Published by Funkit Interiors, a competing short-term rental design firm. We've kept this guide factual and linked every claim to a public source.
Hiring the wrong STR designer costs you twice: once in fees, and again in furniture you replace a year later. If Ishita Interiors is on your shortlist, here's what the public record says before you book a call.
Short answer: Ishita Interiors is a short-term rental design firm based in Asheville, North Carolina, led by architect Ishita Lalan and her husband Harshad. It offers virtual design nationwide and full-service installs in select markets. As of October 2026 it publishes no prices, and we found no third-party review profiles beyond its own testimonials.
Key takeaways:
- Ishita Lalan has hosted and designed STRs since 2019, and the couple owns about 10 short-term rentals of their own.
- Services run from virtual design to full-service installs, landscape design and value-add remodels.
- Pricing isn't published; the FAQ says solutions are tailored to each project, with a typical lead time of 2 to 4 weeks to kickoff.
- On-site work is concentrated around Asheville, the Florida Panhandle and Tennessee. Virtual design covers the rest of the US.
- Funkit offers virtual design in 3 to 4 weeks and white-glove installs in 4 to 8 weeks, in all 50 states.
What is Ishita Interiors, and who is behind it?
Ishita Interiors is a US design studio that works only on short-term rentals and boutique hospitality. Its LinkedIn page (2026) lists its headquarters in Asheville, North Carolina.
The firm is run by Ishita Lalan, who also goes by Ishita Nagda Lalan, and her husband Harshad. Their About page says Ishita grew up in Mumbai and worked in film set design, while Harshad came from aerospace and systems engineering. In a 2025 Minoan interview, she said they've hosted and designed STRs since 2019 and run a separate management and co-hosting company, 5 Seasons Homestays.
One naming note. Searching for Ishita interior design also turns up unrelated businesses in India, such as Ishita Interior Designer, a residential and office interiors provider in Patna. This guide covers only the US short-term rental firm at ishitainteriors.com.
What services does the firm offer, and how does its process work?
The homepage (2026) lists four services: virtual design, full-service design, value-add remodel and outdoor design, and consultations with installs. You can buy a plan and run the project yourself, or hand over the whole job.
The published process runs in five steps:
- Discovery call: goals, guest profile and fit.
- Consultation and property analysis: market comps, amenities and layout.
- Design and development: space planning, mood boards and furniture selections.
- Procurement and project management: purchasing, vendors and delivery tracking.
- Installation, styling and setup: a guest-ready, photo-ready property.
A 2026 Radical Hospitality write-up says new clients start with a 90-minute consultation, half of it market research using sources like AirDNA. The same piece describes a team of 30 designers working on about 20 projects at a time, with every mood board reviewed by Ishita.
How much does Ishita Interiors cost?
Ishita Interiors pricing isn't published as of November 2026, though its intake survey suggests budgeting $15 to $20 per square foot for furnishing, excluding renovation, labor and amenities. Its FAQ says the firm tailors solutions to each project, doesn't state a minimum fee, and takes refreshes and small-scope work as well as large designs.
What the site does say is useful for scoping. Lead time is typically 2 to 4 weeks from contract to kickoff, and the team can start planning while you're under contract. The homepage also describes clients with investments from $300K to over $1.5M.
Before you sign, ask for the fee structure in writing, what the consultation costs, and whether furniture, procurement and install labor are billed separately. Our guide to what an Airbnb interior designer charges explains the common pricing models.
Where does it work, and what's in the portfolio?
Virtual design is available anywhere in the US, and on-site work runs through local teams in select markets. On the Booked Solid Show podcast (2026), Ishita said the couple owns 10 STRs of their own and named the Asheville area, the Florida Panhandle and Tennessee as her strongest in-person markets, with recent projects in Savannah and Kentucky.
The portfolio page splits work into virtual, landscape and full-service design, with projects in Shelbyville, Kentucky, Massanutten, Virginia and Sedona, Arizona. The homepage shows projected annual revenue and ADR for six projects. A separate landing page shows "actual" before-and-after gross revenue for some of the same homes, with different figures.
Project counts vary by source too: 150+ in the 2025 Minoan piece, and over 300 in an Authority Magazine interview (2025). All of these are self-reported, so ask for booking data on any project you're shown.
