Short-term rentals with an attractive design can create a more memorable experience for their guests, and get more bookings, higher revenue, and better reviews. Considering that renting vacation properties is a growing industry and new competitors are popping up every day, a fun theme can give your guests a reason to look past the other rentals and find their perfect pick in your Airbnb.
Instead of going for “just another Airbnb” look, choose one of these charming Airbnb themes that will give your vacation rental something extra.
Choosing a Theme for Your Airbnb
The theme should work along with the location of your Airbnb. For example, if you have a beach house rental, you should enhance your guests’ experience with something like a coastal theme. This will add a touch of movie-like magic to your guests’ stay. Or, if there’s a popular tourist attraction nearby (e.g. Warner Bros studio), you can go with a WB movie-inspired theme.
You should also think about your ideal guests. Do you want to attract couples? Nature-lovers? Families with kids? Pinpointing your niche can help you grab the attention of this specific type of guest.
Lastly, you should be clear about your budget. You don’t want to get carried away with doing a whole musical-inspired theme if your wallet can’t handle it.
Some themes are more affordable than others, such as those that allow you to go shopping for furniture at a flea market or raid your parents’ house for olden-golden pieces of decor. You don’t need to invest a lot to create a theme; you just need to get creative. For inspiration, you can browse through Pinterest, Instagram, and even TikTok.
Interior Design Trends
Certain interior design trends always stand out, and we want to cover the ones that repeatedly get the most attention from Airbnb guests. There are a few trends that never cease to be crowd-pleasers and when done right, they can be a magnet for bookings.
Give your rental a personalized touch with one of these popular interior design ideas.
Boho Chic – Bohemian style should incorporate colorful, carefree, and creative decor. You can combine different colors, patterns, and textures, and if you like shopping for vintage or second-hand items, you’ll be right at home with this style.
Industrial – This is a very trendy interior design style that is characterized by highlighting architectural materials (e.g. a brick wall, beams, etc.), metal and wooden furniture, open space, and a neutral color palette.
Farmhouse – This is an excellent choice if your vacation rental is located in nature. You can evoke the feeling of a simpler and calmer life through rustic furniture, vintage rugs, patterned wallpaper, and floral upholstery.
Beach House / Coastal – Enhance the beach vibes at your seaside short-term rental by going for a full-on coastal interior design. Incorporate mainly beach-inspired colors (blue, white, and sandy beige), use natural fabrics such as jute, linen, and rattan, and add wall art that accentuates the coastal atmosphere.
Maximalism – This style embraces the “more is more” philosophy. It is a newer trend, but it is worth mentioning since it’s very popular, and you can get a lot of pieces for this style by thrifting. Some examples of maximalist decor are darker colors, ornate furniture, plants, bold wallpaper, contrasting fabrics, and gallery walls.
Sports & Teams
If you go with a sports theme, sports lovers from all around the globe will be drawn to your rental. You can create a perfect getaway for people who want to be surrounded by the sports spirit.
Here are a few options if you opt for a sports theme:
Olympics – Infuse the decor with the five colors of the Olympics—blue, black, red, yellow, and green. You can get furniture in these colors, or throw pillows, blankets, and other decor pieces. Embellish the walls with some memorable photos of the epic Olympics teams and you’ve got yourself an Olympic-themed Airbnb!
Basketball – Give all basketball lovers their dream vacation rental by decorating your property with basketball-inspired sheets and wall art. When it comes to the color scheme, you can stick to neutral colors such as brown, orange, and black. You can also choose a specific basketball team and decorate the property in their colors and memorabilia.
Football – Darker colors, leather furniture, and football-inspired wall art can be the perfect combination for setting up a football-themed vacation rental. If you go in this direction, get ready for an intense booking schedule during football season.
Soccer – Whether you choose a general soccer theme or you focus on a specific theme, you should mainly incorporate the color green or the colors of the soccer team you pick. Of course, you’ll need a big TV and some fun wall art (you can browse through soccer decor on Etsy).
Hockey – You can really get creative with the hockey theme as you can use hockey sticks and pucks as the main decor pieces (for example, by adding them to the wall or by getting furniture made out of them).
Movies & Pop Culture
Who doesn’t want to teleport themselves to a make-believe world of their favorite movie? Give your guests the opportunity to have a unique experience by integrating elements from their favorite movies and pop culture into your short-term rental.
Some of the popular movie choices are as follows:
Disney – Disney movies are classic and they have a huge fan base. There are so many Disney-inspired themes you can choose from, such as Toy Story, Disney Princesses, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, and so on.
Star Wars – Transport your guests to another galaxy with room decor inspired by the swamps of Dagobah, the Millennium Falcon cockpit, Cloud City, and more.
Barbie – If you want to attract bachelorette groups and families, you can consider a Barbie theme. As you might guess, pink is the dominant color, and with some fun and bright decor pieces, you’ll be able to recreate the Barbie dream house.
