How Two Sisters Turned Their Childhood Home in Mallorca Into an Artist’s Residency and Coveted Airbnb

Claudia del Olmo and her older sister Isabella got to grow up in a richly decorated villa in Mallorca, playing in the garden and watching their mother host countless parties and dinners. "It was always really magical," she says. So much so that as adults, the sisters wanted to recreate that magic, first channeling their own gift for hosting into a dinner series in London, and ultimately reclaiming their childhood home for themselves, transforming it into an events space, artist's residency, and Airbnb property called Casa Balandra.
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Tour “The Bae,” A 250 Square-Foot Airbnb Whose Functions Are Hidden in Its Walls

In 2017, Tasmanian architects Alex Neilsen and Liz Walsh bought a 250 square-foot apartment and rebuilt it into their vision of a perfect “micro-luxury” home. Their intent was to create something amazing enough that it could set an example for small-space living, and by renting it out on Airbnb, help open other people’s eyes to its possibilities. The apartment became “The Bae,” and guests who enter it are often nervous at first about its small footprint — but ultimately fall in love.
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Want to Travel the World Living in Airbnbs for a Year? Here’s Your Chance!

For many of us, our careers no longer require us to be chained to cities like New York and San Francisco. That means we can live out all kinds of unconventional fantasies, like buying a house in Maine, or going nomadic and changing locales with every Zoom meeting. It's in the spirit of the latter that Airbnb has launched an insanely good opportunity for those of us with the travel bug: Live Anywhere, a campaign in which 12 people will get to spend 10 months living for free in various Airbnbs, pretty much anywhere they choose. Keep reading to find out how to apply!
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Heading to New Mexico? Rent the Vintage-Furnished Ranch of a Beloved LA Fashion Designer

If the headline of this story seems to assume that you might, in fact, be heading to New Mexico soon, it’s entirely intentional — the state is again becoming a haven for a new wave of creatives. One of them is the Los Angeles fashion designer Raquel Allegra, who went to New Mexico a year and a half ago in search of real estate for a healing commune she was planning with a group of friends, but ended up buying her own sprawling 8,000 square-foot vacation home in Taos that she rents out part-time on Airbnb.
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This Mexican Modernist Masterpiece by Mario Pani Is Now a Rentable Guest House

Architect Miggi Hood, Yola Mezcal co-founder Yola Jimenez, and entrepreneur Marie Cazalaa knew they’d struck gold when — having set out to find a property in their part-time home of Mexico City that they could turn into a stylish guest house — they acquired a charismatic residence built in 1962 by the famed Mexican architect Mario Pani. The home had been in the same family since its construction and was extremely run-down; the three friends won the bid by promising to fully restore it and invite others in to experience its design and its history. They spent two years turning it into Casa Pani, which is now bookable on Airbnb.
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How This Abandoned House Became a Rentable Desert Oasis With a Painted Pool

Before it was a designer desert retreat renting for upwards of $700 a night on Airbnb, the West and Wild house in California’s Yucca Valley was a broken-down foreclosure being sold for peanuts. It caught the eye of three friends in LA who were casually scanning for properties; a mere 24 hours later, they were the proud owners of the place, and set to work transforming it. They restored and painted the swimming pool, renovated the dramatic loft area perched above the living room, gave it a gourmet kitchen, and filled it with art by the likes of Kristen Giorgi and Robbie Simon. Click through to take the tour!
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Steven Holl designer Airbnb

How This Steven Holl House Went From Architectural Showpiece to Sold-Out Weekend Getaway

The Ex of In House in Rhinebeck was designed by Steven Holl and his team as a conceptual manifesto, but he realized that as a high-end rental, it could help fund his non-profit architecture school and artist’s residency. Seasoned Airbnb host Sarah Hutchings stepped in to cozy up the house and make it amenable for overnight stays, and now she acts as a sort of architectural ambassador for its guests. We recently interviewed her about the house, its interior, and the unique experience of staying in it. See the amazing photos after the jump.
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We’re Kicking Off Mexico City Week on Sight Unseen with Our Definitive Mexico City Travel Guide

Mexico City is a major cultural capital, with a thriving design, art, and culinary scene that’s home to some of the most exciting creative talents we know. Starting today — and thanks to the generous support of Tequila Don Julio — we’re devoting five full days to spotlighting them. Welcome to Mexico City Week, which we're kicking off with Sight Unseen’s official guide to our favorite design stores, restaurants, art galleries, flea markets, and more.
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