Here's a little about me...
I’ve been working in the field of design in one capacity or another for over 15 years.
Since I was a little girl, I’ve always been acutely aware of and affected by my immediate surroundings. I remember spending an entire weekend once when I was 12 painting and styling a new bookshelf in my bedroom. I became obsessed, adding and taking away different things, and I loved the improvement it made to the entire room once I was done.
I love manipulating my surroundings, and the feelings that doing so evokes. I truly believe that our physical environments can directly affect our health and overall happiness.
Creating beautiful spaces that flow well and work for those who dwell there is one of my favorite things to do.
Let's back up a little bit.
My design career has taken so many twists and crazy turns over the last decade or so, in part because I married a (very brilliant) business professor named Matthew.
I'm one of the lucky ones. He is my best friend and an amazing life partner. But because he's so brilliant, we've moved frequently in our 10 years together, to ultimately settle in Cambridge, England where Matthew has landed a tenured professorship.
Before we moved to England, I started a design firm called Quill Decor in the small mid-western town where we lived. I was fortunate to land an awesome Airbnb design project, that I was able to film an e-course in before we leapt the pond.
In the midst of our cross-continental move I wrote and filmed the course that's on my site now. I poured my heart and soul into it and it's one of the hardest things I've ever done. But I believe in the course I built. I believe in the message and I believe it can be an invaluable tool to those who want to learn design skills related to short term rentals.
Turns out I LOVE teaching and in particular on the topic of Short-Term Rental Design. I feel like I've landed exactly where I'm supposed to be, and I'm so glad you're here.
I'm on a mission...
My goal is to help you maximize the return on your investment, and to make it easier for you to make the plethora of decisions involved with getting your Short-Term Rental up and running. Stick around. I have knowledge and experience to pass along to YOU so that YOUR temporary rental can be a show-stopping success.
Why I'm qualified to teach you
My husband and I had the wonderful experience of owning and running our own Airbnb. We LOVED everything about it, from the extra money we made (and used to travel with) to finding ways to go above and beyond for the pleasure of our guests.
After realizing how much I LOVED hosting and how under-addressed short-term rental design was, I began to focus my business on short-term rental design exclusively. From there we...
- Filmed a Course - Design Your BNB I filmed this course inside of a 3-bedroom Airbnb home I designed as a case study. In this house, I teach the way I layer my design process into the design of a rental specifically, and guide my course students on how to easily do the same. (To learn more, click here.)
- Completed designs for dozens of STR properties Designing a rental is a special skill. It isn't quite the same as designing a home interior, as it is a specific type of hospitality focused design.
- Became a Published Author - Hospitable Hosts You are the company you keep. I have had the amazing honor and privilege to work on a STR best-selling book with some of the industry's best and wisest individuals. Outside of this book I am constantly striving to absorb knowledge about this ever-changing industry so that I may pass along my knowledge to my course students and blog readers, as well as apply this knowledge to my own properties.
In addition to the short-term rental design experience, I have also completed commercial design projects for assisted living facilities, high-rise condo buildings, and higher education spaces. I have a 4 year bachelors degree in Interior Design from Auburn University, and a variety of experience in the design field since graduating in 2005.
FAVE HOBBY:
needle felting
KIDS NAMES:
Annabelle & Isla
CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT:
coffee & my best girlfriends
SUPER POWER:
decluttering cabinets
MISSED CALLING:
Broadway musical star
FAVE PODCAST:
Glennon Doyle's 'We Can do Hard Things'
WHERE TO NEXT?
Take
Our 5 Minute Style Quiz
It's always best to have a clear understanding about the design style you're hoping to follow for your rental. Take our FREE Style quiz formulated especially for Short Term Rentals to jump start your creativity!
Watch
The Free Design Class
In this class you'll learn 5 expert strategies for attracting the BEST guests to your rental at the HIGHEST nightly rate. You'll walk away being able to apply my best trade secrets to your rental!
Learn
About Quill's E-course
If you'd like a complete road map to decorating and designing your rental, plus hands on help from Val along the way, click here to learn more about joining Design Your BNB!
Grab our FREE shopping list of all the Amenities your STR must have!
We've done all the list making and careful on-line review reading for you, so you can easily stock your BNB and get on with your other to do lists!
I RESPECT YOUR PRIVACY. NO. SPAM. EVER
