Here are 5 tips and tricks to Rock Your Rental during down time.

When we wrote our book, Rock Your Rental, never in a million years would we have predicted this surreal pandemic situation. The world is a different place than just a week ago.

As lovers of travel and as rental owners, we totally understand how difficult and trying these times are for the travel industry (especially in our beloved Italy). We hope that you are turning this quiet time into an opportunity for yourself (since the situation isn’t changing, we decide our attitudes might as well be as positive as we can be). This is when we get to show our best selves — in our worst situations.

Since many of us are “Shelter-in-place” we thought it might be a good time to do a bit spring cleaning and design assessment to make sure we are Rocking our Rental so when things do get back to normal, we are ready to rock and roll.

Thinking of you all.

virtual - 6’feet away xoxo

Rosanne and Joanne

No… Joanne is not free… the toilet is… Taking a break from the deconstruction phase of this remodeling project at Main and Mountain Motel to test one of the many craft cocktails the new owners created.

1. SIT ON YOUR TOILET…Please

Go ahead…have a seat. It’s rare that we have the opportunity to have some downtime with our vacation rental, boutique hotel or inn so let’s try to find the silver lining. Here is an opportunity to go and sit on the toilet and have a look around. What are you seeing? Because your guests are seeing the exact same thing. Hopefully, they are seeing nicely designed and sparkling clean bathroom. But if they are seeing dust in the fan vents, moldy caulking, dirt in the tile, dust on the baseboard, broken shower curtain rings, or anything that is not going to bring them joy — this is the time to fix it. Look up, look down, look under and look behind (get it… behind…). :)

Budget friendly renovation doesn’t mean it can’t look amazing. Keep materials simple—and it will be easier to keep the bathrooms clean.

2. CONNECT AND GET PERSONAL…Hello, Thank You

Have you taken this opportunity to update your contact list? Have you created personalized thank you cards to have in the rooms when your guests arrive? You are home… pull out the markers make some cards, have a pile of them ready when things pick back up and you don’t have time to get as personal as you would like. Use this time to really create unique ways to reach out to your guests and say, “Thank you, we appreciate your business. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to make your stay more enjoyable.”

Creating personalized thank you notes is always a good idea — whether you are doing it for guests, friends or family members. Get the kids involved. No matter the situation, it is always great to encourage them to be thankful. Joanne created these with only some blank paper and markers. If you don’t have a glue stick or blank cards to put them on - you can do that later. Just do something fun and creative for now.

3. UPDATE YOUR MARKETING…Pinterest is your friend

There is a lot of marketing advice we give in the book about getting to know your customers and where they get their information but here we are going to remind you about Keywords for Pinterest.

Here are some simple things you can do now to update your Pinterest pages. What you don’t have a Pinterest page? START one today…get pinning. Watch a video on Pinterest best practices. We will wait….

Your Pinterest board, if done correctly, can drive traffic to your website. Have boards that showcase your spaces and beautiful designs. Have boards that showcase things to do. For example, The 10 Best Hiking Trails Near Us, Our Favorite Breakfast Spots, 24 Hours in Burlington, Etc. Create pins that have KEY SEARCHABLE WORDS and links when appropriate. Make sure your Pinterest header is engaging and your information. Use your customer information and pin items that matter to them and share things that matter to you. You can even create a PINTEREST page that can link to a blog post — adding KEY words in the descriptions.

This adds value to your customers without asking for anything in return, is something we should all practice. It is not only a great thing to do — but it increases your search engine to get more folks to your website.

You may not have had the time to do this in the past…so take advantage of a little downtime and do it today.

We practice what we preach… we work hard on marketing, using our social media, pinterest, instragram and the like, to get the word out there about our new book.

4. WE ENCOURAGE SLEEPING AROUND…Get your mind out of the gutter and test those pillows

When was the last time you had the chance to sleep in your vacation rental, hotel rooms? Go ahead… do it. Lay on the bed and close your eyes. What do your guests hear? What do they smell? Are the sheets soft enough? Do they have a choice of pillows? Open your eyes. What do they see? Cobwebs on the ceiling? Flies in the light fixture? Stand in the room. Do they have a place to put their suitcase? Hang their coat? We have a section in our book about a walk in your guest’s shoes — every moment is a touchpoint — a first impression — which sets the tone for their entire stay.

Make sure every touchpoint from the moment they drive in — use the bathroom — use the kitchen — and climb into bed… is the best experience it can be. So sleep around… and check it out for yourself.

