AIR BNB & SHORT TERM RENTAL DESIGN
IN MINNEAPOLIS AND TWIN CITIES METRO
Design that gets booked, gets 5-star reviews, and survives real 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 St. Louis Park 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 Isn't the Same as
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
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, Edina, Bloomington, Mendota Heights, and St. Louis Park
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Over 160 five star Google reviews
