The Value of Professional Interior Design for Short-Term Rentals: Experience and Cost

[Rob Anteau]

Hello Everyone,

I'm going to purchase a log cabin in the mountains and considering the potential impact of professional interior design. I'm hoping to get some insights and experiences from those who have done this before.

1. Have any of you used professional interior designers for your short-term rental properties? Did you find it valuable? Do you believe it significantly enhanced the appeal or functionality of your space?
2. Do you feel it was worth the price? Was there a noticeable difference in your occupancy and guest ratings that you attribute to the professional design?
3. What are the estimated costs for professional interior design services for short-term rentals? I realize this can vary widely, but any ballpark numbers would be incredibly helpful.

I appreciate any insights or advice you can share!

Best regards,

Rob

[Evans Wright]

Quote from @Rob Anteau:

Hello Everyone,

I'm going to purchase a log cabin in the mountains and considering the potential impact of professional interior design. I'm hoping to get some insights and experiences from those who have done this before.

1. Have any of you used professional interior designers for your short-term rental properties? Did you find it valuable? Do you believe it significantly enhanced the appeal or functionality of your space?
2. Do you feel it was worth the price? Was there a noticeable difference in your occupancy and guest ratings that you attribute to the professional design?
3. What are the estimated costs for professional interior design services for short-term rentals? I realize this can vary widely, but any ballpark numbers would be incredibly helpful.

I appreciate any insights or advice you can share!

Best regards,

Rob

I have used a professional interior designer to furnish our STR just outside of Charlotte, NC and here are my thoughts based on the questions you asked.

- Everyone's situation is different but for my wife and I we thought it was important to hire a professional designer. I am full time investor/agent and she had W2 that she put over 50 hours per week in. Our time was limited. We also identified that we do not have an eye for design and theme and it is hard for us to make something of a blank canvas. Those two choke points helped us identify that we needed a professional especially if we were going to distinguish ourselves from the competition. That is exactly what our interior designer did. We told her our theme which was lake and nature inspired due to our proximity to a big lake here and she did the rest. End result was phenomenal. 

Now could we have done something similar - with enough time yes but we didn't have time so I believe it was critical to have her on our team. It was by no means not cheap but I have always been of the volition that if they can do it better and faster than you then hire it out so they can give you time to focus on the bigger picture. 

I do not have previous data to compare bookings because we purchased the property and immediately hired the designer but I wholeheartedly believe that our bookings especially for longer stays are correlated to our property having amenities and design language that attracts people. It cost us over $35k to do interior and exterior of a 3bed 2bath house, 1500 sq ft and on half an acre of land. Not cheap but they did everythingggg. Hope that helps!