We are the queens of sleeping around… and love to find places that have the best reviews that are still in our budget.

5. TAKE SOME CLOSE-UP SHOTS…Aren’t you beautiful

We talk a lot about the importance of great photos. It’s important to have full room shots so people have an idea of the beautifully designed space but close-ups are just as important. Vignettes can evoke emotion. This is your opportunity to create some vignettes and take some beautiful pictures of the spaces styled. If you have a lovely window seat, show it with a book and a hot cup of tea. If you have a cozy tub, show it close up with a couple of glasses of champagne. Just get some emotional, close up, dreamy shots and you can add them to your hosting site pages, use them in your social media and your website. Don’t forget to tag the photos with keywords and when describing the picture…tell a story.

Loved doing this renovation project at Bear Mountain Inn in Maine with Julie and Brian, the amazing owners. Here are set up a shot, to show guests how they can enjoy the sitting area in this room.

Why yes, thank you… I do think I’ll take a soaking bath right now to soak my worries away. Thanks Bear Mountain Inn for letting Joanne do your design and Rosanne help with your marketing. We love you.

ROCK YOUR RENTAL, STYLE, DESIGN and MARKETING TIPS TO BOOST YOUR BOOKINGS.

“Thank you for letting us share some fun tips. Stay tuned for the next blog post.

Stay Safe. Be Well. xoxo Joanne and Rosanne”

Working From Home Advice From Joanne Palmisano

Working from Home Advice from

Award-winning Interior Design and Author, Joanne Palmisano

I have almost always worked from home in my career. For the last 20 years I have had a home office where I have created my books and run my interior design business and people are always asking me how I get so much done. Here are a few tips (and pitfalls to avoid).

First. Get dressed. I’m not saying you have to shower or even put make-up on. What I am saying is put on some jeans and shirt – never work in your P.J.s. I truly believe that has an adverse affect on your productivity.

Second. Don’t turn on the TV for background noise. It will suck you in. Maybe have on some soft music (not loud) but don’t let social media or other similar outlets distract you.  If you do listen to a podcast or something similar, listen to it while you force yourself to go for a 20 minute walk during the day.

Third. Stand up every 20 to 30 minutes (or if you're standing up at a stand up desk- stand properly). I am so bad at this. When I only had a desk that I could sit at, my hip would hurt so much, I couldn’t even stand straight when I got up from my chair. Now that I have a stand up desk (that goes up and down) I love it but I do find myself, leaning a bit and have started to notice twinges in my back. So stand or sit properly. When I was sitting, I would turn on the kitchen timer for 30 minutes and it would force me get up from my chair and go into the kitchen and turn it off and then head back to my desk.

Fourth. Give yourself some rules. If working from home is new to you. Give yourself some rules, you can only take 30 minutes for lunch (you can do social media or news then) and you must give yourself 20 minutes for a walk or stretch… ETC.

Fifth. Be Kind. When you're with people they can see your facial reactions, get your dry sense of humor and see if you like an idea or not. Be careful with your emails and CORRESPONDENCE – does it sound friendly? Think about how someone may react. Face time is a beautiful thing (this may force you to shower and do your hair). Say hello and have meetings with folks, let’s stay connected, it is a great way to continue to stay positive during this anxiety filled time.

Sixth. Write down your list of projects you want to accomplish by the end of the week. I know it may sound silly, but sometimes when working from home, it is easier to procrastinate on a project you don’t want to do – but having that list forces you to cross it off, whether you want to do it or not.

Here are some pitfalls I continue to fall into…

I work all the time… weekends, evenings, and early morning. I love what I do, so I find myself taking client calls on weekends, creating drawings late at night, and writing early in the morning before the birds even wake up. (Our daughter is in college, so we are empty-nesters.) I’m Not recommending you do this — so avoid it if you can — but I’m not going to condone it Because I feel better about taking a quick nap — if i’ve worked extra hours that week. :)

The kitchen… has so many opportunities for making cookies, an extra cup of coffee, (and I’m sure I saw a bag of chips in the pantry). Stay strong. And continue to eat healthy and allow yourself only one small snack or treat a day (Girl Scout cookie time!).

I have Horizontalitis… It is the disease of putting all my work all over the house’s horizontal surfaces. As a designer, I have fabric samples, flooring samples, have finished DIY samples to show a client, drawings, specification sheets, half finished cups of coffee… I mean, I’m worse than a teenager. do not follow my lead, keep your office materials contained to one area – preferable an area where you can shut the door and forget about it till the next day.

