Choosing the Right Dinnerware for Your Airbnb
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I may earn a commission if you buy through the links on this page, which comes at no extra cost to you, but rest assured these are products I have used or would recommend to clients for use in a vacation rental property.
It doesn’t sound that hard, does it. Just pick some plates. And if we’re being honest here, it’s not rocket science.
There are a few things, though, you should keep in mind for selecting dinner ware in a short term rental that you might not have thought about before.
I’m going to share with you my tips to make selecting the right dinnerware for your Airbnb easy and stress free.
In some of my first furnishing projects on the beach here in Panama, I remember agonizing over picking the perfect set of dinner plates to complement the color scheme of the condo. I went to store after store, spending hours and hours, looking for ‘the one’. And I found it - a beautiful set in soft seafoam green with a little shell motif on the edges They were just lovely. I was pretty impressed with myself - until the property manager burst my bubble…
In the nicest of ways, this very experienced property manager asked me to ditch the beautiful themed plates as they made her life so much easier when it came time to replace them. She gave me some very useful advice which has to this day formed part of my formula for fitting out turn key Airbnb projects, which I’m going to share with you in 5 easy points.
HOW MANY DO I NEED?
The Rule of 2
You are going to notice that I mention the ‘Rule of 2’ in a lot of my blog posts, because it applies in so many areas of the home. What it means is that you need a minimum of 2 sets per guest who can be accommodated in your property. This includes any sofa beds or additional bedding you may advertise as an option for your renters.
So 4 guests = 8 dinner sets; 6 guests = 12 dinner sets.
The minimum pieces you should have in a set of dinner ware is:
A dinner plate
A salad plate
A bowl
You can always add in extras like pasta bowls, a soup bowl, a bread plate - there’s no such thing as too much dinnerware if you have the storage - but the three pieces above I would consider the bare minimum you need to include in a set to provide a comfortable dining experience for your guests.
The Rule of 2 ensures that you have enough dinnerware so guests can comfortably dine and enjoy their meals together, and don’t have to worry about washing up every plate and bowl between meals, or using a plate while preparing dinner and not having enough clean plates for everyone.
CLASSIC WHITE
Can’t go wrong
After asking me to ditch the beautiful seafoam green dining set, the property manager asked me to stick to classic white dinner ware. She told me that white dinnerware would be easier for her to replace in the future, and to please just keep it simple.
It makes sense - while patterned or colored dinnerware might seem appealing, when a piece inevitably breaks and needs replacing, you can spend hours trying to find the same set to buy again, or buy a replacement that sticks out as not matching.
In addition to making your life easier down the track, opting for classic white sets offers several advantages for vacation rental properties. White dinnerware is a timeless and classic aesthetic that complements any interior decor. It provides a clean and sophisticated look that guests will appreciate. It hides small chips a little easier then something colored or patterned might, to stretch their lifespan out just a little bit further.
I have been tempted when picking white dinner sets to add back some ‘Wow’ factor with an interesting shape or design of the plate, copying the style of the Villeroy and Boch New Wave dinner set (swoon!) but it’s also something I don’t recommend from experience for a short term rental property. Look for a dinner sets that have a clean and practical design, ones which stack easily in the dishwasher or cupboard, or you could end up wasting space.
HAVE A BACK UP SET
Because Accidents WILL Happen
For anything that is a set, especially if you have ignored my advice and bought a set of colored or patterned dinner ware, I always recommend buy an extra set to put in storage.
That way, when a piece gets broken or goes missing and you need to replace it. you can do it quickly and easily by grabbing one from the back up set you have stored away.
NO METAL TRIM
Ever.
I’ve found that while a gold or silver trimmed dining set can looking stunning, it throws up a few inherent problems.
Firstly, it may not be microwave safe, and it is guaranteed that a renter is going to throw a plate in a microwave at some point. Yikes!
I’ve also found that often the trim doesn’t stand up well to regular wear and tear, particularly if you have a dishwasher, and they can start to look chipped and shabby pretty quickly; so these are definitely on my ‘Do Not Buy’ list.
MATCHING MUG
Be efficient
There are so many items on the list of essentials to buy for even a small kitchen, so do yourself a favor and kill two birds with one stone - look for a dinner set that includes a mug as part of the set.
This not only saves you a bit of time, and hopefully some money, but also makes your table setting look cohesive.
One of my favorite tricks for dressing a kitchen, harnessing one of my favorite design philosophies of Form and Function, is using a mug tree like this one to display your mugs on the kitchen counter, if you have the space. So even if you keep your mugs white, you can jazz up their presentation with a mug tree that works in with your decor.
CORELLE
The Unbreakable Plate?
I wanted to take time to talk about Corelle, but before I do, I need to disclose a deep personal bias. I just don’t like it. Personally, I don’t like eating on Corelle plates. They feel cheap and insubstantial to me. For some reason, it costs twice as much as a normal stoneware dinner set where I live in Panama, so for me it’s easy to discard it as an option.
However, putting my personal opinions aside, there are some solid reasons why Corelle could make sense for an Airbnb rental property.
In many other parts of the world, it is considered inexpensive, so it would be cheaper or approximately equally priced to stoneware sets.
It is made from Vitrelle, a vitrified glass that is resistant to chips, scratches and breakages. It has the reputation of being ‘unbreakable’, which has clear benefits for any Airbnb host.
It’s very lightweight
If you have a larger property that’s commonly rented out to groups who are there to celebrate and having a good time, like bachelor or bachelorette parties where things may get a little rowdy, Corelle dinnerware may be a good choice to consider for your Airbnb.
Here are four dinner sets that I would use in an Airbnb property.
The Amazon Basics Porcelain Dinner set is hard to go past for cost/value tradeoff. Simple, clean design, it will blend in with any dinner setting. One of the other big benefits is that you can buy each individual piece in a separate set of six - so if you need to replace a couple of plates and don’t have a back up set, you can do that fairly inexpensively.
If you are looking for a set with 6 placesettings, instead of the usual 4, this Gibson Zen Buffet dinner set is an easy pick.
For a well priced white set with a little bit of detail in the edging to give it some character, this Elama Dinnerware Set for 4, will do the trick.
If Corelle is the best choice for your Airbnb to cater to large party groups, this 78 piece 12-top Corelle dinner setting makes sense for your property, although you would need to purchase mugs separately.
Choosing the right dinner ware for your Short Term Rental property doesn’t have to be complicated. Just follow these easy tips and take the time and stress out of Getting It Rental Ready!
