Everyone wants to turn a house into a home, but there’s no exact blueprint for it. People react to spaces in different ways. You can admire a grand, traditional house from the outside, then step inside and feel like you’ve entered a formal sitting room.
Some homes look great in photos and check every design box, yet something about them falls flat. You can’t always put your finger on it, but it’s there. You don’t relax. You don’t settle in. You sense the room, but you don’t connect with it.
Airbnb guests are particularly attuned to this. The second they walk in, they’re forming an opinion. If the space feels cold, disconnected, or sterile, it won’t matter how spotless it is or how many amenities you’ve listed. The reviews will reflect the vibe.
Most of the time, that “off” feeling comes from a handful of design choices. And after working on homes and STRs at every price point, I’ve seen some recurring mishaps.
In this post, I’m sharing the seven signs that tell your home or Airbnb is drifting into a cold, impersonal zone, and what you can do to bring warmth and comfort back into the room.
A home isn’t a puzzle to solve or a shopping list to complete. It’s an expression of how you want to live. If the physical space doesn’t line up with that idea, no amount of furniture or décor will make it feel like home.
These are the signs I look for when a space needs a reset:
Neutrals are timeless. But when a room leans too heavily into gray, beige, or stark white without contrast or texture, it starts to feel washed out.
One or two richer elements can break up the monotony and help the space feel more grounded. Try layering in materials like linen, leather, or boucle. Add warmth with camel tones, black accents, or darker woods. It doesn’t take much to shift the mood.
A beautifully decorated space can still feel uninviting if the light is too bright, too cold, or coming from one overhead source.
I always design with layered lighting in mind. You want a mix of ambient (ceiling), task (lamps, sconces), and accent (candles, uplights, mood lighting). Swap in soft white bulbs, add dimmers if you can, and turn off the overheads once in a while. You’ll see the difference instantly.
A too-small sofa, a wobbly chair, or a coffee table that’s barely big enough to hold a book can throw off the entire energy of a room.
I notice this most when people buy furniture too quickly. The pieces technically fit, but they don’t relate in scale, style, or purpose.
What I always suggest is starting with one solid anchor piece (usually the couch) and building around it. I like to bring in a proper coffee table (nothing tiny or flimsy) and a rug to tie the entire seating area together. These three elements alone can shift the whole vibe of a room.
And yes, this applies to rentals too. I always try to mix in a few vintage finds, a couple of curated décor pieces, or something designer-sourced to keep the space from feeling bland. In STRs especially, I put comfort, quality, and style on the same level.
A room can have every “right” piece and still feel strangely empty when it doesn’t say anything about who lives there or what the space is meant to be.
Some walls technically have art, but it’s the same generic hotel-room stuff you’ve seen a hundred times. There’s no character or story behind it.
Your rooms should hint at your personality or the experience you want guests to have. Without it, the space blends in with every other lookalike living room or bedroom they’ve scrolled past.
Try decorating your space with local art, meaningful objects, vintage finds, or something picked up during travel. For STRs, this is huge for creating a boutique experience.
There is such a thing as being too minimal. While it’s a great antidote to clutter and overconsumption, stripping your space down to the bare basics can leave it feeling a little lifeless.
You don’t need to load every sofa or bed with pillows and blankets. Try adding a rug with texture, a layered quilt on the bed, or a lamp with a warm glow instead of one harsh overhead light. These small changes signal that this is a space meant to be lived in.
Also, if you’re hosting an STR, cozy elements show up beautifully in pictures and make your listing look more inviting.
I can usually tell right away when a room doesn’t have a color plan. It’s not that anything looks bad: it’s just that nothing connects. The rug doesn’t talk to the pillows, the art doesn’t relate to the furniture, and the whole thing ends up feeling kind of random.
On the other side of the spectrum, I’ve also seen rooms that lean so far into beige or gray that everything blends into one.
A better approach is to pick three to five cohesive tones that work with your architecture, flooring, and lighting. Repeat them throughout the room using different textures and materials. It doesn’t have to be rigid: just consistent enough to give the space direction.