Good Luck and Continue to Find the Opportunities and Not the Fear.

Virtual Hugs and Kisses,

Joanne Palmisano

Joanne Palmisano is the author of Salvage Secrets, Salvage Secrets Design & Décor and Styling with Salvage. Her latest book, just released, is Rock Your Rental, coauthored with her twin sister, marketing expert, Rosanne Palmisano.

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE AND AFTER of a vacation rental front door. We changed this space to create an actual mudroom and a desk area for guest’s to set up their computer. A simple change in the door’s location created two additional useful spaces.

Calming Crafts to Help Us Relax.

There are so many things up in the air right now, causing us all a bit of anxiety — I’m right there with you. With all the school cancellations, businesses working from home and the uncertainty on how this virus is going to progress — I find myself reaching for a craft. I know it sounds crazy, but crafting and DIYing truly calms me down.

Yes, I could take this extra time, not out at meetings or traveling, to clean my house — really clean it — organize all my clothes — get to the basement projects I’ve been planning a while but who wants to do all that. Yes, I’m working — and I’m one of the lucky folks who already work out of their home — so my schedule has not changed — but my level of tension has. So to help us all calm down (and avoid cleaning our bathrooms), I’ve put together a few DIY’s I’ve done in the past that can be done with stuff you probably already have lying around the house. Some of these are time consuming but mindless — which I find is even better when I’m looking for a mediation type craft. I truly hope they help you like they help me.

Stay safe, wash hands, be well. Joanne

NEED: GLUE GUN, GLUE STICKS, A STICK/BRANCH, and LEFT OVER YARN, EMBROIDERY THREAD, TWINE, ROPE, SHOE LACES…

DIRECTIONS; Wrap and Hot Glue each start and finish and a little bit in between. It is as easy as that — Time consuming, calming… but easy!

NEED: SMALL ROCKS, SCRAPS OF FABRIC OR SHEETS, RIBBONS OR TWINE, CURTAIN CLIP OR SAFETY PIN.

DIRECTIONS: Soon we will be back to normal and we will want to head out for a picnic. You can make these easy Picnic table cloth holders with rocks, ribbons, scraps of sheets or fabric and either curtain clips or safety pins. So fun to make and easy. No sewing or gluing required. Tear strips of sheets and wrap around a small rock, hold in place with twine or ribbon — before you hold in place with ribbon, use one piece to loop through the metal ring of the curtain clip or pin through and then finish wrapping.

All you need is a paper bag and a marker or two. Create your very own recycled gift wrapping paper for any occasion. Going for a walk in the woods — don’t tear birch bark off the trees but if you see small pieces on the ground — pick them up — clean them — dry them and then paint the back with chalk paint or black paint and make gift tags. So easy and fun.

Find a black and white outline of something you love online and then start to create a fun black and white piece of art. This is very calming. All you need is paper and a black marker, pen or pencil. I’ve made of ton of these — some of them small ones — and then glued them onto black cards and gave them in a pack of 5 as gifts.

Old paintbrushes, toothbrushes, nails, driftwood pieces, rulers, pencils, paper straws… you name it — you can make a unique vase or two from it. Wrap your paintbrushes around a recycled glass jar (this is a salsa jar) and then hold together with twine, string or something similar. I did glue the paintbrushes to hold them in place then wrapped the twine — glue doesn’t really hold well on glass — but it was enough to allow me to work with the twine.

Using leftover sheet music and some fun Bigfoot prints from my computer, I made some funny gift cards. Using left over paper bags, wallpaper, card stock, stickers, old cards, create your own fun blank cards you can use to write someone you love. I used a regular old glue stick to put them on.

Using left over Valentine’s Day boxes, old shoe boxes and similar cardboard boxes, find all the little pieces and do-dads you have lying around the house to create a keepsake box. This is a fun project to do with kids. You will need a hot glue gun, or some glue, and some little pieces of this and that. You can use old game pieces, costume jewelry, an old scarf, keys… etc.

Have some old t-shirts you want to make cooler than they are. Well, if you haven’t gone through all your bleach :) Then put a little bit in an old spray bottle. Using kitchen drawer paper to cut out shapes, or letters and place them on the front of your cotton t-shirt. MAKE SURE, you have something in between the front and back of the shirt — I slipped inside a postage box and if I want the bleach to stay concentrated around the figure — I place rags around the space I want it to stay inside of. Sometimes the bleach works and sometimes it doesn’t (depends on the material of the t-shirt). Make sure you are not getting bleach everywhere — it will stain. Let dry completely. Peel off your figure or letters and wash alone. Hope it works for you.

