Retro Chic, Thrift-forward Airbnb Transformation in Austin, TX

Check out my first full design project outside my home, teaming up with Jera Foster-Fell aka @Jera.Bean; influencer, founder of the Social Media Saloon and TikTok trend expert to design an Airbnb that leans into secondhand sourcing and vintage style.

Let’s see that glow-up

Check out the gallery for the full before & after tour!

Transforming an Austin fixer-upper into a vintage chic Airbnb

In May 2021, Jera Foster-Fell, Social Media Coach & founder of The Social Media Saloon, and her husband Aaron — set out on the challenge of turning an Austin, TX fixer-upper into a chic Airbnb in one month. Jera asked for my help putting the Mid-century Millennial touch on the Santa Rita Casita seeking a bold color palette, vintage details with a design that would set this rental apart.

Living Room: before

The original real estate listing photos feature bulky furniture in this galley-style living room that made the room feel limited in layout options. But with a little vision and a bold color palette, we set out to get the most out of the space.

Living Room: after

During our first walkthrough of the space, we both felt that the living room and entry would be our most important room to design. We wanted the space to have a retro vintage-inspired vibe but still feel fresh and new.

Designing around the door

When considering layouts, there was only one good option for T.V. placement. With the T.V. requiring at the very least a minimal console, we planned furniture to keep the entry clear and functional.

Picture perfect solution

Jera met the design challenge by asking her contractor to design a shelf-style floating console to conserve space. For the TV, she chose a Samsung Frame T.V. to feel more like art when guests are first greeted and provide a functional space for guests to gather and watch T.V. as an option.

Secondhand style

Both Jera and I love shopping vintage goods for our own homes. To find affordable, unique, high-quality pieces and pivoting away from fast furniture trends, we focused on sourcing the main pieces secondhand. We leveraged local Austin vintage shops, thrifts, antique malls, estate sales and resellers on Instagram. This stunning red couch from BOLDVINTG anchors the room and was one of the first pieces purchased.

Make a statement

Statement lamps do the heavy lifting for living room side tables, this 1970s yellow lamp from Austin Antique Mall vendor, @greenfuzzvintage has a unique raised floral pattern that could just as easily be a piece of art.

Local flavorites

I’m a girl who googles “food” when I get to a new city, so having restaurant and local recommendations at the ready is key for an Airbnb. We included a favorite: Widsam Field Guide: Austin and a tribute to a few local ATX food bloggers, Koko’s Guide to Austin featuring @atasteofkoko favorites, and Austin Food Crawls featuring @somuchlifeblog curated favorites.

Sound style

A vinyl wall and record player is a really affordable way to add vintage-inspired functionality and design element to a space. Costing no more than simple art prints without needing frames, you can use ledges to display and swap out records easily.

Texas tunes

Most modern, suitcase record players, like this Crosley velvet console play both records and connect to bluetooth for guest convenience. We picked records that didn’t just fit our design vibe, but also offered the sounds of Texas artists including Leon Bridges, Kacey Musgraves, David Ramirez and Midland.

When in doubt, swag lamp it out

One of my most common pieces of design advice is to incorporate swag lamps for supplementary light sources, creating more of a mood in a space, and in cases like this, defining a design feature like the record wall. Jera fell in love with this 70s spaghetti lamp from Facebook Marketplace and scooped it up, knowing it could spice up the living room lighting.

Bar cart basics

It’s likely that you wouldn’t supply booze on an Airbnb bar cart, but there are endless options for styling themed bar carts. For this local vintage Stampworthy Goods tiled bar cart, we added The Tequila Dictionary, cactus margharita glasses, Clay Imports Frida coasters, and a thrifted shaker/juicer.

Bedroom uno: before

We had three bedrooms to work with, this bedroom at the front of the house boasted the most light but no closet.

Bedroom uno: after

Vacation rental experts agree that comfortable, well-appointed beds are key for the guest experience. Splurging on Bed Threads 100% Flax Linen duvet covers for all the bedrooms, we stuck with a tight color palette across the rooms with Turmeric, Rosewater and Pink Clay. All the colors worked well together, making it easier to source design elements for all three bedrooms at the same time giving us flexibility to fit items to different room needs.

Playing in the palette

Styling with books can make it easy to lean into either style or substance. This bubblegum-themed photography book easily coordinated with other books to make a bedside vignette. My go-to for book styling is Half-price books in the photography and home sections or thrift stores.

Howdy'da score that?

My initial vision board for Jera included several bright, retro-inspired prints from Society6 as more affordable, customizable art options for various spaces. The thrift gods were feeling extra generous when two of these prints, framed, magically showed up at my local Salvation Army for $11.99 each.

Four walls and...nope, that's it.

This room required a plan for addressing the lack of closet space.

