HolidayHomeDesign: Forget the fantasy of decorating a holiday villa over a few bottles of rosé - it is far less stressful to buy everything here and ship it abroad, says Isabel Morton.

Half the fun of buying a holiday home abroad, is the dream of decorating it yourself. You imagine yourself floating around village antique markets, bargaining with stall holders in fluent Spanish/Portuguese/ French, enjoying a delicious meal and a bottle of wine in a superb local restaurant and then strolling home in the setting sun to your charming villa with your new purchases clutched tightly under your arm.

The reality however is somewhat different. You are more likely to be driving around an industrial estate on the outskirts of Marbella in the relentless searing heat, map in one hand, dictionary in the other, with dreams of finding designer furniture at discount prices for your little pad in Puerto Banus.

You will be hot, sticky and very cross. You will be trying to concentrate on driving on the right hand side of the road while attempting to find the ultimate interior store.

You will have been through a series of exhausting conversations involving a lot of hand signals and shouting with people who think that they can speak English.

You will be dubious about delivery dates, cross-eyed calculating measurements, confused by colour options and have serious doubts about the items which you have actually managed to order.

You could of course, hire the services of an interior designer, but if you have time and a little confidence, you can do it yourself, and from home. You can buy the entire contents in Ireland, sort it, pack it and store it at home, and then have it transported abroad.

The advantages are numerous: you are familiar with the area, can research shops and suppliers without having to be proficient in a foreign language, can fit in shopping around your normal schedule and have purchases delivered to your home.

And most importantly, you do not have to waste precious holiday time struggling around unfamiliar areas under the blazing heat. It involves a lot of planning and organisation but it will all be worth it when you are lying by the pool, pina colada in hand, writing "wish you were here" cards.

Visit your property, making sure to advise the vendor/selling agent that you require time to measure, photograph and video. Practise drawing a room and furniture out to scale at home before you leave on your survey trip.

Scale 1:50 is big enough to see how the furniture layout would work. Allow an A4 page per room.

Draw in pencil and write in all measurements. Continental windows and doors often open in to the room rather than out. So note the way they open, and avoid buying furniture which might restrict opening.

Mark in electric sockets, TV points etc. Take clear photographs and video each room.

If you plan to rent out your property, view similar rental properties in the area and check the internet to compare rents and standards of finish.

Back home, with blue skies and alfresco meals just a dim and distant memory, you can start organising and scheduling.With careful planning and no surprise problems, you should be able to have your property fully furnished within approximately three days of receiving the keys.

Obtain quotations from professional furniture removal companies. Expect to pay between €4,000 and €8,000 (within mainland Europe), depending on truck size and distance travelled. Advise them of any potential delivery or access problems. (Keep this in mind yourself, when buying furniture.)

Make paper furniture cutouts, measured to the same scale as your room, and move the "furniture" around "the room" until you know where each piece should be positioned.

Avoid flat-pack furniture unless you don't mind spending hours deciphering instruction leaflets, counting bolts and screws and praying that you are not missing a vital component, while expiring in 42 degrees heat.

Only buy items which are in stock or "off the floor" rather than items which have to be ordered. Buy lamps and smaller electrical items such as toasters, kettles, hairdryers etc in Ireland and buy a vast number of adaptors (€2 each in Power City) to use until you have the time and energy to change each item to the continental two point plugs.

Larger electrical appliances such as cookers, fridges etc should be bought abroad as they will come with a guarantee and can be fixed or replaced locally.

Before you start shopping, clear an area such as a garage, shed, spare room or rarely used formal diningroom, to use as a store area. As you buy each piece of furniture, unpack it, check it, take a photograph of it, measure it and wrap it. Then label it and mark it clearly for the room for which it is intended.

Also pack a work box with vital items: scissors and Stanley knife (to open packaging), cleaning products, bottled water, coffee, tea, toilet paper, bulbs, adaptors, tools, and anything else you might need on your arrival.

Buy other general items such as beach towels, bathroom towels, wastepaper baskets, vacuum cleaner (plus extra hoover bags), sweeping brush, iron and board etc and your favorite books, CDs, DVDs, board games and toys. Obviously you can buy most of these items locally, but the idea is to save time shopping.

Interior design should reflect the style of property, its location, and its surroundings. Properties situated in warm climates invariably have tiled or marble floors, white painted walls, shutters rather than heavy curtains and simple yet comfortable furnishings. Colder climates require the opposite style of interior design. (Have you ever seen a minimalist white ski chalet?) Decide on a look and stick to it.

