Ridiculously photogenic, with Insta-worthy moments in every corner, we’ve featured the gorgeous SOUL of Gerringong holiday home many times. The work of interior designer Simone Matthews, of SOUL Home, and her husband Ben, the property has been in hot demand since it opened to guests three years ago. And given it’s just hit the property market; one lucky person will get to call it home soon. Envious, much?
The farmhouse of dreamsKitchen
Comprised of a four-bedroom ‘farmhouse,’ two-bedroom pool-side cabana, one-bedroom studio barn and separate three-bedroom cottage, the home sits across two titles on 1525 square metres of land on the NSW South Coast, and can sleep up to 22 people.
Lounge
Located in the heart of Gerringong, the home is only 1.5 hours south of Sydney and is within walking distance to an array of cafes, beaches and the photogenic Boat Harbour Rock Pool. And for those looking for a unique business opportunity, the property is being sold with the SOUL of Gerringong business attached.
Dining
“It was about blurring the line between a holiday house and a boutique hotel,” says Simone Matthews of creating what was essentially a new style of accommodation for the region. Originally a coastal farmhouse, the Cronulla-based husband and wife team bought the property in October 2015 before working their particular brand of fresh magic on it.
The barn
“We opened on Melbourne Cup Day in 2017 and we were booked out one year in advance straight away. The properties have been very well received with a lot of repeat family and friend groups, plus a lot of well-known companies using Soul for their off-site retreats. After we were featured in Qantas magazine we had people contacting us straight from their flight to book in.”
BathroomCabana
The property goes to auction on site on Tuesday April 7, 2020, with a buyer’s price guide of $4 million.
I'm pretty sure that SOUL of Gerringong exceeds its guests expectations!
“When I first started on my journey to becoming a holiday property owner, I relied on Dr Google to wade through website after website seeking answers,” says the owner of SOUL of Gerringong Simone Mathews. And given the stylish property quickly became one of Australia’s most popular holiday homes, Simone suddenly found herself inundated by fellow holiday home owners looking for advice.
Simone Mathews
A complementary arm to her holiday home business, SOUL Home is a place where holiday property owners can share real-life advice and find out about industry news, but we caught up with Simone recently to get her take on the top 10 things to consider when designing a holiday property.
1. Expectation
“When you style a holiday house, your guests are expecting to arrive and see the same ‘wow’ images from your website and social media. So, it’s important to find ways to style your property consistently with minimal fuss so you can turn it over quickly between guests, yet ensure the property looks incredible and inviting every single time,” says Simone.
I’m pretty sure that SOUL of Gerringong exceeds guests’ expectations!
2. Create that ‘holiday feeling’
“Guests are escaping their daily hustle of today’s fast-paced world to stay at your property. So, you want your holiday property to have that ‘holiday feeling’ from the moment they arrive. Create a styled space, but not a sterile space. You want your guests to feel like they can put their feet up and not be scared to break anything,” says Simone.
3. Target market
“Understand your property’s target market and what they are looking for to plan your styling, rather than just injecting your own style. If you love a minimalist look though have bought a beach shack, you may need to put your style preferences aside to ensure the property complements its native environment,” says Simone.
4. Styling items: Can you afford to replace them?
“It is part and parcel of having a holiday property that things get damaged or broken. When styling, don’t use pieces that you can’t afford to replace or pieces that will devastate you if they are damaged. You want your guests to respect your property and items, but you need to understand that accidents do happen,” says Simone.
SOUL of Gerringong’s barn interior
5. Break the rules
“Holiday accommodation needs to have a sense of fun and personality. You can break the rules! If you’re in a coastal area, have some fun and make the most of the breezy nature of the coast. At SOUL we have an anchor door knocker – it adds a bit of quirk to the coastal property,” says Simone who encourages people to have fun with artwork too.
6. The Boxing Day test
“Style is important, but it also needs to be practical. The Boxing Day test is to ensure that every person that your property can sleep can also be accommodated on the lounge or at the dining table. So, if your property sleeps eight, you need to seat eight on the lounge and at the dining table. Our own homes are designed to enjoy both quality times together and areas to find your own space. When on holidays, people want to come together and spend time as a group,” says Simone.
7. Storage
“In your own property, you need dedicated storage for everyday items like wardrobes and storage robes. In holiday properties, you can create open hanging spaces that can form part of your styling. Don’t waste space in holiday properties with excess storage that will not be utilised,” says Simone.
SOUL Cottage bedroom
8. Use everyday items to add character
“In a holiday property, you can style your everyday items with open shelves, particularly in spaces like the kitchen. Place your stacks of plates, bowls and glasses on open shelves; not only are they then easy to find, they also look great,” says Simone.
9. Quality linen
“It’s easiest to stick with the same colour linen and bedding in your holiday property. It will save dollars with your laundry bill as they can all be washed together, rather than creating different loads for the cleaners and laundromat,” says Simone who suggests bringing in other colours through bed covers and throws instead.
10. Repeat laundering
“Make sure that everything that you incorporate in your styling can be laundered. The most common complaint for holiday properties is cleanliness. The last thing you want is your guests arriving and seeing a dirty cushion or throw. At home, you can hand wash these when needed. In a holiday property these items need to be turned around for the next guest. So, you might have your heart on a particular throw for the new lounge, but make sure it can be laundered.”
The holiday property market has grown exponentially with the arrival of Airbnb and similar sites, so it stands to reason that many people are, with little or no experience, becoming holiday property owners for the first time. Whether you’re a home owner renting out your own home to fund your travels or you’re running a lucrative part-time or full-time holiday home operation, there’s much expertise to be gleaned from SOUL OF Gerringong owner Simone Matthews.
One of the most popular holiday houses in Australia, SOUL OF Gerringong has been fully booked since Simone transformed the abandoned coastal farmhouse in 2017 and she’s keen to share what she’s learnt with the launch of SOUL Home, a place where holiday property owners can share real-life advice and find out about industry news in what is a rapidly growing space.
SOUL OF Gerringong backyard
“When you’re a holiday property owner, you instantly become a general manager, marketer, social media strategist, administrator, stylist, problem solver – there are so many hats you need to wear, to ensure your holiday property first attracts, and then offers a seamless experience to ensure your guests enjoy an incredible stay,” says Simone who, in addition to establishing the SOUL Home online community, has recently set up an online course for holiday property owners too.
SOUL cottage bedroom
Simone’s How-to Guide for Holiday Property Owners is an online course that is designed as a 101-industry companion to teach you how to run a holiday property business from scratch. From understanding the purpose of your new business, identifying your target market, getting across the accounting side of running a holiday home, styling, building hacks, what to look for in a booking system and the pros and cons of self-managing plus how to brief the cleaners and tips on building a solid social media presence, the course covers everything there is to know about running a holiday property.
SOUL Home’s Simone Matthews
“Being a holiday property owner can be both time consuming and costly, and you want to you spend your time and money where it counts. The guide provides that real, honest advice for anyone either starting out or wanting to elevate their holiday home business. It provides all the materials and authentic advice you need,” says Simone.
SOUL cottage living room
SOUL Home’s How-to Guide for Holiday Property Owners is $497 and is comprised of eight modules. The course runs with a combination of written worksheets, video tutorials, personalised mentoring and templates, including a cleaning schedule and a master list of everything a holiday property owner needs when starting out.
