The Quill List! Featuring: Retro Luxe Sumac
May 30, 2025
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I’m so excited to introduce you to Desirae—one of the incredible students from my Design Your BNB course—whose short-term rental journey is as inspiring as the space she’s created. Desirae and her husband Russ are based in Rogers, Arkansas, where they’ve taken their shared experience in home renovation and design and poured it into their first STR, lovingly named Sumac.
When Desirae shared photos of her project with me during a Zoom call, I was immediately struck by her thoughtful design direction, her resourcefulness, and her passion for storytelling through vintage decor. I knew right then her property would be something special—and it is. Sumac is soulful, layered, and utterly one-of-a-kind, and I’m thrilled to feature it here on The Quill List.
Tell us a bit about yourselves.
We're Russ and Desirae, we live in Rogers Arkansas, originally from California and Texas. We have two sons, our oldest is 27, and our youngest is 6. Russ is a commercial construction superintendent typically working 50-60 hour weeks. I work from home on our current real estate projects, our youngest son's community homeschooling activities, and some design projects. We've lived in multiple states for Russ' career and moved to Arkansas 2.5 years ago. We love the area and take advantage of the art, music, and natural beauty around us.
How did your short-term rental journey begin?
We own a long-term rental home with acreage in Texas. We planned to live in that home but Russ' career took us out of state soon after purchasing. The Sumac home is our first STR (short-term rental) and in order to purchase the home we sold a portion of the land we own in TX. Then we immediately started looking at investment properties to buy in our area. I have experience staging and decorating homes in Los Angeles and Russ flipped homes throughout Southern California. We've completed smaller projects and larger home renovations together, including a home of our own, and a home for a family from our church. Family and friends volunteered their time and skills to help us complete those projects. We've planned to invest in both long and short-term real estate for years and decided to do so in Northwest Arkansas after falling in love with the area.
We didn't have an exact timeline but planned on placing an ADU (accessory dwelling unit) next to our personal home to use as a short-term rental and place for family and friends to stay when they visit. We moved forward with that plan soon after our town experienced multiple tornadoes on May 26th, 2024. Our home was damaged by the storms and unsafe to live in. We initially stayed with friends, then in a local STR, and currently live in a tiny home/ADU we had placed in the side yard of our damaged home. We had the ADU built quickly, and relatively inexpensively, through a manufactured home company. We'll use the tiny home as the ADU/STR when repairs are complete and we're able to move back into our home. Although chaotic and stressful in our current situation, we're using this time to renovate areas in our 1970s personal home. We're updating our kitchen and 2 bathrooms, moving the laundry room, building and updating closets, raising a portion of the ceiling, and refinishing or replacing all of our floors. Some of the projects were started before the tornadoes and we've added to our original list. The wish list can be a balancing act when the projects can be shared between your father-in-law, husband, and adult son. We are slowly making progress!
The Sumac property popped up on realtor.com a couple of months after the tornadoes. Russ and I are both signed up to get notifications for local real estate and frequently send properties to each other. The Sumac house had been listed for an hour when I sent it to Russ. We toured the property and made an offer that night and then started renovations soon after closing. Shortly after completing Sumac and renting on Airbnb to our first two guests (who left 5-star reviews βΊοΈ), we had a flood in the house, caused by a freeze in our area. The flooring needed to be replaced in most of the house due to water damage, so everything in the home had to be packed and placed in storage.
Insurance covered the cost for the replacement of the damaged floors, and we paid the difference to have the new flooring also placed in the hallway, master bedroom, and bathroom floors for visual continuity and home value. The entire process took 5 weeks, including having everything moved back in and set up for guests. It could have taken longer if any of our furniture or decor had been damaged, especially the vintage pieces which can be much more difficult to replace. We were able to include some of the lost rental income in our insurance claim which has been so important financially. Juggling multiple projects including our "tornado house", the tiny house, and Sumac was definitely not how we would have planned to do things. Our faith and a lot of prayer have led us through this journey. Despite the chaos and stress, we are grateful to have the chance to do these things.
What was your design process for this space?
The Sumac home was built in 1960. From the beginning, I planned on staying true to the mid-century era, leaning into an eclectic, vintage style with mid-century modern and cottage styles. I also used a number of modern abstract art pieces throughout. I wanted to create a home that we'd want to live in.
