It's hard to believe summer is over, but there are so many things to love about Fall and for me one of those is a renewed energy getting back into a daily rhythym. As the school schedule gets us back on a daily routine, I'm refocusing on work and personal projects, setting some new goals (personal and professional) and starting some really fun new projects as we think about wrapping up the year.
In August, we were lucky enough to spend a few weeks with family and friends at our house in Duck. It was a great time to see how the house really lives and functions day to day and it was wonderful downtime with our kids before the chaos of Fall starts - plus 3 weeks away with our college kids?! A HUGE gift we're so grateful for!
During our stay, we added a few new wall accessories, some blackout drapes in the upstairs primary, a new drop zone area in the entryway closet and string lights to all 3 porches!
We had the best time with family and friends visiting The Bluebird - we relaxed on the beach, read some great books, ate some really good food and saw some beautiful sunsets!
short-term rentals
We've had a lot more requests in the last few months for short-term rental (STR) design. When our team designs a short-term rental, we start by brainstorming who will be renting the space and we spend most of our focus (and funds) on durability, overall aesthetic and comfort.
Furniture needs to be more durable than you think to handle renters. And as much as we want things to be durable, we also want whatever we select to fit into the design aesthetic we're trying to achieve. It's important that design aesthetic flows through the spaces seamlessly – from the kitchen to the living spaces to the bedrooms and even the bathrooms – to create a balanced, cohesive look and feel.
And comfort is key with any STR. Ideally, your renters will want to come back again and again. And if the bed they slept in is uncomfortable, they're probably not going to want to come again – no one wants a bad night's sleep!
Short-term rentals (STR) design doesn't have to be complicated or expensive, but it should be thoughtful and intentional – you want the biggest bang for your buck and you want renters coming back again and spreading the word!
We offer STR design through our hourly design services and now we're excited to offer a new service for those not renovating or redesigning their rental but want to identify some simple tricks to elevate the overall look and feel of the home.
The STR Strategy Session is intended to help owners maximize their earning potential with a customized plan to keep on hand and implement as your time and budget allows.
The STR Strategy Session is a flat fee of $495. Additional design time can be added at an hourly rate for a more detailed plan. You can book a quick 15-minute consultation call to see if it's a good fit.
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These are some of our favorite home, design & personal finds that are sometimes super random -- but always a fan favorite.
This duffel bag is the perfect dance bag for my teen daughter and makes a fantastic gym or overnight bag.
These screw-in felt pads are a game changer especially for protecting your floors in an STR. We discovered these as we worked on our beach house and have since replaced the felt pads (that always come off!) in our own home with these. Best $12 spent!
And my favorite for the month -- the fridge deodorizer. I'm not really sure how it works but it works!
This Fall we're excited about some really fun projects – a budget-friendly bathroom refresh, a first floor revamp, a teen girl's bedroom, a fun home office, a quick primary bedroom refresh and a really fun STR project in one of our favorite places is in the works…so stay tuned!
Last week, we checked in on a few fun projects that took a pause over the summer and they're looking fabulous! Stay tuned on social media to see more updates on these (and more).
We're excited to be using Calendly this Fall to help us manage design meetings - for now we're primarily using it for the initial design consultation but if we find it's working well (and so far it is), we'll keep using it for our design meetings to make it easier for everyone to schedule meetings.
As always, thank you for supporting my small business!
xo, dana
PS - FloDesk has been super helpful for my business and I'm happy to share 50% off for a year for your small business if you're interested. If you have questions – let me know!
