Ocean City, Sea Isle, Avalon, Wildwood, Cape May, LBI

Furnishing a Shore rental that survives the summer

A rental at the Shore is furnished for two audiences: the guests who use it hard for twelve weeks, and the owner who has to turn it over on a Saturday. That means covers that shrug off sand and sunscreen, sleepers and bunks that add beds without adding rooms, outdoor pieces built for salt air, and a delivery crew that can get in when you are not there. Kensington has furnished Shore houses from Northfield since 1968; here is what holds up.

Outdoor sectional for a Jersey Shore house, Kensington Furniture

Kensington Furniture is a family-owned store in Northfield, New Jersey, since 1912, twenty minutes from the Shore towns it delivers to. Performance-fabric seating, sleeper sofas, bunk beds, Telescope Casual and Seahawk outdoor furniture and the Kensington Outlet are on one two-acre floor. Call 609-241-0807.

What holds up, room by room

Spend where guests sit and sleep; save on what they only look at.

Living room: performance fabric, mid-tone, loose cushions

Sand, sunscreen, wet towelsA performance cover such as Nuvella or Durapella wipes clean with water and hides the week's sand between turnovers; a mid-tone tweed-look colour hides more than white. Loose, reversible seat cushions flip when one side wears. A sectional with a chaise seats a family and doubles as the nap spot; a tight back means fewer cushions to end up on the floor.

Sleeping: bunks and sleepers add beds, not rooms

Every extra bed is a higher nightly rateA twin-over-full bunk sleeps three in a room that held two, and a queen sleeper sofa in the den turns a three-bedroom into a four. Choose sleepers with a proper mattress and a mechanism guests can open without instructions. Beds get the plainest, hardest-wearing headboards you can find; nobody rates a headboard.

Dining: a table that seats the whole house

Counter height keeps the viewGuests eat together. A table for eight with two leaves and chairs that stack or slide under, or a counter-height set that keeps sightlines to the deck. Wipe-clean seats, not upholstered; a bench on one side seats children and stores under the table.

Outdoor: built for salt air, not for a catalogue

Aluminum frames, all-weather wicker, Nuvella cushionsPowder-coated aluminum does not rust and is light enough to move off a deck in a storm; steel does rust and a season by the ocean proves it. All-weather resin wicker over aluminum, solution-dyed acrylic or Nuvella cushions you can hose off, and covers for the off-season. Telescope Casual and Seahawk Designs have made this furniture for Shore houses for decades; both are on our floor.

The Outlet, and where to save

Nightstands, dressers, the second-bedroom bed and the coffee table take abuse and earn no reviews, so buy them from the Kensington Outlet as-is, at Outlet prices, and put the money into the sofa and the mattresses. Mattresses get a waterproof protector each, always.

The decisions owners ask about most, compared

Three choices that come up in almost every Shore-rental call.

Sleeper sofaBunk bedDaybed with trundle
Beds addedOne queen or twin in a room that already has a sofaTwo or three in one footprintTwo, one of them low
Best inDen, living room, any room that must also be a living room by dayKids' room, bunk room, the room that sleeps the cousinsSmall bedroom or office
Guest-proof?Choose a simple pull mechanism and a real mattress; ours have both on the floorYes, with a solid ladder and a guard rail; check the top-bunk weight ratingYes; the trundle rolls out without tools
TurnoverStrip and fold in a minuteTwo sets of sheets, doneSame as two twins
On the floor nowRannis, Aviemore and Altari queen sleepers, England SmyrnaBunk and loft beds, twin-over-fullAsk; they rotate

Floor models rotate; the ones named were on the floor when this page was written.

Delivery to a house you are not in

Access, keys and timing

Delivery is scheduled with you, and a second home is the normal case at the Shore. Tell us when you book how the crew gets in: a lockbox code, a neighbour, a property manager. Our crew brings everything in, sets it up in the room, assembles the bunk and takes the packaging away, then locks up. In-stock pieces are available for pickup or fast delivery; give us the turnover date and we plan around it.

Removal and the off-season

Removal of the old sofa or mattress is available for a charge and is arranged when you schedule the delivery, so the crew takes the tired pieces out on the same trip. If you are refurnishing between seasons, a consultant can plan the whole house from photos and a floor sketch over the phone and have it delivered before the first booking.

Sleeper sofas in stock and on order

All sleeper sofas · Bunk and loft beds

Performance-fabric seating that wipes clean

Outdoor pieces for salt air

All outdoor and patio furniture · The Kensington Outlet · Sofas that survive pets (and renters)

$0 DOWN, 0% INTEREST FINANCING

36 equal monthly payments on furniture, no minimum purchase. Mattress purchases of $999 or more: up to 60 months. Kensington Furniture Synchrony HOME™ Credit Card, subject to credit approval.