To fit out your holiday kitchen, just walk around your own kitchen at home and take a list of every item you use regularly. Then buy everything on your list. Keep it all simple, buy all white china as it is easy to replace. Dunnes Stores sell boxed sets of white china and you can add to these sets by buying other loose items from the range.

If you have built-in wardrobes in your bedrooms, then the remaining space will dictate the size and position of the bed. Should you have to buy freestanding ones, they do not have to be enormous. A holiday home wardrobe only has to hold a suitcase or two of clothes.

Buy a pair of single beds which can be connected and the mattresses zipped together to make a superking bed. This flexible arrangement means that you (or your tenants) can choose whether you require a twin bedded room or double room for your stay.

In a hot country it is important to use bedding made from natural fabrics, so buy 100 per cent cotton or linen and all-season duvets, which are made in two parts and stud fasten together to allow for all temperature conditions.

If extra storage is required, use bedside lockers or small chests of drawers rather than bedside tables. Provide a pair of large table lamps which are tall enough to give a good level of light for relaxed holiday reading in bed.

BUY a dining table which can be opened up or extended, plus chairs for the maximum number the table will fit. Find a tall candelabra for the table and a selection of storm lanterns which you can use both indoors and outside, with chunky big church candles.

The livingroom requires at least as many comfortable seats as the number of people your property will sleep. If your property is regularly rented out, have two sets of machine washable, shrink-resistant loose covers for your armchairs and sofas. Leather survives a lot of wear and tear. Avoid black (dark) and white (bling), choose instead tan or brown leather which looks good with all styles of décor and survives marks from suntan oil, food etc.

Large coffee tables, side tables and lamp tables are available everywhere and in a wide range of styles. Stick to one general style, but avoid having everything matching. Rooms lack personality if everything looks too perfect.

Cushions should be filled with natural feather pads for comfort, so avoid synthetic fillers. Use the cushion covers to introduce colour to the room. Pure silk is beautiful but it will fade and disintegrate in bright sunlight.

Buy large decorative accessories such as table lamps, storm lanterns, urns and pieces of statuary, large decorative bowls, model boats, shells, and driftwood (if near the sea), telescopes (if you have a view worth looking at), baskets of logs, walking sticks and wellington boots (if in the mountains/countryside) and a good selection of interesting coffee table books and novels.

Avoid any small, overly fussy or fragile pieces of china, glass or anything which can get broken or requires carefull cleaning. Keep it simple. Garden, patio and pool furniture should be bought abroad as Ireland has a limited selection and it tends to be quite expensive.

On delivery day, one person should direct operations and ensure that all items are correctly positioned. Another should start unpacking. Get the kitchen organised first, then make up beds so that when you are absolutely exhausted, you don't have to search for bedlinen. The general rule is to unwrap items according to their size. Start with large items, position them and work your way down to the small items and accessories.

Position all furniture, lamps and accessories before hanging pictures. When you are happy with the completed job, take photographs and make an inventory of the entire contents.

Be warned: having a holiday home will make you very popular with family, friends, colleagues and indeed vague aquaintances.

So sit back while you can, admire your home and congratulate yourself on a job well done.

Now you can relax and start living your dream.

Interiors shops:

Watsham & Bohn Interiors Monkstown, Co Dublin

01 2140741

Donaldson & Lyttle

114 Lr George's St

Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin

01 2808454

Quest Interiors

37 Francis Street, Dublin 8

01 4540299

Thornby Hall, Millbrook, Naas, Co Kildare

045 901551

Bob and Kate's

Abbeylands Centre, Clane, Co Kildare

045 902299

Homes in Heaven

3 Anglesea Buildings, Upper George's St, Dún Laoghaire, CoDublin

01 2802077

Inside Out

97 Lr Georges St, Dún Laoghaire Co Dublin

01 2148685

Flanagan's

Buncrana, Co Donegal; Mount Merrion, Co Dublin

01 2880218

Kenneth Hodgins

1b Birch Avenue, Sandyford Industrial Estate, Co Dublin

01 2938898

ACTION PLAN:

•Photograph and video your property

•Measure up all rooms to scale

•Draw up the floor plan

•Book the furniture removal company

•Buy all furniture and accessories

•Pack everything and store

•Transport all to your holiday home

•Unpack and position furniture etc

•Enjoy your home in the sun

REMOVALS:

G A Stevens & Sons

01 2854338

McCann Removals

057 8736596

Beverly Smyth

01 4000100