Rock and Roll – Rock and Roll will never go out of style, and you can bring it back to life in your rental filled with epic R’n’R records, posters of famous R’n’R bands, dark colors, leather furniture, and guitar-inspired decor.
Pirates of the Caribbean – Combine a family-friendly fun and pirate-infused vibe with a Pirates of the Caribbean theme. Throw in some skulls and crossbones, pirate flags, fishing net, ship figurines, and maybe even a hammock, and you’ll be all set.
Friends (the TV Show) – As one of the most iconic TV shows of all time, the Friends series has a very passionate fan base who would book a Friends-themed vacation rental in a heartbeat. You can recreate in your own unique way the Central Perk Cafe or Monica and Rachel’s apartment (don’t forget the purple door) for that Friends touch.
Game of Thrones – If your property already has a stone and wooden structure and a fireplace, you have the perfect opportunity for creating an impressive Game of Thrones-themed rental space. If you’re open to creative ideas, you can even decorate different rooms to present the different houses of Westeros.
National Parks
A national park theme can be very subtle, and it can attract nature lovers from all around. This can be especially effective if your rental is located in an area near a certain national park, so you can prolong the vacationers’ experience by welcoming them in a national-park-inspired Airbnb.
This type of rental should have a rustic feel, and you can immerse the guests even more in nature with plants and photographs from national parks.
You can draw inspiration from the colors that represent a certain national park, for example:
Yellowstone National Park – Use blue, green, yellow, and orange colors.
Grand Canyon – Try to focus on brown and orange design.
Glacier National Park – Mix greens and blues to bring out that Glacier National Park ambiance.
Redwood National Park – Think green leaves and rich reds like the trunks of these magnificent trees.
Decades
Who would say no to some time-traveling? If there are any enthusiasts of the decades that have passed, they will rush to book your Airbnb if you evoke one of these time periods:
1920s –The roaring twenties were famous for glitz and glamor, so go with art-deco style motifs, golden decor pieces, tassels on cushions and lighting, and patterned wallpaper.
60’s – Put together a ’60s Airbnb look by painting the walls in bright colors and using boldly contrasting colors for furniture. Don’t forget to add a few graphic art prints.
70’s – It’s all about fun, flowers, and peace signs if you want your rental to take your guests back to the ’70s. We suggest using bold geometric shapes, large bright flowers, and colorful paisleys as the main motifs.
80’s – Add some classic ’80s pieces, such as vintage games, bright-colored and round-shaped furniture, radios, and clear acrylic accent pieces to turn your rental into disco heaven.
90’s – ’90s interiors were fun, free, and eclectic (and marked by the ubiquitous bedroom wall posters). What’s great about the ’90s theme is that you can get your hands on loads of furniture and decor from that decade as it wasn’t that long ago (maybe you still have some in your garage!).
Animals
Animal-themed Airbnbs are for animal lovers who want to find their sanctuary in a rental that brings them even closer to their favorite type of furry friend. These Airbnb themes can work well for families with kids.
Consider these options for an animal-inspired Airbnb theme:
Dogs – The accent pieces can be fun, dog-patterned wallpapers and wall decor, and you can combine that with a sleek and minimalistic style of furniture.
Cats – To set up a purr-fect Airbnb that will earn cat-egorically positive reviews (pardon the pun; we couldn’t resist), you’ll need cozy and fuzzy furniture with cat-featured pillows, blankets, wall art, and/or sheets.
Farm Animals – Bring to life the farm life with farm-animals-inspired decor, rustic pieces, and wooden furniture.
Jungle / Safari – Bring the exotic nature of a safari straight to your vacation rental with natural colors, leopard and zebra prints, exotic plants, and framed professionally-photographed images of safari animals.
Other Airbnb Theme Ideas
There are many incredible Airbnb theme ideas that we can’t categorize that easily, so we’ve listed our favorites here:
- Superheroes
- Arabian Nights
- Wild West
- Space
- Literary-Themed Getaway
- Victorian Era
- Glamping
- Famous Artists (Van Gogh, Dali, Monet, etc.)
- Under the Sea
- Stranger Things
- Haunted House
- Games (for example, have a Pac-Man room, Jumanji-themed movie theater, etc.)
- Botanical Paradise
- Mancave
- Hip-Hop
- Las Vegas
- Scandinavian Style
- Grandmillennial (a combination of ‘grandparent’ and ‘millennial’ styles)
- College-Themed
- Japan-Inspired
- Tropical
- Railway-Themed
- Dracula’s Castle
- The Flintstones
- Music Festival-Inspired
Final Thoughts
Sometimes guests want more than just a place to sleep—they want a one-of-a-kind experience that will turn into a lasting memory. Transform your vacation rental into a must-visit destination by opting for one of these fun and memorable Airbnb themes.