“Stay calm and craft on.”

Today's the Day! Book Release of Rock Your Rental

So excited TODAY the book I wrote with my twin sister, Rosanne Palmisano, is available! ROCK YOUR RENTAL! We are just so thrilled to share:

Easy, Budget-Friendly Design, Marketing and Customer Service Solutions  for your AirBnB, Rental Property, Inn, Bed & Breakfast, or Boutique Hotel.

We live on opposite sides of the country (she lives in California and is a marketing consultant and I live in Vermont, an interior designer for projects all over the country) so this gave us the opportunity to spend lots more time together and work in different parts of the country and the world. So cheers to all those who helped us make this dream a reality. Cin, Cin, Rosanne and Joanne

It all started with a glass of wine in Italy…

The book has been out a week and it has been on the top ten list ever since… Thank you everyone for your support.

The Amazing World of Salvage

HELLO! In the past couple of weeks, I have done a numerous amount of media interviews, including trend predictions for RedFin, some ideas for Woman’s World Magazine, Unique Homes, Cottages and Bungalows and more, and am happy to say, that sustainability, salvage, and vintage charm play a key role in all of these interviews.

As I look at back at the content from my old website, Salvage Secrets Blog, I realize that much of my great information about designing, styling and crafting with salvage is not shown here on my new site. Believe me, I still spend a lot of time working with it, designing with it, and talking about it, because basically it is oozing with charm and soul and it’s important in today’s design industry we reuse as much as we can. Salvage materials compliments every decorating style — from farmhouse to glam to modern and beyond. I want to share my… Salvage Secrets, my design work, discoveries and decorating ideas — all within the amazing world of salvage. So for now, I’m going to put it all in blog post — till I can figure out how to get another button on my navigation bar. ;)

It can be as simple as recycled vases and creating a floral display or recovering pillows with an old bed coverlet. DIY in the book, Salvage Secrets Design and Decor by Joanne Palmisano. Photo by Susan Teare

Did you know? Decorating with salvage materials is usually a less expensive way to furnish a space because second hand goods cost less, and oftentimes, they make such an impact that less décor is required for the overall project. While saving money, you gain a space brimming with soul and one-of-a-kind details. Whether you want just a few vintage finds or for salvage to take center stage, these materials can play a key role in your commercial or residential projects. You can’t go wrong with salvage!

With over 270 projects online with DIY NETWORK, including an 8-part video series, you will find a salvage, vintage or repurposed DIY that you will love. Most of the DIY’s have step by step instructions. Have Fun!

My Books

Salvage interior design guru — okay… I’ll take that :) So thrilled I can say that my books have received internationally acclaim. I wrote the books for designers, decorator and homeowners, alike and each one is so different than the other. They each show you how to use recycled wood, reclaimed stone, vintage glass, salvaged furnishings, new products made from recycled materials and much more. Amazing photographs, where to find it, how to use and style ideas, are just the beginning. They are must have books for any designer or homeowner who loves vintage, recycled, reclaimed goods.

They explore a wealth of both large and small scale interior design and decor concepts, with over 600 photos combined in all these books — showing off a variety of design styles for every room in the house—kitchens, dining rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms, living rooms, entryways and outdoor areas.

 My books, Salvage Secrets, Transforming Reclaimed Materials Into Design Concept, Salvage Secrets Design & Décor and Styling with Salvage, Designing and Decorating with Reclaimed Materials, are not just about something discarded is simply something not yet found, but about merging the worlds of old and new to create stunning, one-of-a-kind interiors.

Presentations and Book Signings are a blast. I love to share my passion for salvage and reuse, through gorgeous color photography, before and afters, and my books. Here I am presenting at the Country Living Fair in Nashville.

Coming soon, Rock Your Rental, which I wrote with my twin sister, Rosanne, also has a ton of design and decorating ideas for the boutique hospitality and short-term vacation rental markets. We share more ideas on how to reuse, budget-friendly advice and eco-friendly ways to enhance your guests’ experience.

Cover of our latest book, Rock Your Rental, coming out in a month! You can pre-order today :)

I will continue to use salvage, recycled and reclaimed materials in my design, because it is beautiful and the right thing to do :)

Enjoy! Joanne

Renovation of Mad River Barn, Interior Design by Joanne Palmisano, Photo by Susan Teare

Simple display for a patio or party using reclaimed jars. DIY by Joanne Palmisano, Photo by Susan Teare.