Airbnb Is Asking You to Move to Italy, Rent-Free—Here’s Where You’ll Live

Have you ever fantasized about living the Under the Tuscan Sun life, dropping everything and moving to Italy on a whim? Airbnb wants to make that dream a reality this summer. The company just announced it is looking for a candidate to live at its new property in Sicily, dubbed 1 Euro House, starting in June, rent-free. The catch? Whomever is chosen (you can find the application form here) has to play host to guests for an entire year and stay short-term in the second bedroom. The good news is you can bring your partner, best friend, children, or any combination of the three (as long as there’s no more than two adults and two children).

Situated just south of Palermo in the small village of Sambuca, the three-story townhouse was recently transformed by Italian architecture firm Studio Didea using punchy colors and locally sourced materials. Even if you can’t jet over to Italy for a year, you can still steal the design ideas from the Airbnb for your own home.

Light Rails

In the townhouse’s entry, a perforated metal wall encloses the staircase. While this creates some privacy between the upper floors and the first level, the tiny holes ensure light can still pass through. 

Color-Coded

To differentiate the various living zones within the open floor plan, Studio Didea simply used paint (jade green for the kitchen, Ferrari red for the stairs, deep terracotta for the primary bathroom).

Built to Perform

To save on floor space, all of the desks in the home are floating (in other words, the sleek tabletops are attached to the walls). The workspaces essentially blend into the background, which makes it a lot less tempting to email your boss while on vacation.

Leave It on the Floor

In the upstairs living room, instead of a classic area rug, the designers opted for a tile version. Not only is the illusion easier to clean, it is a lot more cooling during the hot summer months. We’re taking notes and packing our bags.