Whether your Airbnb is a long or short-term rental, it must have a well-designed living room that’s welcoming, spacious, cozy, and equipped with all the necessary fixtures and furniture.
In this post, we will discuss 18 ideas for enhancing your Airbnb’s living room to attract more bookings. Let’s get started!
Key Takeaways
Adding a stone accent wall, handcrafted furniture, house plants, unique antiques, and an exotic rug can dramatically improve the look and feel of your Airbnb’s living room.
Additionally, you can make the living room more appealing by painting the ceiling and fireplace, adding a skylight, setting up a gallery wall and vacation souvenir display, and embracing an open concept.
Airbnb Living Room Ideas That’ll Enhance the Space
Embrace an Open Concept
An open space is a comfortable space, and this truth can’t be overlooked when you’re setting up your living room.
Whether the space is small or large, it’s important that you only furnish it with necessary furniture pieces and a handful of auxiliary fixtures.
What’s essential? Well, virtually every living room has a sofa with throw pillows, an area rug, a cushioned armchair, a coffee table, end tables, and light fixtures.
Many will argue that a TV is essential as well, but we’ve found that many Airbnb vacation rentals do just fine without a living room TV.
However, if you want guests to feel at home, mount a midsize TV to the wall or purchase an entertainment center statement piece capable of supporting a large TV.
Additionally, wall art can make the space more stylish, but we’ll discuss this more in the following sections.
Consider a Stone Accent Wall
For years, Airbnb interior design specialists have been raving about stone accent walls—and for good reason!
A properly constructed stone wall can accentuate a fireplace, contrast the surrounding wall colors, and make the space seem more luxurious.
What stone is best for a stone accent wall? You can’t go wrong with granite, limestone, or sandstone. That said, it’s best to pick a stone that’ll complement the overall decor.
Let’s say your living room floor is made of rich hardwood. If the walls are a shade that complements the floor’s color, and the stone accent wall’s color is strikingly darker, your living room will resemble the interior of a rustic, mountain-top ski resort.
Lastly, if you’re planning on putting wall-mounted lights on either side of the wall—which we recommend—make sure the metal finish works well with the stone. Additionally, make sure the stone’s appeal doesn’t diminish when the lights are turned up.
Add Handcrafted Furniture
Even if the furniture wasn’t made by hand, you should decorate your Airbnb with handcrafted furniture, as most guests find these pieces charming.
A handcrafted coffee table, for example, can add a touch of uniqueness and demonstrate that you care about the details.
Of course, the furniture will have to work with the surrounding decor, otherwise it’ll stick out like a sore thumb.
If you’re unsure of which pieces to include, get in touch with an experienced interior designer who has a proven track record. Their decor ideas will help you create a space loved by all.
Lay an Exotic Rug
If your goal is to have the best Airbnb in the neighborhood, focus on the elements that’ll help it stand out. For example, a unique, exotic rug that’s easy on the eyes and soft on the feet will thoroughly wow your guests.
You can’t go wrong with a delicate, Persian rug that boasts a stunning design. Laying such a rug in the middle of the living room floor ensures it won’t be missed.
That said, there are some important points to keep in mind regarding exotic rugs. For one, if your rug gets dirty, it’ll distract from other appealing elements. Moreover, if it’s in a spot that gets a lot of sun throughout the day, it may fade and become a shell of its former self.
Finally, choosing the right rug for your living room is essential. If it’s a small space, go with a rug that takes up no more than a quarter of the available space. Also, make sure it doesn’t clash with nearby colors and designs.
Add Plants
Every good vacation rental property has greenery both indoors and outdoors, and the right plants help create a serene environment, whether they’re fake or real.
You see, indoor plants help to create a cozy atmosphere and greatly enhance an Airbnb theme.
For example, if you have a beachside Airbnb that’s themed accordingly, potted seagrass and hanging ferns should be placed strategically in your living room.
Similarly, if you wish to make your Airbnb a sanctuary in the desert, small cacti, succulents, and desert flowers should be placed on tables and window sills.
And if you don’t know much about houseplants, get design tips from a professional Airbnb interior designer. They’ll know which plants work with your Airbnb theme and style your space accordingly.
Gallery Wall
These days, popular destinations throughout the world have many Airbnb, which means an Airbnb host needs unique decor to distinguish their listing from other Airbnb properties.
This is where a gallery wall comes in. A gallery wall can display conventional and unconventional art, decorative household items, or pieces that tie in with the home’s theme.
Let’s go back to our beachfront Airbnb example. A gallery wall that boasts an assortment of unique shells, beach-themed paintings or photographs, and vintage beach toys would be perfect!
Utilize Antiques
Unique antiques will add flare and demonstrate that you have an eye for beautiful furniture.
Hundred-year-old end tables, chandeliers from the 1800s, vintage fixtures—they’ll all make your Airbnb stand out!
That said, you need to be careful, as some antiques are hard to complement. But an interior designer will know which antiques help guests feel right at home!
