There’s a big difference between creating a beautiful room and creating a feeling.
And for me, the feeling always comes first.
It started in the garden
When I first walked onto the property at Sirena Del Sol, it was the garden that got me.
The previous owner had already planted olive trees, spread pebbles everywhere and created a little fire pit. There was also this big black concrete block wall which, because the property sits on a corner block, created a sense of privacy and turned the garden into its own little Mediterranean oasis.
I loved it. It had this feeling about it that immediately transported me somewhere else. A little bit European, a little bit wild, and somewhere I could imagine spending an entire afternoon doing absolutely nothing.
That was the starting point for me. I could see what it could become, and I wanted to take that feeling and carry it through the entire property.
I wanted more cacti, more Mediterranean-style plants and climbing greenery to soften that big black wall. I wanted the garden to feel lush and established, like a little hideaway you'd stumbled across rather than just another holiday house near the beach.
From there, the rest of the design needed to follow.
Please, no more boring holiday homes
I think one of the biggest mistakes people make when creating a holiday rental is assuming guests just need the basics.
Keep it clean. Put in a bed. Add some white tiles, a neutral sofa and a few cushions. Done.
But honestly, that ship has sailed. And sailed a bloody long way.
I don't want to go on holiday and stay somewhere that feels worse than my own house. Do you?
I want to walk into somewhere and feel inspired. I want to notice the details. I want to feel like I've been transported somewhere different, even if I've only driven a couple of hours from home.
That's the whole point of getting away, isn't it?
We spend so much of our lives doing the everyday things. Working, cleaning, cooking, running around after the kids and trying to remember what we walked into the kitchen for in the first place.
When we book a holiday, I think we want a break from all of that. We want a change of scenery, a change of pace and, even if it's just for a couple of nights, a chance to feel something different.
A beautiful room is lovely. But a place that makes you feel something when you walk through the door? That's what I want to create.
It's about the whole picture
For me, it's never just one thing.
It's the garden you see when you arrive. The way the plants soften the architecture. The textures, the lighting, the colours and how everything works together.
It's the feeling of sitting outside as the light changes, or coming back from the beach and sinking into somewhere that feels a million miles away from your everyday life.
And that feeling doesn't happen just because you've bought expensive furniture or followed the latest interior trend. It happens when you have a clear idea of the atmosphere you're trying to create and make decisions that support it.
That's why I kept coming back to the garden at Sirena Del Sol. It was the starting point. Every time I made a decision about the house, I wanted it to feel like it belonged to that same world.
Not a collection of individually beautiful things, but one experience.
Design for the holiday you want to have
I think this is probably one of the biggest lessons I've learnt from creating holiday homes.
You have to design for the experience, not just the photograph.
Of course, I want the place to look beautiful in photographs. I've spent 20 years as a professional photographer, so believe me, I care about that!
But a photograph can only do so much. It can make someone stop scrolling and imagine themselves there. The actual experience is what makes them fall in love with the place.
And that starts with the feeling you create.
For me, Sirena Del Sol is about that Mediterranean-inspired escape. The garden, the greenery, the textures, the little pockets of privacy and the feeling of being somewhere a little different from home.
It's not about copying a villa in Italy or trying to make Hyams Beach something it isn't. It's about taking the elements I love and creating my own version of that feeling here.
Because ultimately, I'm creating the kind of place I want to stay in myself.
I want to feel transported. I want to be inspired. I want to walk in, take a breath and think, yes, this is exactly where I want to be.
Otherwise, honestly, why would I go?
And that's the vibe I'm always chasing.