What do public reviews say?
Public Ishita Interiors reviews are thin outside the firm's own website. The homepage shows four named written testimonials, and a landing page adds a video testimonial section. The written ones all praise a smooth process and the firm's project management.
In our October 2026 searches, we didn't find a Google Maps listing or a Trustpilot profile for the firm. Searches for Houzz, Yelp, BBB and Reddit turned up no profile or thread either. A thin review trail proves nothing bad on its own, but it puts the weight on references, so ask for two or three past clients you can call.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Operator experience: the founders own and host their own STRs, and Ishita has an architecture background.
- Value-add capability: remodels, square-footage additions and landscape design are part of the offer.
- Data first: the FAQ says amenity decisions use AirDNA, PriceLabs and RankBreeze.
- Flexible scope: virtual design anywhere, plus refreshes and small projects.
Cons:
- No published pricing: you only learn cost after a call.
- Limited install footprint: full-service work centers on a few regions.
- Few third-party reviews: testimonials live mostly on the firm's own pages.
- Inconsistent self-reported numbers: project counts and revenue figures differ between sources.
Who is it best for, and who should look elsewhere?
Ishita Interiors fits investors planning a large or value-add project, especially in western North Carolina, the Florida Panhandle or Tennessee. It also suits owners who want design tied to construction, permits and outdoor amenities.
You should look elsewhere if you need a full install outside the firm's on-site markets, or if you want published pricing before a first call. If you only need a light refresh you can execute yourself, compare a few virtual options first.
Why does the firm matter, and when should you hire one?
The firm you hire shapes what guests see first: your listing photos. A Carnegie Mellon study of 7,711 Airbnb properties (2021) found listings with verified professional photos earned $2,521 more per year on average. The study measured photography, but what's in the frame is the designer's work.
Hire a firm between an accepted offer and closing, before you've bought anything. A running listing that keeps losing to better-looking comps is the other common trigger.
How does it compare with Funkit?
Both firms specialize in short-term rentals and offer a virtual and a full-service track. The differences are coverage, published timelines and post-launch support.
Founders: Ishita Interiors is led by Ishita Lalan and her husband Harshad. Funkit was founded by Bridgette Whitney, Blue Delgado and Rob Abasolo.
Services: Ishita Interiors offers virtual, full-service, value-add remodel, outdoor design and consultations. Funkit offers Virtual Design and a White-Glove Install Service.
Install coverage: Ishita Interiors installs in select markets through local teams. Funkit works with clients in all 50 states, virtual or full-service.
Timeline: Ishita Interiors publishes 2 to 4 weeks from contract to kickoff. Funkit publishes 3 to 4 weeks for virtual design and 4 to 8 weeks to guest-ready for white-glove.
Pricing: neither firm publishes prices on its website.
What we see in Funkit projects: Launch support is where hands-on owners get stuck, so every Funkit client gets free listing setup and optimization, and virtual clients get a 30-day support period. Our homepage portfolio lists The Pink Pickle at a $60K investment against $120K in expected yearly revenue. That's a projection, and we label it that way.
What are the alternatives?
If Ishita Interiors isn't the right fit, compare other STR-only firms on three things: who executes the install, how fast you reach guest-ready, and what support you get after launch.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Ishita Interiors charge?
Ishita Interiors doesn't publish prices as of October 2026. Its FAQ says every project is tailored, lists no minimum fee, and notes that refreshes and small-scope projects are available. Expect cost to come up on the discovery call, so ask what's included and what's billed separately.
Are there Ishita Interiors reviews on Google or Trustpilot?
We didn't find a Google Maps listing or Trustpilot profile for the firm in October 2026. The available feedback is a set of testimonials on its own website. Ask for references from past clients with a project similar to yours, and ask to see their listing performance.
Is Ishita Interiors worth it?
It can be if you're planning a large or value-add project in one of its on-site markets and want design tied to construction and outdoor amenities. It's a harder call if you need published pricing upfront or a full install somewhere its local teams don't operate.
Who are the alternatives to Ishita Interiors?
Other STR-focused design firms include Funkit Interiors, which offers virtual design and white-glove installs in all 50 states. Compare install coverage, timeline to guest-ready and post-launch support, then book calls with two or three firms before you commit to any of them.
