What’s the Difference Between Heirloom and Stayloom?

Heirloom employees gather around the dinner table at their 2018 holiday party.

The question we are most often asked is: What’s the difference between Heirloom and Stayloom?

The simple answer to that question: Heirloom is our name, and Stayloom is our website. But why Heirloom? And where did the word Stayloom come from? 

Why Heirloom?

We chose the name Heirloom because our first homes were decorating using our founders’ family heirlooms. Like the special pieces of furniture they inherited, we wanted to choose a name that conveys a sense of timeless elegance, historical authenticity, and connection to your loved ones.

Additionally, unlike our competitors, we invest significant time and energy into our homes. We work with local suppliers to source furniture and decor that is comfortable, classy, and unique. Like a cherished heirloom, our designers root each home in the surrounding community’s cultural history. Our decor infuses each space with memory and meaning. 

Heirloom homes are like family heirlooms. This photo features two chairs next to one another in front of the windows. Lights frame each chair, and everything has been locally sourced. An antique globe sits between the two chairs on a small table.
At Heirloom, we go out of our way to make sure everything is locally sourced and matches the historical nature of each space.

Finally, family heirlooms are never mass-produced, and neither are Heirloom homes. We work hard to make sure each home is not just beautiful. Every space must be truly one-of-a-kind. This results in a luxury home that is at once artisanal, unpretentious, and unable to be replicated by the anonymous hotel industry.

What Does “Stayloom” Mean?

Long story short, Stayloom derives from “Stay” and “Heirloom.” While we occasionally refer to ourselves by this nickname, don’t get confused. We are Heirloom!

Heirloom's team relaxing at dinner. The table is set with flowers, a charcuterie board, and more. A woman laughs at the story another employee is telling.
The Heirloom team enjoys a team dinner.

What’s Next for Heirloom?

Heirloom is a young company, and the opportunities ahead of us are exciting. The top 3 things to expect from Heirloom in 2020 are:

  1. Market expansion: we are expanding into new cities in 2020. So follow our Instagram for to-the-minute updates about where we’re heading next!
  2. New talent: creative data scientists, content-obsessed marketers, and brilliant designers comprise our team. We are excited to continue to build out our staff to provide you with the best group travel experience possible.
  3. Cutting-edge design: Heirloom’s team of inspired interior decorators have big plans in store for our guests. We can’t wait to show you what we’ve been working on.
Two Heirloom employees work at the counter in a kitchen in Brooklyn. While the scene looks somewhat hectic, with a plastic bag of food and chargers on the counter, the team is working peacefully, cranking it out.
Our team hard at work in Brooklyn.

Design Interview Series: A Talk with Maggie Wraight

Boston lead designer Maggie Wraight on the job site

Welcome to the first installment of Local Eyes’ Design Interview Series. At Heirloom, we are intensely proud of our designers. The amazing work they do to make every home uniquely beautiful and reflective of the surrounding community’s culture and aesthetic is unparalleled.

In our first installment, we’re talking with Maggie Wraight, our Boston Design Manager. Read on to learn about her early encounters with interior design, passion for what she does, and what it’s like being a designer at Heirloom.

What is your name, where are you from, and what is your background in design?

Maggie Wraight: My name is Maggie Wraight, and I’m from Southborough, MA. While I do not have any formal education in interior design, I’ve been surrounded by art and design my entire life. I’ve always been extremely interested in anything that allowed me to be creative, especially hands-on activities. 

Boston designer Maggie Wraight at dinner

“I’m passionate about design because of the way it both challenges me and fulfills my creative desires.”

What types of hands-on activities are you referring to?

MW: When I was a freshman in high school, I began “shadowing” our family friend that owns her own interior design company. Over the years, what began as an informal experience developed into an amazing, educational internship that sparked my passion for interior design. I went on to college and double majored in Art & History. Which was the closest I could get to a design program given that it was liberal arts university!

Why are you passionate about design?

