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I drive my husband crazy with my designer brain. We were on vacation last week in Napa Valley – which was awesome. We had reserved a VRBO with plenty of room for our family. It was on a golf course and had a large rear deck – perfect for my first cup of coffee while the rest of my family slept.

However, despite being on vacation, my designer brain was trying to “fix” our VRBO. Yes, even amidst wine country surrounded by family, I’m “redesigning” the place we stayed in for 4 nights. Sometimes, I wonder what it must be like to be able to simply enjoy a vacation without trying to bring work into it!

The house had recently been upgraded with new appliances, finishes, and fixtures in the kitchen and baths. Unfortunately, they only addressed the finishes and not the floor plan flaws. To be fair, the townhome was originally built in the seventies – 50 years ago. My, how our floor plan wants and needs have changed!

The Kitchen

The kitchen was open to the dining and living room and had a 10’ ceiling. It included an island with granite top, drawer microwave and under counter wine refrigerator.

I’m guessing the original kitchen was probably a U-shaped kitchen – if not completely closed off from the rest of the house. Converting this kitchen to its current design meant replacing the flooring under the cabinets. All the appliances were top of the line and there were three coffee makers – K-cup, espresso maker, and drip coffee pot with a coffee grinder.

AWESOME! But there was no pantry. Yes – designer Deryl kept trying to figure out where I could add it. Then again – who needs a pantry in a vacation rental?

I’m just getting warmed up.

The Primary Suite

The primary bath was newly refinished with a large vanity, a mirror mounted on a tile wall with flanking sconces, solid surface countertop, and a rectangular sink. The shower had large format tile, clear glass shower enclosure, and shampoo niches. It felt fresh and current. Until you tried to close the door in the wet area. Sadly, in the seventies, it was acceptable to put the toilet and shower in the same room. Back then, the toilet was probably shorter, but today you had to practically straddle the toilet to shut the door.

Designer Deryl was trying to figure out how to put the toilet at the opposite end of the bath in a private room and leave the shower open to the vanity area.

There was also an awkward door placement into the primary suite. If the door was fully opened (180 degrees) you could see right into the family room – or more to the point – you could see right into the bathroom!

Nope. Not acceptable.

Then there was the closet. It was a strip closet that had been upgraded to include built-in drawers. Alas, it was still a strip closet.

How can I get an actual walk-in closet? Then I noticed there was about 6’ of deck behind the primary suite that was unused. If you extended the bedroom to the edge of the deck – you could add a walk-in closet. You could even include a French door to the deck from the end of the room and two large windows.

So, in my redesigned primary suite, I would include a private toilet room, walk-in closet, and add privacy from the family room.

And maybe, while I am at it, I would add a tray ceiling to the sleeping area since it has only 8’ ceilings.

Outdoor Living

We were fortunate this villa was an end unit and had a wrap around deck. It was large – even by today’s outdoor living standards. But it was completely uncovered, and it faced west – great for sunsets, but it made it hot in the afternoon. There were two large umbrellas that helped but constantly needed adjusting as the sun angle changed.

You know, you could extend the roof over part of the outdoor living while making the changes to the primary suite – “Agh! Stop it! You’re on vacation. Have another glass of wine Deryl.”

Great Vacation Destination

Don’t get me wrong, I thought the VRBO was an awesome vacation villa. And we’ve even talked about going back to the same rental next time – but maybe bring our golf clubs. But sometimes designers just can’t help themselves. I know I can’t be the only one.

And if you’re considering a trip to Napa, let me know and I will share the VRBO site along with my favorite wineries. Cheers!