We had this design in mind as we did the home renovations. The checkerboard floors I decided early on. The first home I owned was built in the 1950s and had those floors. I loved them! We had help with painting most of the interior of the house white and had the checkerboard floors installed in the kitchen. We left one bedroom a pale yellow to save costs. We changed all of the light fixtures except 3 original ones, the 2 bathroom vanity lights, and the light above the kitchen sink. We took down an upper kitchen cabinet and attached soffit to open the space to the dining room. We added a new inexpensive kitchen backsplash using cement board typically used for the exterior of a home. We cut and installed it vertically, placing it on top of the old tile, then painted a green/grey and used the same color for the peninsula. We also carried that color into the master bedroom on the closet doors and bathroom vanity. The kitchen counters are the original Formica and the original cabinets were already painted white. The pink bathroom is entirely original except for the floor. Russ spent days carefully removing some of the pink bathtub wall tiles, labeling them to place back correctly, and repairing water damage behind the walls. We love that entire bathroom because it is the original 1960 design!
The decor style evolved as I found items at estate sales, thrift and antique stores, Facebook marketplace, and our own home. I've thrifted since I was young and I've staged many homes on a tight timeline. Furnishing and decorating Sumac was a fun and sometimes stressful challenge. I didn't organize all of our purchases as much as I could have but I had lists of needs with measurements and a ton of pics. I did purchase some items that we didn't end up using, and we'll either sell or use those on future projects. For me, shopping for vintage items creates a sense of urgency. I know I won't find the same items again, and it's hard to pass up a unique vintage item at a great price!
I started the Quill Design Your BNB Course as we were working on the property. Even though we had experience in designing and renovating I wanted guidance specifically for the short-term rental market. With design being a passion of mine, I chose Valerie's course because design is the focus, along with other important information relative to the short-term business industry. In her course, Val specifically mentions color and different shades of the same color working together. I definitely kept that idea in mind as I decorated and chose different green paint colors for the front door, backsplash, and decor throughout. Val and I met via Zoom soon after starting renovations and she was supportive and kind with her feedback on things I shared with her. I'm not professionally trained in design, but it has been a natural love of mine for so long. It was so encouraging to have her support. I shared my vision and choices for Sumac with Val, along with my past experience and projects and she encouraged me to start a separate business decorating and styling homes, including short-term rentals. I took her advice and recently formed Fitz & Ro Design! (Give Fitz and Ro a friendly follow on Instagram. We're just starting this account! π)
One of the things I love most about the outcome of your space, besides the fact that it feels like it has heart and soul, is how you were able to layer the decor in each room to give the house a real lived-in feel. It's the opposite of a typical investor's stark white-walled, minimalist STR property, and I think people are craving more of that at the moment. How did you achieve this layered look in your rental?
I definitely agree and also think people want to be in spaces that feel soulful and comforting. I love color, texture, and layers with decor, so I often prefer the home's larger features to be neutral as a starting point. I often prefer white walls, (but I also love a color-drenched moody space), concrete and wood features, and layers of eclectic art and decor.
I'm drawn to unique vintage pieces and try to stay away from trendy. I love finding pieces with a story, even if that story is only what we can imagine. I also love mixing modern abstract art into vintage styled spaces. I wanted the home to feel collected and didn't choose just one style for decorating. I wanted to layer items from various styles and decades, just as I do in my own home.
Artwork is so important to me. I used some vintage pieces, like the map with pins that I found at an antique shop for $10 and the pencil drawing of a dog that I found at a garage sale for $7. I also used new abstract modern art in two of the bedrooms that I found at Home Goods and Ross!! The metal sculptural wall art in the living room fit the mcm style perfectly and was on clearance at Ross for $28! The hanging metal links were pieces I found at Home Goods. I wanted to create a sculptural piece, so I found the walnut hooks on Amazon and hung the links. I definitely move things around until it feels right to me. We spent multiple nights in the home, which helped me see things in different ways for design and function.
When it comes to lamps and layered lighting, you NAILED IT! Tell us about all your lamp treasures! Are they all vintage or can you give us any links?
To me, lighting is the necessary jewelry for the home! Having multiple light sources in each room, at different heights, on dimmers is a must for me. I can't walk away from a deal on a vintage light fixture or lamp (especially brass of any shape)! The kitchen ceiling light above the sink and both bathroom vanity light fixtures are original and we adore those!! The dining chandelier was found at a great vintage shop.
Most of the lamps in Sumac are second-hand (both older and newer). I did get some lamps from Target and Amazon. The living room floor lamp and small kitchen and bathroom lamps are from Target. The mini lamps are some of my favorite inexpensive lamps (about $10) to have throughout the house.
The hanging pendants in the front entry and bunk bedroom, as well as the green floor lamp in the bunkroom, are from Amazon.