MW: I’m passionate about design because of the way it both challenges me and fulfills my creative desires. There are many more obstacles and “rules” of design than people may realize. yet the reward of the final product makes it worth it. Most of all, I love being a part of creating a space that others get to enjoy.

Which Heirloom projects are you most proud of?

MW: I’m most proud of the projects that challenged me the most. This home in Brooklyn was a challenge because we wanted to add contemporary design elements that enhance the historic nature of the home, rather than detract or overshadow it:

Queen Anne Victorian brownstone parlor with glam decor in our design interview

I traveled down to New Orleans for the set up of this home. While travel logistics made this home a challenge, the outcome was fantastic:

living room with two symmetrical sofas in between a table set with a bowl of oranges. design interview

I’m also very proud of this project in Boston, because it was an extremely difficult setup process, yet I think one of our best outcomes:

bed photographed head-on with orange duvet and white sheets. a poofy pillow is at the head of the bed. Two lamps line each side of the bed, and there is an abstract painting hung above it. the final example in our design interview.

What is the most exciting thing about being a designer at Heirloom?

MW: The most exciting thing about being a designer at Heirloom is the fact that while all of our homes fall under the Heirloom brand, the style varies a great deal from property to property. This means I get to have fun and try many different aesthetics that I may not otherwise be able to do in a traditional design role.

How do you continue to develop and grow as a designer?

MW: I continue to grow as a designer by observing, looking to others for inspiration, and always being open to constructive criticism. 

Anything else you’d like to say before we wrap up our design interview?

MW: No, just that I love working at Heirloom!

What Is Heirloom? The Heirloom Story

Two chairs sit side-by-side with a table in between on the front porch of an Heirloom Savannah home. Cocktails are on the table and a plant wall hangs behind the tableau.

Like most good ideas, Heirloom was formed from the answer to a simple question. If people are traveling together more than ever, why are there so few hotels or vacation rentals for big groups?

Our Beginnings

In 2017, brothers Dan and Frank Glaser formed Heirloom (stayloom.com) in Boston, MA. They encountered a problem faced by thousands of travelers every year. They were searching for accommodations for their family over Thanksgiving. After an unsuccessful search, they realized hotels were too anonymous, and vacation rentals were too small. (Or looked like student hostels.)

Aerial shot of an Heirloom kitchen in Savannah, GA. When we design vacation rentals for big groups, we make sure each home is special. Here, warm wood tones throughout immediately grab the eye, from the flooring, table, and ceiling beams. A dining table lines the left side of the photo, a breakfast bar island is in the center of the photo, and the sink and appliances go from the center-back of the image wrapping around the back along the right side.
Vacation rentals for big groups shouldn’t be boring. This carriage house in Savannah, GA shows the power of raw wood has to transforming a space.

How We’re Changing Group Travel

Dan and Frank took matters into their own hands and created Heirloom to solve this problem. They started creating consistent, high-quality rentals which allow guests to feel connected to the local community and offer ample space to come together as a group.

Travelers now no longer have to fragment their group in a block of hotel rooms, or sleep on the couch in an impersonal Airbnb.

Our Goal

Our goal is for each Heirloom stay to be a unique travel experience in and of itself. We believe that our luxury rentals facilitate the kinds of memories that ultimately make travel worth it: cooking a meal in the chef’s kitchen. Kicking back on the patio with friends. Gathering together for a family movie night.

When we look back on our own trips, these are the things that we remember most vividly. More importantly, these are the moments we want you to remember.

Heirloom is redefining group travel. Join us in disrupting the way we stay.

The sun shines down on a glittering, turquoise pool in the backyard of an Heirloom luxury home in Phoenix, AZ. Loungers line the pool as does a grill and outdoor kitchen, and palm trees rise in the background of the photo over the fire pit. The perfect vacation rental for big groups.
When you’re searching for a vacation rental for big groups, Heirloom makes sure each home features something special.