How much does it cost to furnish a one-bedroom Airbnb in Cape Town?
- Liesa Jossel, owner: Home Stagers Cape Town
- Jul 28
- 3 min read
I recently finished furnishing a client’s one-bedroom Airbnb in Century City. This apartment overlooks one of Century City's human-made dams. There are tall palm trees, ducks and gorgeous landscaping. When the sky is blue, you get a glimpse of the sea in the distance and Table Mountain. You'll see later how an apartment's surroundings influence my design decisions.
Then, I consider who your target market is. Century City is one of Cape Town's biggest conferencing hubs with many guests coming for work and sometimes for extended business stays. They often rent a one-bedroom airbnb and need a proper desk.
Lastly, because we’re in South Africa, it’s wonderful to include some of our incredible crafts.
Here are some photos of the empty apartment.
The finished apartment photos show how my initial analysis of the surroundings and target market are expressed in the design.
The rug depicts a muted landscape in charcoal, black and soft greys. The bright green cushions echo the palm trees, while the green theme continues with upholstered dining chairs and a round rug beneath the dining table. A generous black leather sofa is genuinely comfortable. Woven baskets and wooden horns on the walls give a nod to African design.
In the bedroom, the curved wooden headboard was crafted by a Johannesburg artisan company. The large desk is sturdy and is also by a South African company. A faux fur throw, king-size bed and oversized pillows add a little luxury.
So, what did it cost to furnish this one-bedroom apartment in Cape Town for short-term rental?
The total came to a bit over R200 000.
When I mention figures like this to a prospective client, some have a little heart attack. That’s because they’re thinking purely about the big furniture pieces. In reality, those pieces are only one part of the budget.
Here's where the money goes.
Appliances (decent no frost fridge, washing machine, microwave, TV): around R30 000
Kitchen equipment, crockery, cutlery, cookware and all the endless items required by the managing agent's inventory. Clients are often amazed that pots, vegetable peelers and kitchen utensils can add up so quickly, but once you include a Nespresso machine, iron, vacuum cleaner, laundry basket and dozens of other essentials, R30 000 disappears remarkably fast. The list has more than 40 items.
Delivery charges from suppliers. Nobody tells you this bit. Every supplier charges for delivery, and when you're buying from 15-20 suppliers from all over the country, those fees mount up surprisingly quickly. So, around R10 000
Installation and styling: two full days with a three-person team, assembling furniture, hanging artwork, unpacking an entire kitchen, waiting for deliveries, dressing beds, styling shelves and removing mountains of cardboard and packaging to the recycling depot. It’s not at all like furnishing your own home, where you buy pieces incrementally over a long period. Airbnb projects need a handyman as these days, a lot of furniture comes flat pack and has to be assembled by someone with a DIY brain.
Furniture: Around 50-60 pieces of furniture and soft furnishings go into an apartment. Seems unbelievable, right? But just the bed has 4 pillows, 4 pillow protectors, a mattress protector, a duvet, a bed wrap, a throw or two, and two scatter cushions, a headboard – and the bed! That’s 16 items (Management companies usually provide the actual linen). And that excludes the rest of what goes into a bedroom. So, this is the bulk of the spend.
Design, sourcing and project management fees (20%). Those are my fees for measuring the apartment, interactions with the client and managing agent, creating a mood board, sourcing every item, placing orders, making payments, tracking deliveries and maintaining a spreadsheet with more than 100 line items from over 20 suppliers.
Could you furnish a one-bedroom Airbnb for less?
Of course.
You could furnish a one-bedroom apartment for considerably less if you do all the work yourself and bought poor quality, cheap furniture. Yes, there’s no such thing good quality, cheap furniture. But Airbnbs work incredibly hard. Guests wheel suitcases into them every few days. Dining chairs get dragged across floors. People put their feet on the sofa. Mattresses need to stay comfortable after hundreds of nights' sleep. Cheap furniture often needs replacing long before you've earned back the money you thought you'd saved.
Spending more on a decorator who know what durable, well-made furniture is, is a better investment. Your apartment will photograph better, attract more guests, have long-lasting furniture, and ultimately aid your return on investment.