Hanging out

Without a closet, this bedroom needed an option for guests to hang clothes and store their personal items. We went with a standing rack that also provides luggage storage. We sprinkled vintage items throughout the Airbnb to add character to otherwise purely functional spaces — like this 1960s flower power suitcase.

Bathroom: before

When Jera and Aaron bought the house, they knew that there were some key upgrades to the bones of the house that would make a huge impact on the guest experience — the bathroom and the kitchen.

Bathroom: after

I can’t take any credit for the sleek choices and radical transformation of this space.

Bedroom dos: before

The smallest bedroom with only one real layout option.

Bedroom dos: after

Despite being the smallest of the three bedrooms, we leveraged the best layout to host a queen bed without feeling cramped.

Cure for boredom

Even though this Airbnb sits in East Austin where there is plenty to do, some of my favorite vacation memories are the downtime moments spent with friends and family in our rentals. We wanted a throwback to a past where board games filled the gaps in the day — another very easy-to-find, affordable item to find at thrift stores. We picked up extra furniture like this wicker cart without a clear plan at first - paying $25 at Salvation on their half-off furniture Saturday sale.

Trendy AF puzzles

You can find this amazing kitschy Piecework puzzle places like Anthropologie for $30+ or you can try your luck at Goodwill - where I consistently find un-opened puzzles in the game section for a few bucks.

Bedroom tres: before

The largest bedroom at the rear of the house gave us more flexibility to add functional features beyond a comfortable place to sleep.

Bedroom tres: after

Whether catching up on work or needing an additional place to do your makeup when the bathroom is occupied - we wanted to provide a desk option.

Work hard, play hard

Especially now that remote jobs are becoming widely accepted - we can work anywhere. Given there’s wifi, and even better if there’s a dedicated desk area.

Get your kicks

This cowboy boot print originally from Society6 screams Austin, TX and “having a good time” — so I was pleasantly surprised to find the framed large-scale art print at Salvation Army for $11.99.

Styled shots

The first time I ever met Jera in person was coincidentally at her first estate sale in Austin with Estate Services of Austin where I was buying a hoard of 60s and 70s clothing and she was picking up a few vintage cameras for styling.

Friday Night (reading) Lights

This room ended up getting many of our more southwest-inspired design elements. Beyond providing stylish substance for the bedside tables, we also wanted to provide books that would transport guests even further into Texas during their stay. For an even more immersive experience, swing by the real Dillon High School from the TV-series Friday Night Lights in Pflugerville.

Intentional knick-knacks

All homes need some knick-knacks for shelf and table styling. We wanted to strike a balance that felt intentionally styled, yet clean and minimal. Sourcing items for this purpose can be hard to find because you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for - but you have the flexibility to pick up playful thrifted items like this glass bull.

Kitchen: before

Like the bathroom, Jera and Aaron targeted the kitchen for a complete update to provide guests a comfortable, modern cooking experience.

Kitchen: after

To accentuate the already bright kitchen space, Jera and Aaron went with open shelving that could accommodate more than enough provisions needed for up to 6 guests staying at the Airbnb at one time. This open format makes it easy for guests to find what they need quickly, and allows dishware/glassware to serve as decor.

Kitchen: before

Appliances, countertops, and cabinets all required an overhaul to brighten up the open kitchen.

Playful pink

Especially for an Airbnb, you can be a bit bolder with design choices. The key elements of the kitchen are upgraded and neutral, but the pink cabinets and details throughout set it apart from every other neutral, modern kitchen.

Thrift list: vintage crystal candleholders

Thrift stores are littered with cheap, vintage crystal and clear glass design elements. These can make great bases for any design scheme — in our case by adding colorful candlesticks to the dining table.

Hospitality first

If there’s one thing I hate when i’m traveling, it’s a rental that doesn’t have everything I need to make a cup of coffee or a on-the-go breakfast. The kitchen was updated and styled minimally, to keep the functional purposes central and providing tools for a home-like experience.

Vintage finishing touches

Keeping most of the dishware simple, vintage items are sprinkled in to add retro flair without compromising a clean, cohesive feel. We thrifted vessels - like this vintage pyrex jar for storing easy-access items like Keurig cups.

A touch of glass

Do we need all this glassware? Probably not. Is a vintage glassware display a great way to add a vintage design touch to a kitchen? Yes.

Backyard: before

The backyard needed some help with heavy lifting thanks to a zero-scaping effort for easy ongoing upkeep.

Backyard: after

Surprisingly comfortable and offering a little vintage-inspired flair, Acapulco chairs make a great option for casual lounging. For outdoor entertainment, I’m more of a croquet gal, but I don’t think that’s a widely shared view — so there’s some cornhole for the rest of you yahoos.

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How’d we do? Let me know what you think in the comments. If we missed something you think is critical in an Airbnb, there’s still time even if the house is available to book now!

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#JERBNB