April 21, 2026
#181 Beyond Aesthetics: Building a Cohesive STR Design Strategy for More Bookings
What if the secret to a standout short-term rental isn’t just great design, but a fully cohesive experience that starts the moment a guest clicks on your listing? Many hosts fall into the trap of thinking about design as a series of isolated choices—a sofa here, a rug there—without considering the narrative that ties it all together.
In a recent conversation, I sat down with sisters Ashlyn and Olivia, the creative powerhouses behind AbideAway, a creative studio dedicated to interior design, murals, branding, and websites for the short-term rental (STR) industry. Their mission is to create standout stays where the online branding perfectly matches the physical experience of walking through the front door.
If you want to move beyond “just a rental” and build a professional brand, you must lead with a clear STR design strategy.
Defining Your Target Guest Beyond Demographics
When starting any project, the most critical element is identifying the target guest. However, an effective STR design strategy requires you to go much deeper than basic demographics like age or income.
While knowing your guest is a mother from the Midwest with young kids is a start, it doesn’t tell you how to design for her. You must understand her psychology:
- What is she thinking about when looking at properties?
- What stresses her out about traveling with a family?
- What is she afraid of if she books the wrong property?
Designing for these unstated needs allows you to provide solutions before the guest even asks. For example, if you are targeting multi-generational families, your design should prioritize safety for children while ensuring “grandma” has a quiet bedroom located away from the noise of the playroom. By addressing these concerns in your layout and amenities, you create a natural flow that leads to better reviews.
Finding the Story of Your Property
In an industry that often prioritizes being “flashy” to gain attention, there is a powerful competitive advantage in returning to intentionality. Every property has a story, and your STR design strategy should be the medium through which that story is told.
Rather than following fleeting trends, look at the home’s architecture, its location, or even its history. A few ways to mine for inspiration include:
- Local Nuance: Instead of a generic “beach” theme, look at specific local elements like native palms or local history for a more refined “seed of inspiration”.
- The Host’s Passion: If you are an antique collector or a potter, incorporating those handmade or curated touches can make a space feel deeply personal and intentional.
- Street and Suburb History: Sometimes the name of the street or the previous life of the building (such as an old schoolhouse) provides the perfect narrative hook for your branding.
If you choose to use a theme, go all in. Dabbing in a theme halfway can backfire; instead, commit fully to making your property the definitive destination for that specific niche.
Stopping the Scroll with Custom Art
In the digital-first world of STRs, guests decide in seconds whether to click on your listing. This is where murals and custom art become strategic assets. The goal of a mural isn’t just to be “pretty”—it is to “stop the scroll”.
Custom murals allow you to pull the story of the home onto the walls in a way that feels joyful and intentional. Because these pieces are custom-designed to scale, they offer a high visual impact. For a finish that lasts, Ashlyn recommends using professional-grade products like those from Sherwin Williams to ensure the color holds up against humidity and weather.
Creative places to consider for a mural include:
- Game Rooms: A popular spot for high-energy, playful designs.
- Outdoor Amenities: Bringing pool areas or pickleball courts to life.
- Small Spaces: Hallways or bathrooms that need a “discovery” element for the guest.
Maximizing a $1,000 Design Budget
You do not always need a massive renovation budget to see a significant ROI. If you are bootstrapping your STR design strategy, focus on high-impact areas where $1,000 can go the furthest.
|
Room |
High-Impact Recommendation |
Why It Works |
|
Kitchen |
Paint cabinets and update hardware. |
Modernizes the space instantly without a full gut-job. |
|
Living Room |
Update the sofa or refresh rugs and pillows. |
These are the primary visual and comfort drivers of the room. |
|
Outdoor Space |
Add a fire pit with quality seating. |
Fire pits have become a baseline expectation for many travelers. |
Beyond physical items, consider your branding. Branding is more than just a logo; it is the “feeling” you portray through your messaging and brand patterns. If you’re feeling stuck on how to execute these ideas, remember that Ashlyn and Olivia host a monthly “Design Hotline” inside our STR Sisterhood community to help you get unstuck.
The Importance of Margin in Business
As an STR investor and CEO, it is easy to get caught in the “grind” of operations. However, creativity and strategic thinking require “margin”—the white space in your schedule where you aren’t over-committed.
When you allow yourself 20 minutes of dedicated thinking time to brainstorm solutions for your business, you often solve problems that have been lingering for months. As you grow your portfolio, remember that the most important thing is to “keep the main thing the main thing”—prioritizing your vision and intentionality over the daily noise.
By combining deep guest psychology with an intentional property story and high-impact design choices, you transform your property from a place to sleep into a professional, booked-solid brand.
Click here now to listen to the full podcast.
HIGHLIGHTS AND KEY POINTS:
[00:59] A short introduction about our guests, Ashlyn Feller and Olivia Gerber from Abideaway, and shares how the idea started organically between them as sisters with complementary creative skill sets
[04:31] Ashlyn and Olivia emphasize defining the ideal guest and starting with priorities to build a cohesive STR brand
[07:45] Olivia explains starting with the ideal guest avatar and using a phased approach to build a cohesive STR brand experience
[11:35] Olivia shares her philosophy of designing with intentionality and uncovering the story of a property
[13:27] Olivia describes ways for hosts who are bootstrapping their STR design to uncover and build the story of their property
[16:04] Ashlyn and Olivia explain when themed properties make sense and the role of data in decision-making
[17:44] Olivia shares why engaging a designer early in the acquisition process is beneficial
[18:45] Olivia and Ashlyn talk about what to consider in design before closing on a property and explain that designers can also refresh or elevate underperforming properties
[20:37] Ashlyn shares why murals are a powerful design tool for short-term rentals and describes how hosts can budget for them based on size, complexity, and customization
[24:16] Ashlyn describes her mural creation process from concept to installation, including design mockups, painting techniques, and care.
[27:26] Ashlyn shares creative ideas for placing murals in both large and smaller spaces and introduces the STR Sisterhood Design Hotline as a resource for hosts seeking design guidance
[29:21] Ashlyn and Olivia describe the STR Sisterhood Design Hotline and what folks can expect if they’ve never been to a design hotline
[32:39] Ashlyn and Olivia explain how even a modest $1,000 budget can meaningfully improve different areas of a short-term rental when spent strategically
[34:01] Ashlyn explains how to approach branding with a limited budget by focusing on defining the overall guest experience and building a cohesive brand beyond just a logo
[37:44] The lightning round
Golden Nuggets:
- “We have to go deeper and understand what that person is thinking when they’re looking at properties, what that person is thinking when they are making a booking decision, what that person is stressed out about, what they’re afraid of, what they’re concerned about if they book the wrong property, because those are the things that ideal guest is not actually telling anyone that’s a conversation he or she is having with themselves.”
- “Pull some piece of the puzzle and use that as, like a seed of inspiration.”
- “I am a huge believer that we are all in business to, not only, you know, improve our own lives. But isn’t it great that we can proactively help each other like that just makes us all go to bed at night feeling that much better, right?”
- “Build your network and build it strong.”
- “If we’re not aware, number one of things we need to tackle in our businesses, or things that may need improvement in our businesses, if we don’t dedicate focused thinking time, which is that white space, we can go for months and even years without having those problems solved or those new ideas generated.”
Connect With Our Guest:
Website : https://www.abideaway.com/
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090299230620
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/abideaway/
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