A Story of Promotion: Transforming a Shneller Short-Term Rental

Follow me with this story of promotion — from modest to something grand, and how a simple guy becomes front and centre of the stage.

This was a short-term rental in Shneller, and I was invited in to visit. My initial thoughts were deliberating how necessary a renovation really was, as it seemed okay-ish, to be honest.

But then the lightbulb went on. I'd use this modest guy as my starting point: a round mirror with a slim gold border, hanging on the wall.

The mirror gets its promotion

I got planning on the drawing board. And hey presto — the mirror got the upgrade of its life, now centred, with the whole moulding design around it making it the total centre of attention.

Ladies, take my word for it: mouldings give you great value for money. They instantly upgrade your walls, and they're a plain-sailing way to bring glamour to a space.

You did notice the gold trumpet wall sconces, didn't you? Now I see you scrolling back up. Those are custom pieces — I had the exact design in my head but couldn't find them in any lighting store, so custom hand-made was the way to go.

The bedroom

My long-time motto: we don't remove and do away unless we have to. I prefer to add to existing elements, to embellish and enhance. So we had to decide what could stay and what to say goodbye to. Here I felt it didn't justify redoing the beds and headboard, but the closet and nightstand we did replace.

I wallpapered the whole room in an elegant, fine olive green tweed-type textured design, and continued it onto the sliding cabinet for a seamless look. Did you notice that even in the nightstand, the same wallpaper fills the drawer insert?

A tip worth knowing: most metal light fixtures can be coloured by the factory in any RAL colour — the colour catalogue used for metals. I had this fixture painted green to work in our space.

A sophisticated yet homey bedroom.

The kitchen

This kitchen was installed a couple of years ago, but the owner was troubled by its lack of flow. It felt disjointed, with a fridge sticking out and a single dominant unit.

So back to the drawing board. I gave a good number of options — although the kitchen was small, the options weren't that limited. This design was the winner, in a subtle sage green, with a coordinating netilas yadayim area replacing a basic white sink.

And an integrated fridge. What are your thoughts?