Also, if an antique is in rough shape, it’s best to keep it out of the living room, as it could send the wrong message.
Paint Your Fireplace
If you have a working fireplace in your living room, but it doesn’t pop on a visual level, consider painting it.
Yes, some interior design experts advise against this, but we’ve found that painted fireplaces add character and distinguish even the most basic spaces.
Plus, there are so many design ideas on sites like Pinterest and Google Images, so it shouldn’t take long to find a design style that works well.
For example, if your Airbnb design is sleek and modern, a white- or black-brick fireplace will look spectacular, especially if the screen is brass, iron, or stainless steel.
Just make sure you use a paint that has a high heat tolerance, otherwise, your warm and inviting fireplace will turn into a peeling disaster.
Display Vacation Souvenirs
This is one of our favorite décor ideas. Why? Because it adds just the right amount of personal touch and helps guests feel at home while staying at your property.
The display doesn’t have to be large or fancy; a simple shelf with 5-10 souvenirs is fine!
Whether it’s above the couch, next to a picture window, or in between two light fixtures, a vacation souvenir display will enhance your property’s uniqueness and demonstrate that you’re a well-traveled host who understands the power of souvenirs that come from far-off places.
Add a Skylight
Installing a skylight in your living room is a good move, especially if you want to let more natural light in. Plus, it’ll boost the ambiance and accentuate other elements.
However, this upgrade can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $2,500, depending on the skylight you choose and other factors.
If you install a skylight, you should put the sofa directly under it so guests can look up and see the stars at night.
Also, it should be easy to clean, otherwise it’ll get dirty and eventually reduce the space’s overall appeal.
Lastly, a skylight can illuminate the room’s centerpiece on sunny days, so think about adding one if your coffee table is never without vibrant wildflowers.
Add Stencil Designs
Instead of putting up expensive wallpaper, get 2-3 stencils so you can create a unique accent wall for an affordable price.
For example, if your Airbnb has a rustic cabin theme, try flower, tree, and woodland animal stencils. If your property overlooks a bustling city, skyscrapers and other city-themed stencils will work well.
Or you could use the stencils to cut out holes in the curtains, but this requires skill and is easy to mess up.
Forget Bookcase Uniformity
If you have a beautiful, antique bookcase, put it in the living room to create an air of elegance and sophistication.
Some of the books should be upright while others should be flat. This arrangement will make the bookcase more visually appealing.
Finally, if there’s room, place a potted plant on the flat stack. The plant’s color should complement the bookcase. Also, it should be long-lasting and easy to maintain.
Hang a Large Mirror
Hanging a large mirror in the living room serves two purposes. First, it’ll reflect and amplify natural light, which means you won’t have to have the lights on during the day.
Second, it can be used as a final-check mirror. What’s a final-check mirror? Well, we all want to look our best before we venture out into the world, but having to go to the nearest bathroom or bedroom to confirm our appearance can be a hassle.
Also, a strategically placed mirror can make a space seem more open, so consider this if your Airbnb’s living room is on the smaller side.
Display Vintage China
If you inherited China from a loved one but rarely use it, display it in your Airbnb living room so guests can see you have a taste for the finer things.
Best of all, you don’t need an elaborate China cabinet to pull this off. A decorative tea set, some plates (upright), and a bowl or two on a simple shelf.
Note: The china should be dusted regularly, otherwise it’ll stand out for the wrong reasons.
Paint the Ceiling
A white ceiling is standard in most living rooms, but a colorful ceiling may be what you need to create an inviting space.
It’s best to go with a color that complements the surrounding walls, otherwise the space will look disjointed.
And if you want the ceiling to be an attention-grabber, consider painting over stencils so the ceiling has a unique design.
One of the design trends we’ve been seeing more of is a sky-inspired ceiling. You put a coat of light blue paint on the ceiling before adding a cloud. It looks fabulous when done right!
Organize Electronics
If your living room is home to several electronic devices, they need to be organized, otherwise, guests won’t take advantage of them.
To ensure first-rate organization, start by unplugging and removing everything from your entertainment center. Then reinsert devices one by one. The large devices should go in before the smaller ones.
Remember: solid organization is often what keeps expensive devices in good working order.
Take Advantage of Storage Space
Finally, utilizing available storage space is the key to avoiding clutter. However, you need to make sure all your cabinets and drawers are labeled, otherwise guests may not be able to find what they’re looking for.
Of course, some items, like TVs and air conditioner remotes, should be out in the open, but most things should be out of sight.
Final Thoughts
If you’d like the living room of your vacation rental to stand out, consider adding unique antiques, a vacation-souvenir display, a skylight, a large mirror, houseplants, a gallery wall, an exotic rug, a stone accent wall, handcrafted furniture, and a gallery wall.
Also, taking advantage of storage space, embracing an open concept, utilizing a variety of shades, and painting the fireplace and ceiling will elevate the living space so it’s more appealing to a wide variety of guests.
