Ash&Alder, an Asheville Airbnb with boutique hotel vibes

Ash&Alder is a short-term rental in Asheville, NC, redesigned by Sukkha Interior Design, an Asheville-based interior design studio specializing in Airbnb/short-term rental and tiny home design. The owner asked for boutique hotel vibes, so we repainted the whole house, turned the garage into a speakeasy, built a hot tub deck and gave every bedroom its own color.

Location: Asheville, NC

Property: Airbnb / short-term rental

Scope: full interior refresh, garage conversion, backyard deck

Package: Full-Service Design

Timeline: 12 weeks

The brief

"Boutique hotel vibes."

That was it, and honestly it's a great brief. It means a guest should walk in and feel like they checked into somewhere with a point of view. Not somebody's spare house with a lockbox.

What wasn't working

The house was dated in all the usual ways: tired paint, tired cabinets, builder-basic light fixtures. The backyard had several levels and not one of them was big enough for a chair. And the garage was just a garage, which in an Airbnb is a room you're paying for that guests never see.

What we did

Paint, everywhere

We painted the entire interior, including the kitchen cabinets and the bathroom vanity, then added a new backsplash and swapped every light fixture. Paint and lighting do more heavy lifting in a listing than almost anything else, and nobody has to knock down a wall.

The garage became a speakeasy

Moody dark blue walls, vintage furniture, antique mirrors. It's the room I'd put first in the listing photos, and it started life as a place to park a car.

A backyard you can actually use

This was one of the biggest investments and transformations. Instead of fighting the levels, we built a deck to even them out, with easy access to the hot tub. Now the yard is somewhere you want to be at night instead of something you look at through a window.

Every bedroom gets its own color

Each bedroom has its own color and personality. That's the boutique hotel trick: every room feels a little different, so it never reads like three copies of the same beige room.

The result

Ten weeks from start to finish, and Ash&Alder booked within hours of going live and was a 5-star favorite within 10 days.

My take

"Boutique hotel" doesn't mean expensive. It means every room made a decision. The speakeasy is one of my favorite things I've designed in a while, and it's a good reminder to look at the room you've written off before you add square footage.

FAQ

Can you turn a garage into guest space in an Airbnb?

Usually, but check your city or county zoning and short-term rental rules before you start, especially if the space will count as a bedroom. A lounge, bar or game room tends to be simpler than a sleeping space, and it can become the room guests remember.

What does "boutique hotel style" mean for an Airbnb?

It means the place has a clear personality and every room feels considered. Think bold color, good lighting, a few vintage pieces and one surprise space, instead of matching furniture sets and safe gray walls.

How long does a full Airbnb redesign take?

It depends on the scope, but Ash&Alder went from dated to booked in 12 weeks with Full-Service Design: paint, lighting, a garage conversion, a new deck and furnishing every room. Smaller refreshes can move faster.

Do you design Airbnbs in Asheville in person?

Yes. Sukkha is based in Asheville and works in person around Western North Carolina, on projects like the Black Mountain Bungalow and Utah Mountain in Waynesville, and virtually with clients everywhere else.

Start your project

Got a house that's dated but has good bones? Let's figure out what it could be.