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.
You're about to hand a design firm your furniture budget and your listing's first impression. Before you book the free Somerled Designs consultation, here's what the company publishes, what it doesn't, and where clients have left reviews.
Short answer: Somerled Designs is a Utah-based short-term rental design firm founded in 2022 by Bri West and Jordan McDonough. It sells strategy-led design as Virtual Design (4-5 weeks) or with Project Management (6-7 more weeks). It doesn't publish prices, and its Google listing showed 5.0 stars in October 2026.
Key takeaways:
- Somerled designs only short-term rentals and reports more than 1,500 projects across all 50 states.
- Prices aren't published. Payment terms are: 50/50 split, 3% off for paying in full, or financing.
- Full-service projects include contractor oversight, on-site installation, staging and photoshoot direction.
- Its revenue-lift figures are company-reported, and its own pages quote both 30-50% and an average of 35%.
- Funkit's public timelines are 3-4 weeks for virtual design and 4-8 weeks for white-glove installation.
What is Somerled Designs, and who runs it?
Somerled Designs is a design firm that works only on short-term rentals, built on the idea that market research comes before any furniture choice. Its site describes the approach as "strategy-led STR design."
The About page names two co-founders. Bri West comes from investing and marketing, and Jordan McDonough brings the design side. On the Hospitable Hosts podcast, Bri explains the firm started when she asked Jordan, a college friend, to design her own rentals and other investors asked for the same help.
A March 2026 press release dates the founding to 2022 and says the team grew from 43 to 136 people during 2025. Its contact page lists an office in Alpine, Utah, though the company calls itself a distributed, remote-first studio.
Naming note: Somerled is also a 12th-century Scottish lord and a furniture model, and Google Maps lists the firm as plain "Somerled". Searching for somerled airbnb work? Add "designs".
What services does Somerled offer?
Somerled sells two levels: Virtual Design, where you get the plan and install it yourself, and Project Management, where its team runs everything through the photoshoot. Both start with the same market research.
The Work With Us page lays out nine steps:
- Market research and strategy.
- Kickoff: scope, budget and timeline.
- Experiential design.
- Handoff: design boards, room renderings, layouts and sourcing.
- Ordering and delivery tracking.
- Contractor oversight.
- On-site installation by a designer and project manager.
- Staging.
- Photoshoot direction.
Steps 5 to 9 belong to Project Management. Somerled also does property branding (251 projects in 2025, per the press release) and sells curated Wayfair, Custom Neon and Sage & Rose collections in its shop.
How much does Somerled Designs cost?
Somerled Designs pricing isn't published on its website as of October 2026. Its FAQ says budgets depend on property size, scope and finishes, and that a recommended range comes during the consultation.
What the FAQ does publish, as of October 2026:
- Payment options: 50% upfront and 50% at completion, or pay 100% upfront for a 3% discount, or finance through Intuit QuickBooks.
- Timeline: strategy and design take 4-5 weeks; Project Management adds 6-7 weeks.
- Furniture: in-stock items only, expected at the property within three weeks.
- Regions: Project Management in the U.S.; Virtual Design worldwide.
Some competing furnishing companies publish estimates of Somerled's fees. We couldn't match them to anything Somerled publishes, so we left them out. Ask for a written quote that separates design, project management and furniture.
Where has Somerled worked? Portfolio and markets
Somerled says it has worked in all 50 states, and its portfolio is organized around seven regions: Broken Bow, Phoenix/Scottsdale, Texas, Florida, the Smoky Mountains, the Poconos and Nashville. The 2025 press release names Broken Bow, the Poconos and the Florida Panhandle as top markets and couples retreats as the most-requested category.
Portfolio pages show revenue and nightly rate figures. The Living in La La Land page, a Fort Lauderdale home, describes its revenue as projected and its comparison as sourced from AirDNA data. Check whether each figure is projected or actual before comparing.
What do public reviews say about Somerled?
Public review coverage is thin outside Somerled's own site. Here's what we found for somerled designs reviews in October 2026:
- Google: the Somerled listing on Google Maps showed a 5.0 rating. The review count wasn't visible in the view we loaded.
- Trustpilot: no company page loaded at trustpilot.com/review/somerleddesigns.com.
- BBB: a BBB search returned no results.
- Houzz, Yelp and Reddit: these blocked our requests, so we can't say what they contain.
