At the beginning of our business we flipped a lot of homes. And I (Claude) loved the outlet for all my creative juices. I loved the freedom I had to choose funky, less popular ideas and create spaces that were unique and out of the box. Lately we’ve been focused on our clients projects and helping their dreams and vision come to life in their homes. Which is something we love as a team. But I needed an outlet for all the design ideas that were in my head – and that’s when I decided it was time to revamp our Airbnbs. If you’re looking for more inspiration, you can see the full gallery of the project on our website.
Of course in typical fashion, some of my ideas took a little time for Chris to get excited about. But now that we’re done, we both love the space and we’re so excited to host people and help people have a relaxing and inspiring time on their vacation.
It all started with switching out some of the furniture. Chris was “quite happy to see some of the furniture going”. We documented the process and left tips and tricks in each of the videos we uploaded on our YouTube channel.
The Basement
One of the biggest changes we made was renovating and finishing the basement. This gave us an additional bedroom and bathroom and the house. (Which is a pro-tip if you have short-term rental space, the more bedrooms and bathrooms the better) And I think it turned out pretty great if I do say so myself. I didn’t want our guests to feel like they were stuck in the basement so we tried to elevate the space by painting the room all one color – ceiling and all.
I was inspired by my sister Ervina to use a dark charcoal color – zero regrets!
The bathroom got a splurge item, terrazzo tile that I love SO MUCH.
Adding a fun squiggly mirror, trailing plants & making creating a beautiful glass shower helped the small bathroom feel bigger. And of course, we added some bright orange chairs in the sitting area – color is everything. We finished the space off with a kitchenette, washer and dryer.
“I think we’re going to go little more modern at our Airbnb, instead of granny vibes – which I think will be a good look.”
Claude
The Upstairs
We didn’t do a lot of painting or demo work upstairs. Instead I focused on changing out the bedding, and adding some funky pictures on the wall. But I think the biggest difference was updating the furniture. We got rid of all of the legit vintage furniture and bought in brand new furniture with a mid-century modern flair. And although I was sad for the old to go, it does make the space feel cleaner and it’s more Airbnb friendly. Of course, I still picked out pieces of furniture with character.
My Favorite Part
My personal favorite I think would be the fun wall art that I found online. I found most of the art on Etsy. I thought the modern take on old classical art pieces was fun. (Even though I was out-voted on Instagram) Some of the pieces I just bought as a print and framed them – with no one the wiser.
I enjoy the renovation project. Gutting an entire house, removing walls, tearing out cabinets, the works. But sometimes it’s fun to take a space and just elevate it with simple decor changes and some furniture swaps. You don’t have to tear your entire space apart to make a big change. And though our project took us a few months to complete – mainly because of the basement renovation – I am very pleased with the results.
Our Airbnbs have turned into a creative outlet for me. A showroom of sorts, that also doubles as a space to host people. So once we completed our larger Airbnb, I moved onto our Attic space, so be on the look out for that blog coming soon. 🙂 And if you’re looking for some inspiration for your own space or if you’d like to see our Airbnb in real life – we’d love to host you! You can book your stay here.
