The 7 Sins of Airbnb Decor That Could Be Hurting You

There’s no way to sugar coat it – these following Airbnb decor mistakes are making you lose bookings.

You may think, after reading this list, that these seem minor and petty, but keep in mind that today’s guests are looking to stay in places that have a WOW factor, or at least looks very nicely put together, no matter what their budget is.

The good news is that it’s not too difficult to fix these decor sins with the following suggestions:

1. Swan Towels on the Bed

These are a big NO-NO. It comes across tacky and surely wastes your time putting it together.

Try this instead: There’s really no reason to leave towels on the bed. Your guest is not expecting to find it there so it doesn’t need to be the focus of your bedroom listing photo.

2. Yellow Walls

Yellow is a happy color. But too much of a good thing is bad.

Try this instead: People don’t want to stay in a sunflower house. So using yellow for your walls is really all about moderation. Try it as an accent wall or if your painting entire rooms, try these shades to create a more calming space.

Yellow goes very nicely with dark warm wood tones so try to choose furnishings that will complement your walls. Here are some more muted yellow shades that could work:

3. Poor Lighting

Dark or poorly lit photos do not make for an appealing listing, especially if reviews indicate they are actually dark in real life as well.

Try this: Make sure your rooms are well lit and remember to include ambiance lighting (floor/table lamps) around your property, especially around the tv area, where it’s better to watch with lights on the side of the tv rather than a fully lit room.

4. Red Anything

Don’t get me wrong, red is a great color. Unfortunately, it doesn’t photograph well and can make your space look outdated.

Try this instead: If you want to add some red color try more muted shades, or choose artwork that has some red in it and add some patterned decorative throw pillows to balance it out (remember it shouldn’t be a solid red pillow). Remember red is tricky and can make a space feel uncomfortable.

5. Art Placement and Sizing

Hanging art too high or low, or having art that is too small or big for the area/furniture can make your space look out of proportion.

Try this instead: If you aren’t sure best to stick with one large piece of art.

6. Window Treatments

Printed curtains can often look tacky, especially if they are in bright colors/patterns as they are competing with all the other elements of the space. Hanging at the wrong height and curtains at wrong length can completely ruin a beautiful space.

Try this instead: Curtains should be ceiling to floor length and be hung as high as possible to ceiling.

7. Having Zero Personality

Lastly, while you do want to appeal to a wide variety of guests, this doesn’t mean your listing should be just a boring case of shades of grey or beige.

Try this instead: Think of creating an instagrammable element, check out these ideas here.

Affiliate Disclaimer: These products contain Affiliate links. If you buy through these links I will receive a small commission (at no extra cost for you) and you get to create beautiful spaces that will attract more guests.