See if you prequalify

Tell us about the house. A consultant calls you.

Town, how many it sleeps, the first booking date and whether we will have access when you are away. A Kensington consultant calls back, plans the rooms from your photos, and schedules delivery around the turnover.

Or call 609-241-0807, Monday to Saturday 10 am to 7 pm, Sunday 11 am to 5 pm.

What is it for?

A Kensington consultant calls back the same or next business day. No spam, no list.

Delivery, the Outlet and the floor

Delivery and pickup

We deliver throughout South Jersey: Atlantic City, Ocean City, Cape May, Somers Point, Linwood, Margate, Ventnor, Galloway, Mays Landing and the Shore towns between. In-stock pieces are available for pickup or fast delivery.

Delivery is white-glove: our crew brings the piece in, sets it up in the room and takes the packaging away. Removal of old furniture or a mattress is available for a charge and has to be arranged when you schedule the delivery.

Plan it from Northfield, deliver it to the Shore

Bring photos and rough room sizes to 200 Tilton Road, or send them after a call to 609-241-0807, and a consultant lays out the house with pieces that are in stock. Our own crews deliver to every Shore town, set everything up in the room, assemble the bunks and take the packaging away, with access arranged for a house you are not in.

Come see it at 200 Tilton Road

Kensington Furniture & Mattress, 200 Tilton Road, Northfield, NJ 08225. Exit 36 off the Garden State Parkway. Phone 609-241-0807.

  • Monday to Saturday10 am to 7 pm
  • Sunday11 am to 5 pm

Get directions

Furnishing a Shore rental, the questions owners ask

What sofa fabric holds up in a beach rental?
A performance fabric such as Ashley's Nuvella or Durapella, in a mid-tone or tweed-look colour: it wipes clean with water, resists sunscreen and sand and hides the week between turnovers. Choose loose, reversible seat cushions and a tight back so there is less to end up on the floor.
Is aluminum or wicker better for patio furniture at the Jersey Shore?
Both, together. Powder-coated aluminum frames do not rust in salt air and are light enough to move in a storm; steel rusts within a season. All-weather resin wicker woven over an aluminum frame gives the look without the rust, and Nuvella or solution-dyed cushions can be hosed off.
How do I add beds to a rental without adding rooms?
A twin-over-full bunk sleeps three where two slept, a queen sleeper sofa in the den adds a bedroom by night, and a daybed with a trundle sleeps two in an office. Every extra bed changes the nightly rate; make sure each one has a real mattress and a waterproof protector.
Can you deliver when I am not at the house?
Yes, and at the Shore it is the usual case. Tell us how the crew gets in when you schedule, a lockbox code, a neighbour or a property manager, and our own crew brings everything in, sets it up, assembles the bunks, takes the packaging and locks up.
How fast can you deliver before the season?
In-stock pieces are available for pickup or fast delivery, and a consultant will tell you what is in stock before you choose so the first booking date is safe. Special orders take longer; ask before you commit to a date.
Should I buy rental furniture from the Outlet?
For the pieces guests do not rate, yes. Nightstands, the second-bedroom bed, dressers and coffee tables take abuse and earn no reviews; the Kensington Outlet sells floor samples and as-is pieces at reduced prices, final sale. Put the savings into the sofa and the mattresses.
What mattress should a rental have?
A medium-firm mattress most guests accept, a waterproof protector on every bed, and a spare protector in the closet. Guests do not choose the bed, so you are buying for the average sleeper, not for yourself; the Ashley and Sealy mattresses we stock cover that at rental prices.
Which outdoor brands do you carry?
Telescope Casual and Seahawk Designs, both made for coastal use, plus Ashley outdoor with Nuvella cushions. All three are on the floor in Northfield, and Seahawk pieces are available for fast delivery.
Can you furnish the whole house?
Yes. Send photos and rough room sizes after a call and a consultant plans every room with pieces that are in stock, then schedules one delivery around your turnover date. Design consultations are free and booked by phone.
Do you deliver to Ocean City, Avalon, Stone Harbor and LBI?
Yes. Our own crews deliver throughout South Jersey, and in-stock pieces are available for pickup or fast delivery. Delivery is white-glove: we bring the chair in, set it up in the room, plug in a power recliner and take the packaging away. Removal of an old chair is available for a charge and is arranged when you schedule.
Where is the store?
Kensington Furniture is at 200 Tilton Road, Northfield, NJ 08225, off Exit 36 of the Garden State Parkway, open Monday to Saturday 10 am to 7 pm and Sunday 11 am to 5 pm. Call 609-241-0807 first and we will tell you which models are set up that week.
What financing is available for a rental?
Furniture financing at Kensington is 36 equal monthly payments with $0 down and 0% interest, no minimum purchase, on the Kensington Synchrony HOME credit card, subject to credit approval. Prequalifying does not affect your credit score.