Go ahead and scroll Airbnb or short-term rental listings for a minute.
I'll bet that you’ll start to notice a pattern.
Soft neutrals. Safe palettes. Clean, inoffensive styling.
Most of it looks… well, nice.
Yet, how much of it do you remember?
And that’s the problem.
There’s nothing wrong with a “nice” space. It’s what we expect of any listing.
But clean, cohesive and pleasant interiors are the minimum requirement now, especially in the highly competitive short-term rental market. If your space isn’t at the very least “nice”, you’re already out of the running. Design directly impacts bookings.
“Nice” is no longer what gets you booked, it’s what gets you considered.
Neutral design has become the go-to because it feels safe. It offends no one. It photographs well. It ticks the boxes. But when every space is built on the same logic, neutral stops feeling intentional and starts becoming invisible.
The issue isn’t the palette, it’s the lack of contrast, feature, or point of view.
Without that, your space doesn’t stand out, it dissolves into the feed.
Why You Don’t Remember “Nice”
This isn’t about taste. It’s about perception.
We remember things that give us something to hold onto.
- Contrast creates clarity
- Unexpected moments create interest
- Hierarchy tells the eye where to land
When spaces are just “nice”, nothing leads. Nothing anchors. Nothing lingers.
It’s visually quiet, but not in a deliberate, calming way, rather in a forgettable way.
What Actually Sticks
Think about when you scrolled through listings.
You don’t remember the tenth beige living room.
You remember the one with the striking feature wall, the unexpected colour in the kitchen.
or the slightly offbeat detail that made you pause.
I’m not saying that it has to be “scream-at-you” loud, but it does have to be distinct.
Because people are drawn to what they remember.
Designing for Recall, Not Approval
This is where most spaces get stuck.
They’re designed to avoid mistakes.
To be safe and to make sure no one has a negative reaction.
But in doing that, they also remove the possibility of a strong positive one.
The goal shouldn’t be to just to make a space look “nice”. It should be to make your guests feel like they’ve stepped into something unique and distinct.
Not chaotic. Not overdone.
Just intentional enough to leave an impression.
A Simple Shift That Changes Everything
If you take one thing from this, let it be this:
Stop playing it safe and trying to just make the whole space “nice.” Start by creating one moment in each space that’s memorable.
- A bold material choice
- A strong contrast in colour
- A focal point that actually leads the room
You don’t need over-the-top, you just need something your eye can’t skip past.
The Reality
“Nice” won’t hurt your listing.
But it won’t help it stand out either.
Because in a sea of “nice,” the Airbnb spaces that stand out and get chosen are the ones that are clear, distinct, and just a little bit unexpected.
Nice is safe.
Memorable is booked.
0 comments