they need, and more importantly, it makes it much simpler for our house cleaners to efficiently put items back in their correct spots between guest turnovers.

Our labeling strategy extends to practical guest instructions. For instance, the washcloth bin explicitly states, “use gray ones for makeup removal please.” This simple message helps us preserve our light-colored washcloths, which our cleaners noted were quickly being ruined by makeup removal. It’s a small adjustment that makes a big difference in maintaining our linens.

Highlighting Amenities for Guests

We’ve learned that showcasing the amenities offered in our Airbnb listing is crucial for attracting guests. Therefore, we made sure to snap several photos of the high chair set up downstairs, allowing potential renters to visually identify this perk without having to sift through extensive text descriptions. Visual cues are incredibly powerful in online listings, and we want to ensure families with infants immediately recognize the value we provide.

Similarly, we captured a photo of the Pack N Play in one of its ideal placements: nestled between the double closets in the main bedrooms. This demonstrates its flexible use, as it can also fit comfortably in a few other spots within the duplex. While it might be hard to discern in this particular image, that window features white faux wood blinds – because no one wants to put baby in a super bright spot, even a corner!

The Unseen Heroes: Our Locked Owner’s Closets

Downstairs, beneath the stairs and conveniently located next to the TVs on either side of the duplex, lie the true workhorses of our rental property: the owner’s closets. These vital spaces are strictly off-limits to renters, ensuring our personal supplies and maintenance essentials remain secure. However, for those curious about the logistical backbone of a successful vacation rental, we’re happy to offer a peek inside our locked sanctuaries.

These owner’s closets are specifically designed to store all the refills and extra supplies our cleaning team needs to efficiently flip both sides of the duplex between guests. Running a rental property is a continuous learning curve, so we anticipate these contents may evolve over time. Currently, they are stocked with bulk-sized refills for essential items such as hand soap, laundry detergent, fabric softener, dish detergent, shampoo, conditioner, and body wash – all thanks to our new favorite discovery, Costco! If you’re curious about our journey into the world of bulk buying, you can hear more about our adventures as new Costco members here – it’s truly a game-changer for rental property management.

Though the closet itself isn’t massive, we’ve maximized every inch. We installed wire shelving on the back of the door to neatly organize smaller essentials: coffee grounds, coffee filters, tea bags, Sugar In The Raw packets, tissues, sandwich bags, light bulbs, bathroom spray, sponges, small bathroom trash bags, and various soaps. For bulkier items, we purchased one of these tall plastic garage shelving units and cleverly split it across the two owner’s closets. Thanks to the sloped ceiling under the stairs, one half of the unit fit perfectly on each side, providing robust and adaptable storage.

This plastic shelving unit is crucial for storing toilet paper, paper towels, kitchen trash bags, and a supply of extra linens. Having backup linens on hand is vital, especially during peak season when turnover windows can be extremely short. It ensures that even if cleaners don’t have enough time for a full laundry cycle between guests, or if a stained or ripped item needs immediate replacement, we’re prepared. We’re quickly learning that these quick turnover periods necessitate having extra items readily available to prevent last-minute panics and ensure a smooth, professional guest changeover. Here’s hoping our planning pays off!

Some might be surprised by the extensive list of provisions we offer, but in our specific rental market, many competitors provide these amenities, and we wanted to match, if not exceed, those expectations. The standard for rental provisions truly varies by region. For example, in the area where John’s parents have their beach rental, guests are expected to bring their own sheets and towels! It’s quite fascinating to observe these regional differences and adapt our offerings accordingly to best serve our guests in Cape Charles.

This locked closet also provides critical access to the tankless water heater and the HVAC system. For peace of mind and efficient maintenance, a hidden key is discreetly available for our trusted plumbing and HVAC professionals. This ensures they can access the systems for any necessary repairs or servicing, even when we are not physically present at the property.

A Glimpse into the Future: Wrapping Up the Duplex Project

So there you have it – the final interior spaces of the duplex that are now fully complete! We are incredibly proud of how these bonus sleeping nooks, the linen closet, and the owner’s closets have come together, proving that thoughtful design and smart organization can elevate even the smallest areas. We’re still planning a comprehensive video walk-through of the entire duplex to give you a true sense of the flow and connectivity between all the rooms. Furthermore, we can’t wait to photograph the back patios; they’ve surpassed all our expectations and are completely unrecognizable from their original state. I genuinely feel they might be my favorite transformation in this entire duplex project! So, please cross your fingers for some favorable weather soon so we can capture their beauty and share them with you without delay.

P.S. For those who want to catch up on our journey, you can see all the other finished rooms of the duplex that we’ve already revealed – including two kitchens, the front and back exteriors, four additional bedrooms, six bathrooms, two living and dining rooms, and two mudroom/laundry rooms. You can also dive into the planning of the layout, the intricacies of tiling the floors and backsplashes, and so much more, all available here in our duplex category. It’s nearly two years of dedicated updates condensed into just over twenty insightful posts!

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