Tips on Wall hangings or artwork in the living room for STR

Member since 2023 · 5 posts · 1 vote

Are there any tips or suggestions for choosing wall hangings or artwork for a living room in a short term rental property? I want to create a welcoming and visually appealing space for guests. As far as I concern, the living room is one of the most important place for STR as it gives the first impression- and maybe last impression too- to tenants. Can you tell me more about the decor in the space.

Are there any wall hangings or artwork in the living room?
Are there any particular styles or types of wall hangings or artwork that are especially suitable for this type of setting, or any factors I should keep in mind when making my selections? I would like it to be a bit modern, maybe something abstract or simplistic?

Thank you for their time and help!

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Brett Deas

CO · Member since 2022 · 590 posts · 428 votes

I would definitely find a LOCAL designer, but think about why people come to your property? I go to Austin almost every year for the F1 race and if you find a lot of people are coming for races maybe throw in some cool pictures of the track or racing pics. Are you close to downtown? maybe add a decorative map or skyline photo. Basically what I am saying is find out why people are coming to your area and leverage that.

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Dave StokleyBusiness Member
Property Manager · Cleveland, OH · Member since 2015 · 705 posts · 799 votes
3y
Hire an interior designer. It'll save you tons of time and you'll get a great product. 100% worth the investment.
1 Reply
Trish Mccoy
Real Estate Agent · Grass Valley, CA · Member since 2017 · 185 posts · 198 votes
3y
I would choose something that fits the local area - or colorful is always a good choice.
0 Reply
John UnderwoodPro Member
Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes
3y
Look at other tip rentals and copy stuff they have.
This is the easiest way to go for a certain look.
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Leslie Anne Morris
Real Estate Agent · Smoky Mountains, TN · Member since 2022 · 1k+ posts · 984 votes
3y
I would review what your competitors are doing, make the style cater to the area. For example, in my cabins we have bear decor and stuff that says y'all LOL.
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Bruce WoodruffPro Member
Contractor/Investor/Consultant · San Diego / Phoenix · Member since 2021 · 12k+ posts · 15k+ votes
3y
I went to local thrift stores and found original art for Cheep $$. Them I made frames out of spare wood...made them rustic - beat 'em and burnt 'em. Great unique look and goes with any decor.
1 Reply
Brett Deas
CO · Member since 2022 · 590 posts · 428 votes
3y
I would definitely find a LOCAL designer, but think about why people come to your property? I go to Austin almost every year for the F1 race and if you find a lot of people are coming for races maybe throw in some cool pictures of the track or racing pics. Are you close to downtown? maybe add a decorative map or skyline photo. Basically what I am saying is find out why people are coming to your area and leverage that.
4 Reply
Jon Martin
Member since 2022 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
3y
As mentioned, make the decor fit the place. Beach and maritime themed decorations if near the ocean, moutainy stuff in the mountains, spurs and horse shoes in the southwest/desert, etc. At fineartamerica.com it's easy to search for prints by location, so you can feature skyline or local landmark photos. I like Acrylic prints because they not only look great, but they take the hassle out of finding a frame and are easy to hang and clean.

I have an STR that will be going public in the next few weeks in Greenville SC that has a rich industrial textile history, and the house is very close to one of the newly renovated mills and a secondary/mini downtown area. From Etsy and Ebay I bought some old gears, a large socket, pressure gauge, and other old industrial stuff that I will place on walls and on floating shelves, in addition to the types of prints I mentioned above. None of my competition seems to theme nearly as much and their calendars faired OK in the late fall/early winter months, so I think I'll do alright . . . . Time will tell!
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Bruce WoodruffPro Member
Contractor/Investor/Consultant · San Diego / Phoenix · Member since 2021 · 12k+ posts · 15k+ votes
3y
Quote from @Brett Deas:

Are you close to downtown? maybe add a decorative map or skyline photo.

I like this idea!
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Mona Lisa Harrison
Real Estate Consultant · Greenville, SC · Member since 2015 · 45 posts · 35 votes
3y
I was upfitting a STR for client and we wanted it to 'speak to ' Greenville. I found some awesome vintage and more recent hi res photos of the Greenville area online at the Library of Congress. Who knew?
Copyright free too! I downloaded. Had them printed at Walgreens and framed them.
They ( The LOC) also have lots of old maps of everywhere.
Warning: It's a rabbit hole that may extract many hours of your time...
4 Reply
Michael BaumPro Member
Olympia, WA · Member since 2016 · 8k+ posts · 7k+ votes
3y
Ours features some blown up photos from various photographers that I knew and they are all over the house. Then we just added fun smaller items that we found all over the place. Many for zero cost.
Example of living room
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Jon Martin
Member since 2022 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
3y
@Mona Lisa Harrison wow that's quite a collection! I found some good stuff here https://ncmilltown.web.unc.edu...
A lot of these photos are from a few buildings I can see from my place and I am peppering them throughout. The investor activity in this corner of Greenville is wild, I somehow managed to throw myself into the gorilla pen.
Great Shoeless Joe collection here: http://www.blackbetsy.com/phot...
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Eliott Elias
Investor · Austin, TX · Member since 2021 · 9k+ posts · 5k+ votes
3y
All up to you and your taste, be creative and make it your own. People like weird stuff here in Austin.
1 Reply
Yongming Huang
Specialist · Galveston, TX · Member since 2018 · 13 posts · 14 votes
3y
Uniqueness is becoming more and more important in this business. I'd say Etsy is a great place to find something unique. Just search, for example, "canvas wall art" and you will find some pretty darn good ones. There will be over 2 million results actually. So if you know what type of art (modern abstract, minimalism, watercolor, impressionism, etc) you want, add that to the keywords and it'll narrow it down.
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Toni Escuder
Interior Decorator · Charlotte NC · Member since 2022 · 48 posts · 32 votes
3y
Art and wall hangings are critical to the overall appearance of a room. You need to bring the eye up by creating vertical design with art or window treatments otherwise the room feels bottom-heavy. The biggest thing with art is to make sure the scale is correct. If you have a large space like a living room, make sure to go up to a pretty big size if sourcing a singular piece or plan for a series of framed prints.
Pick a design theme (subject and color) and that will help you find inspiration while you're out shopping.
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Bryan S.
Member since 2011 · 92 posts · 40 votes
3y
Home goods and Facebook marketplace work great. With HomeGoods you could buy a couple pieces, then if you don’t like it can return it.
And fiverr.com / upwork can find interior designers for cheap for ideas.
Pinterest is great for ideas as well
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Alyssa Alayvilla
Investor · Las Vegas, NV · Member since 2019 · 45 posts · 11 votes
3y
Hi David!
I'm Alyssa, and I own Design Haus Interiors. Like others mentioned, I would highly suggest reviewing WHY people are attracted to your location and what is making them travel. Uniqueness is a HUGE factor when designing short term rentals and will make a huge impact on if travelers decide to book your listing or not.
I highly recommend mixing old with new - you don't need to buy everything new. Definitely utilize Offerup, Facebook Marketplace etc to save on budget.
I'd be happy to discuss your project further if interested!
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Sara Gilbert
Member since 2025 · 2 posts · 0 votes
1y
In my opinion, a great and budget-friendly solution can be to use your own photos, watercolors, or even calendar pages in stylish frames — it’s both personalized and atmospheric. Another option is to find something sensual with a bright character. Once, at WiliArt Store, I came across works with a pleasant texture and pastel colors — they easily enlivened the room, but did not distract attention.
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