AIR BNB & SHORT TERM RENTAL DESIGN
IN MINNEAPOLIS AND TWIN CITIES METRO
Design that gets booked, gets 5-star reviews, and survives guest turnover.
If you're furnishing or refreshing an Airbnb, VRBO, or short-term rental in the Twin Cities, Happy Place Interiors designs spaces built to perform — not just look good. Our team works with STR hosts and investors across Minneapolis, St. Paul, Edina, Bloomington, Mendota Heights, and the entire state of Minnesota to create interiors that convert browsers into bookings and first-time guests into repeat ones.
Our Unique Advantage
Our interior designers are also trained and talented home stagers, we bring a rare combination to short-term rental design: an eye for the emotional, photo-ready "wow" that staging is built on, paired with full interior design expertise in layout, materials, and durability. That crossover is exactly what separates a rental that just looks nice from one that actually drives revenue.
We also bring something most designers don't: a background in advertising, branding, and marketing — including web and SEO strategy. That means your rental isn't just designed to look good, it's designed with the same positioning, differentiation, and conversion thinking that goes into a strong ad campaign or brand launch. For hosts, that translates directly into listing photos that outperform, a property that stands out from nearby competitors, and design decisions grounded in what actually drives bookings — not just personal taste.
Short Term Rental Design is different from
home interior design
A lot of hosts hire a traditional interior designer or a general contractor and end up with a beautiful home that underperforms as a rental. Short-term rental design has its own rules:
1
The room has to sell itself in a photo.
Listing photos are your entire first impression — design has to read instantly on a phone screen, not just feel good in person.
2
Guests make practical plus emotional booking decisions.
Color, styling, and layout choices are made to trigger a "yes" scroll-stop, the same instinct professional stagers use to move a home off the market fast.
3
Everything gets used harder.
Furniture, fabrics, and finishes need to withstand constant turnover — different guests, different habits, every few days — without looking tired in six months. -
4
Function drives repeat bookings and reviews.
Where you sleep four, how the kitchen is stocked, and whether there's a real workspace all affect ratings in ways they never would in a personal home.
5
The design has to work for somebody specific or everybody.
Unlike a personal home, an STR either has to appeal to a very specific demographic or broadly while still feeling distinct enough to stand out in search results. This is where our staging background does real work for you: stagers are trained to design for an unknown buyer's split-second reaction. STR guests make the same kind of snap judgment — we just apply it to booking instead of buying.
Short Term Rental Design Services
Rather than a slow, open-ended design retainer, we offer a focused, in-person consultation. You get expert direction the same day, no waiting weeks for a full design process to kick off, and no paying for services you don't need.
For hosts and investors, that consultation model is a cost saver: you're not paying design firm overhead for a drawn-out process. You get a clear, prioritized plan you can act on immediately, whether that's implementing it yourself, handing it to a contractor, or bringing us back for done-for-you sourcing and styling. Many hosts recoup the cost of a consultation many times over just by avoiding one or two expensive furniture or layout mistakes.
THE ESSENTIALS
STR DESIGN CONSULTATION
$349 | UP TO 90 MINUTES
A focused walkthrough to get your rental's design fundamentals. This session covers the core decisions that shape how the space looks, functions, and photographs ideal for a refresh or a first pass.
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Furniture layout and sizing recommendations
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Color direction and basic finish selections
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General styling guidance for a cohesive look
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Photo-direction tips to help your listing stand out
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Logistics guidance to help you move forward with confidence
You'll end with expert advice, simplified next steps,
and a renewed sense of direction.
$649 | UP TO THREE HOURS
Our most popular option for hosts who want real depth, not just a quick pass. Up to three hours, this session walks through your rental room by room, giving you a detailed, room-specific design plan rather than a high-level overview.
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Room-by-room verbal design plan— we talk, you record
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Detailed furniture and sizing guidance for each space
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Finish and styling direction tailored room by room
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Photo-readiness and layout refinement throughout the property
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Everything from Essentials, taken to a much deeper level
DEEP DIVE
STR DESIGN SESSION
COMPREHENSIVE DESIGN + MARKETING
INTERIOR DESIGN SESSION
$1,200 | UP TO 5 HOURS
A five-hour, whole-property session built for larger short-term rentals or properties undergoing renovation. This is the level where design and remodeling planning come together — with the option to add marketing strategy for hosts who want it.
