San Francisco, Oct 22 (IANS): Former Apple Chief Design Officer Jony Ive, the person behind the look and feel of the iPhone or iMac that you use today, will soon be helping online home rental company Airbnb design its next-generation products and services.

British-origin Ive left Apple last year to form an independent design firm called LoveFrom.

"Today, I'm thrilled to announce that Jony and his partners at LoveFrom will be engaging in a special collaboration with me and the Airbnb team," Airbnb Co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky said in a statement.

"We have made the decision to work together through a multi-year relationship to design the next generation of Airbnb products and services," Chesky said.

Ive will also help Airbnb continue to develop its internal design team.

"I know he is particularly excited about a relationship that will evolve to become a deep collaboration with our creative team," Chesky said.

The Airbnb CEO said that he has been good friends with Ive for many years.

"We share the same belief in the value and importance of creativity and design," he said.

Airbnb said in August that it filed documents confidentially with the US regulators to begin its initial public offering (IPO).