Online Interior Design for Airbnbs & Short-Term Rentals

Many short-term rentals are bought in places their owners do not live. That makes furnishing one an awkward job: dozens of purchases, deliveries to an empty house, and decisions about rooms you may have walked through once. Online interior design is a practical answer, because the design work does not need you or the designer to be on site.

We design short-term rentals in person around the Puget Sound, and through our Virtual Design service anywhere in the United States. Here is how the remote version works for a rental.

Why a rental needs a plan, not a shopping spree

A rental is furnished all at once, on a budget, by a deadline. Buying piece by piece tends to produce rooms that do not relate to each other and a total that drifts past what you meant to spend. A design sets a theme for the whole property and a budget up front, then chooses every piece against both. The result is a property that looks intentional in listing photos and holds together in person.

How the remote process works

1. Send measurements, photos, and video of the property. If you are not nearby, a property manager, agent, or cleaner can often capture these for you. Our guide to measuring and photographing a home for e-design lists exactly what is needed.
2. Kickoff call, 30 minutes on Zoom. We talk through the property, who you expect to host, the budget, and the process.
3. Concepts and boards. We develop the concept and theme and select the furnishings.
4. Selections review, 60 minutes on Zoom. We walk through everything together.
5. Your full shopping list arrives within seven business days of the review, adjusted from your feedback.

Getting everything ordered and into the house

For a rental you are not living near, the ordering is usually the harder half. There are two ways to handle it.

Order it yourself

With a design-only package, starting at $900, your shopping list is built from vendors you can buy from directly. You place the orders and manage the deliveries.

Have us order it

With a design + procurement package, starting at $1,750, we send a full list with final pricing, you pay the invoice, and we place the order for every item within 24 hours. We order through trade-only vendors and pass along our trade discount where we can. For delivery, we either coordinate with a warehouser and installer local to the property, or have everything shipped directly to it for install.

Fees depend on the size of the home and the rooms included.

If the rental is in the Seattle area

For properties in the greater Seattle area we can do the whole job in person: design, budgeting, ordering, receiving at our 5,000 SF warehouse, install days with our own trucks and crew, and trash removal. See Furniture Procurement & Install and Airbnb & STR Design.

What to have ready

• Measurements, photos, and a walk-through video of the property
• The number of bedrooms and how many guests you plan to sleep
• A furniture budget for the whole property
• Your target opening date
• Anything already in the house that is staying