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Full room-by-room design plan for larger or multi-room properties
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Renovation-ready selections: hardware, flooring, paint, and trim
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Ideal for hosts renovating a property before it goes live as a rental
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Optional marketing add-on: website/listing SEO, photography guidance, and a competitive review of comparable STRs in your market
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The most complete option
Why Twin Cities Hosts Work With Happy Place Interiors
- Our design team holds home staging expertise alongside full interior design training —
a combination most designers don't offer.
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Led by a designer with a background in advertising, branding, and marketing (including web and SEO strategy) — so design decisions are made with booking conversion and market positioning in mind, not just aesthetics
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Locally and nationally recognized: Star Tribune Minnesota's Best (2026 Bronze, 2023 Silver), three consecutive RESA National Top 10 Redesigner of the Year awards - Featured by Better Homes & Gardens, Consumer Reports, Axios, KARE11, Family Handyman, Apartment Therapy, and Midwest Home
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Deep familiarity with the Twin Cities STR market across Minneapolis, St. Paul, Twin Cities Metro and across Minnesota.
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Over 160 five star Google reviews
Short Term Rental Design In Stillwater, MN
An 1870s Stillwater home, renovated top to bottom without losing its heritage. We guided the overall design direction: flooring, kitchen style, materials, wallpaper, tile, even exterior siding, lighting, and door style. Now a fully renovated, ADA-accessible short-term rental steps from Main Street.
FAQ ABOUT HAPPY PLACE INTERIORS SHORT TERM RENTAL DESIGN SERVICES
01
Do you design for Airbnb, VRBO, and other short-term rental platforms?
Yes. Our design approach works across all short-term rental platforms, since the core goals of strong listing photos, durability, and guest experience apply regardless of where the property is listed.
02
How is Airbnb design different from staging a home to sell?
Home staging designs for a single, fast sale to one buyer. Short-term rental design has to perform on repeat, for hundreds of different guests, while still standing out in a crowded search page — so material durability and repeat-guest appeal matter in ways they don't for staging.
03
What's the difference between your Essentials, Deep Dive, and Comprehensive consultations?
Essentials covers layout, furniture placement, and photo-readiness. Deep Dive adds detailed room-by-room furniture and finish direction plus a sourcing list. Comprehensive is for larger properties, more details and/or a hosting strategy session, a competitive review of nearby rentals, and a brief website and listing SEO review — ideal for hosts who want design and market strategy handled together.
04
Does your design help my rental pass a city inspection or meet occupancy requirements?
While licensing and inspections are handled separately by the city, our layout planning is done with legal occupancy and sleeping-space requirements in mind from the start, so your furniture plan supports your licensing process.
05
Do you design lake cabins and vacation properties outside the Twin Cities metro?
Yes — while we're based in Minneapolis, we also work with hosts on Minnesota lake and cabin properties. Cabin rentals have their own design considerations, from seasonal durability to a different guest expectation around style. Trip charge for in person visits may apply.
06
How do I design a rental that works in Minnesota's winter and summer seasons?
Twin Cities rentals need to perform in both a Minnesota winter and a Minnesota summer — from cozy, warm styling and durable entryway design for snow and salt, to bright, functional spaces guests want in the summer months. We factor seasonal durability and year-round appeal into every design recommendation.
07
Can you help design a duplex or multi-unit property for short-term rental?
Yes, we work with single-family homes, duplexes, and multi-unit properties. Each unit is designed individually with its own layout and guest-flow considerations, even when style is coordinated across the property. With units of this size, a 5 hour comprehensive Design Session is recommended.
08
Will updating the design of my existing Airbnb actually help increase bookings?
Design changes that improve photo quality, guest experience, and listing differentiation can meaningfully affect how a listing performs in search and guest decision-making, though we can't guarantee specific booking or revenue outcomes. Our staging and marketing background is specifically aimed at making those improvements as effective as possible.
09
Do you offer virtual consultations for STR design?
Yes! We have been doing Virtual Interior Design Consultations since spring of 2020. Because of the many years of experience, our designers are able to work very well with virtual consultations.
10
Do you offer full service, planning, purchasing and installation of furnishings?
We offer the verbal planning with you and the styling services. We leave the purchasing of furnishings to you. However, in some cases, we can offer you a Designer Discount for furniture and accessories. Once you have all the items, we can come back and style the space to be picture perfect.