Not every bad review is dramatic. The ones that say, “It was fine,” or “Looked like the photos,” are usually the most telling.
When a space leaves no impression, it gets forgettable feedback. But when people love how a place feels, they mention the cozy light, the comfortable layout, and the thoughtful design. That’s the feedback you want.
If your reviews are sounding flat, your space might be too. Luckily, a few intentional design updates can completely turn that around.
Most people want their homes to feel warm and welcoming: not just for company, but for themselves. This is where you move through every day. A warm, thoughtful space supports better sleep, smoother mornings, and more ease at home.
For short-term rentals, the same sense of warmth can keep guests coming back. People book STRs because they want a place that feels like a home. Give them that, and you’ll likely be rewarded with higher nightly rates, better reviews, and more repeat bookings.
If you want your space to draw eyes for all the right reasons, my Airbnb and short-term rental design services can help you create that “wow, I want to stay here” experience from the moment guests walk in.
You don’t need to knock down walls or splurge on a full makeover. A few quick changes can make a big difference, and you can start them right now.
Warm, soft white bulbs (around 2700K–3000K) instantly shift the atmosphere. I make this change in almost every project because it’s such a quick win. Everything looks cozier and more inviting with the right lighting.
Choose a nightstand, coffee table, or entry console and give it a little love. Add something natural (a plant or branch), sculptural (a bowl, candle, or vase), and personal (a book you love or a small keepsake). Done.
If a room feels flat, I’ll usually reach for textiles and greenery first. Drape a throw over your sofa or the end of your bed, then bring in a plant to soften the corners. Even a good faux plant can bring some life back into the space.
Think about what people see the second they walk in. A great piece of art, a mirror with presence, or a styled shelf gives the room a clear “hello, look at me” moment.
Overheads are for chores. Lamps are for living. Two or three with a warm glow can instantly make your rooms feel more lived in.
I’ve seen a lot of spaces that look great on paper but fall completely flat in person. Two projects in particular always remind me how much design can change the entire experience of a home or Short Term Rental.
The first was a gorgeous lakefront cabin with unbelievable views. Inside, though, it felt like a DMV waiting area. The harsh lighting and brown-on-brown palette made it feel like someone had finished it in a hurry and walked away.
I refreshed the entire space with soft white paint, moody accent walls, warm wood mixed with blues and rust, chunky knits, leather poufs, linen curtains, and a blend of local and custom artwork. I also created a custom evening lighting plan with warm, glowy fixtures.
The shift was immediate. Bookings climbed, and the reviews became all about the atmosphere and how “special” the place felt.
Want to see the transformation? Check out the photos.
The second project was a downtown condo with great potential but zero personality. I gave it a boutique edge using clay-toned walls, navy accents, velvet pillows, boucle chairs, linen curtains, matte-black fixtures, and layered lighting.
After the update, nightly rates increased by 30 percent, bookings tripled, and reviews called it the best Airbnb guests had ever stayed in.
Recently, I came across an Airbnb listing in Cape Coral, Florida that had everything going for it, including a screened-in pool and a fantastic layout.
Sadly, the design missed the mark completely. It had all the square footage in the world, but none of the warmth or intention that guests look for.
Here’s what I noticed:
And the pool area, the property's biggest draw, had two lounge chairs, no lighting, and nowhere to set a drink.
None of it was terrible, but it definitely wasn’t working. The whole listing felt forgettable. And that defeats the point of offering a short-term stay.
You can’t just drop furniture in a room and call it done. Design is what turns a basic rental into a space people want to return to.
Home has always mattered. But now more than ever, having a space that feels like you, or gives guests that same feeling, is important.
Plenty of homes and short-term rentals have great bones, yet they don’t leave an impression because they weren’t designed with feeling in mind. It’s rarely a lack of effort and usually a lack of direction.
If you’re ready for your space to feel more intentional, comfortable, and like you (or more like the listing guests can’t scroll past), I’d love to help you get there. Reach out today to schedule your consultation, and let’s create a space that finally feels like home or a rental guests remember long after checkout.