The kitchen light fixture is from Amazon.
The living room and two bedroom ceiling fixtures are from Wayfair (not my favorite source because of the return process). The main bedroom fixture was a fb marketplace find.
We had to get creative with some of the ceiling fixtures. Unfortunately, the original fixtures were replaced with unattractive, mismatched ceiling fans. After removing those, there were larger holes in the ceiling. We ended up using precut wood craft circles to cover the holes and then painted those the same white as the ceiling and walls. Russ installed the new lights through those.
Speaking of vintage, can you share how you found such amazing vintage pieces? How long were you collecting items for this house?
I'm always collecting vintage pieces! Our garage stores all of my finds instead of our vehicles. I started looking specifically for Sumac right after we purchased the house. Sourcing for Sumac became an obsession for a couple of months. I was on FB marketplace almost daily, and regularly shopped estate/garage sales and thrift/antique stores. I also thought about what could work from my own home and justified buying a new vintage piece for my home, when I could swap a piece out to use for Sumac. I found the MCM style, real leather sofa for $700 at an estate sale! I had purchased 2 other secondhand sofas but found this and had to use it because of the style, comfort, and quality.
One of my favorite finds and the story behind it is an MCM campaign-style headboard designed by the well-known Henredon Furniture. We used it as our personal headboard and it's now in the master bedroom at Sumac. I found it on Craigslist without the bedframe for $80. This was more than 2.5 years ago while we were living in California. I was so bummed that the matching dresser had already sold. I often research the value of items, and found the same headboard, with bedframe, listed for $5,000 on the luxury vintage site Chairish! And this may sound crazy but I just recently found the identical complete Henredon bedroom set on FB marketplace, in Arkansas, while searching for Sumac. With delivery, I paid $1500 for the bedroom set including the headboard with bedframe, a large dresser, 2 armoires, and a bookshelf! I'll use that set in my personal home.
What is something special and unique about your property or the experience you offer your guests that makes you stand apart in the short-term rental marketplace?
When I was planning for the home I thought about how someone would experience Sumac. I wanted to create an environment that allowed guests to enjoy simple daily activities in a memorable way. When I'm away from my own home it can be easier to slow down and really experience a new space. I want guests to play the records and turn on the vintage-style light with an optional heater that I placed in a metal chiminea in the living room. I would have loved to have an original MCM Malm fireplace but that wasn't an option so we created ambiance on a budget.
We set up seating to enjoy the sunset from both porches. We use non-toxic mattresses and organic comfortable bedding so guests can sleep well. I wanted to create a feeling through design that can be enjoyed by different generations for whatever brings them to NWA. Some of my favorite things to experience in our area are nature, music, and art. Those things continue to inspire me and are at the soul of our property. I hope guests can feel that while they're at Sumac.
What were your favorite resources for furniture and decor for the house?
I love thrift/antique stores, garage/estate sales, Goodwill, FB marketplace or Craigslist, for unique, inexpensive pieces. I also found pieces from Amazon, Home Goods, and even Marshall's and Ross. I found an Arkansas state flower print on Etsy that I had printed at Office Depot and used an inexpensive frame from Walmart. I'm always open to finding an unexpected piece that I'm drawn to. And I'm saving a little piece of history each time I use a secondhand piece.
Do you have any advice for anyone trying to decorate a rental on their own? Anything you learned along the way that maybe you'd do differently?
When decorating a rental, researching different styles and other STRs to figure out what overall style you want is a great starting point. Choosing the large pieces such as the sofa and rugs were the most difficult pieces for me to source. I wanted economical, stylish, and functional for an STR.
Having fun and taking risks can really inject character into the space and help the design stand out. Having high standards while accepting the reality that perfection doesn't exist is something I'm still working on with my own projects. Vintage pieces are rarely in mint condition so collecting helps me balance out my expectations.
Getting to know Desirae through her design process and watching Sumac come to life has been such a joy. She brings a deep sense of thoughtfulness and authenticity to her work, and it shows in every detail of this beautiful space. Her eye for vintage, her layered approach to styling, and her ability to create a home that feels soulful and lived-in is truly special. It was an honor to support her along the way, and I’m so happy to be able to share her inspiring story and stunning rental here on The Quill List.
To book this home and explore the listing photos, click here.
Happy Hosting,
A note from Desirae:
Johnathan Roark was our photographer and was referred by friends who also have STRs. He was great to collaborate with, as he had great ideas, and also took the time to take many specific shots I requested.