- BiggerPockets: a 2023 forum reply from a real estate consultant recommended the firm for design boards or full setup.
The testimonials on Somerled's homepage are picked by the company and mostly credit its buy lists, room mockups and time saved. Ask for two references from projects in your market.
Why does your choice of design firm matter?
The firm you pick sets your furniture budget, your launch date and the photos guests judge you by. A plan that misses your guest costs money twice: once to buy it, again to fix it.
It also decides how much work lands on you. With a virtual plan, you or a local crew receive and place every item. A managed project hands that to the firm. Our guide to the hidden cost of designing your Airbnb yourself covers what owners underestimate.
Who is Somerled best for, and who should look elsewhere?
Somerled fits owners who want research and a defined guest profile before design, with one team running contractors, installation and the photoshoot. It also suits investors building several properties who want branding.
Look elsewhere, or compare carefully, if:
- You need a guest-ready property in under ten weeks with full installation, given the published 4-5 plus 6-7 week timeline.
- You want to know the fee before a call. Somerled doesn't publish one.
- You only need a few rooms refreshed, not a full strategy and design project.
When should you hire a firm like Somerled?
Hire a strategy-led design firm between an accepted offer and closing, or when a running listing keeps losing to comps that photograph better.
Work backwards from the season you bought for. At the published 10-12 weeks, a managed Somerled project needs to start by early spring to open for summer. Somerled also repositions existing rentals.
Somerled pros and cons
Somerled is a specialist with a managed option. The trade-offs are pricing transparency and how results are reported.
Pros:
- Works only on short-term rentals, with research and a guest profile before design.
- One team can run contractors, installation, staging and the photoshoot.
- Large reported volume: 615 STR designs in 2025 alone, per the press release.
- Flexible payment terms, including financing, and in-stock-only sourcing.
Cons:
- No published pricing, so you can't compare cost before a call.
- Revenue-lift claims are company-reported, with two different figures on its own pages, and some case figures are projections.
- The full managed timeline runs longer than a virtual plan.
How does Somerled compare with Funkit?
Both firms design only short-term rentals and work nationwide. The real differences are timelines and what comes after launch.
What we see in Funkit projects: The big fork for most owners is who does the installation, so we sell two packages built around that choice. Virtual clients get 30 days of support for questions and substitutions, and every Funkit client gets free listing setup and optimization at launch.
- Coverage: Somerled reports work in all 50 states, with Project Management in the U.S. only. Funkit works with clients in all 50 states.
- Virtual option: Somerled Virtual Design takes 4-5 weeks. Funkit Virtual Design typically takes 3-4 weeks.
- Full service: Somerled adds 6-7 weeks of Project Management. Funkit's White-Glove Install Service runs 4-8 weeks to guest-ready.
- After launch: Somerled includes photoshoot direction in Project Management. Funkit gives virtual clients 30 days of support and all clients free listing setup and optimization.
- Pricing: neither firm publishes fees on its website; both quote after a call.
What are the alternatives to Somerled?
The main alternatives are other STR design firms, a local interior designer, or doing it yourself with a furnishing package.
Compare any shortlist on scope, who installs, total timeline and support after launch.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Somerled Designs charge?
Somerled doesn't publish its fees. As of October 2026, its FAQ says it gives a recommended budget range during the free consultation. It offers a 50/50 payment split, a 3% discount for paying in full, or financing through Intuit QuickBooks. Ask for a written quote separating design, management and furniture.
Are Somerled Designs reviews good?
Somerled's Google Maps listing showed a 5.0 rating in October 2026, though the review count wasn't visible to us. We found no Trustpilot page and no BBB listing. Most public praise sits in testimonials the company chose, so ask for references from projects in your market.
Is Somerled worth it?
It can be if you want market research, design and a fully managed install handled by one team. It's a weaker fit if you need a fast launch or want to see pricing before a call. Compare written scopes and timelines from at least two firms first.
What are the best alternatives to Somerled?
Other short-term rental design firms, including Funkit, offer virtual and full-installation options with different timelines. A local designer suits a single-room refresh, and a furnishing package suits owners who mainly need furniture delivered.
Want a listing that stands out in your market?
You're comparing firms because you want a property guests pick first. Book a Funkit discovery call and we'll walk through your market, your timeline and which package fits.
Rob Abasolo, Co-founder of Funkit Interiors and short-term rental investor.
