The Guest Comes First
The old saying goes something to the tune of ‘don’t make the guest room too nice, or your guests will never leave.’ But that’s an old way of thinking; most of us adore having company, and preparing the house for guests is one of those labours of love that makes our friends and family feel welcome and comfortable.
Outfitting an inviting guest room is a simple affair, because it’s all about providing the things you’d want to find in a hotel - a private place to relax, and a comfortable place to lay your bed at night. Below we’ve compiled our favourite tips for creating an inviting guest room.
Keep it Simple
With a guest room, less is always more. The key to an inviting guest room is provide someone with a space they can call their own, so resist the urge to place trinkets and your own things in the guests’ space. Instead, outfit the room with a simple, open concept that allows your guests to move around and organize themselves. Pay special attention to being careful to not over-clutter the room with too many large furnishings.
Address the windows by outfitting them with coverings to give a sense of home while providing privacy, and aim to provide the room with ample natural light by painting the walls a nice off white cream, lightgreen or grey. Provide your guests with bedside tables, an alarm clock, and small lamps to provide some light control near the bed. If you have an extra set of drawers, it’s ideal to provide your guests with a space to store their things if they’re there for an extended stay, and a chair in the corner goes a long way for reading, or relaxing.
The Bed
Let’s begin with the obvious. A great guest room promotes a great night’s sleep. The bed is the undisputed focal point of any good guest room, so invest your time in creating an environment that boasts fresh, high-thread-count linens, plush pillows, and a thick, cozy duvet.
When you’re beginning to build the room, you’ll be faced with a plethora of bed choices to consider. If you know ahead of time the predominant type of guests you’ll be entertaining - families, individuals, couples, etc - you can choose what will best host them. Consider a good quality sofa bed if you’re anticipating sparse visits from a couple of family members or friends travelling through the area. Sofa beds are fantastic at making the room functional in between visits by converting to a couch when no one is around. The guest room can become a home office with very little effort. Another handy bed type to invest in is a murphy-bed. Murphy-beds are wall-mounted beds that are hinged to a wall so they can be stored vertically, or inside cabinets or a closet.
Secondly, refrain from recycling an old mattress for use in your new guest room. A saggy, lumpy, smelly mattress isn’t a very inviting prospect. Investing in a new, good quality mattress is your best bet at providing a room that people will want to revisit in the future. A double or queen is likely your best bet, as they both can accommodate two people, and they leave enough room to finish off the space with other applicable pieces of furniture. A king size mattress is a great idea in terms of providing the best guest room fathomable, provided you have the extra square footage.
Alternatively, you could also opt to place two twin mattresses, or bunk beds in the room; they can be pushed together, or kept separate to house friends travelling through town, or a couple of children.
Comfort
Comfort is king in the guest bedroom. Provide your guests with a plush, memorable experience by investing in fresh new linens to adorn the new mattress - and buy an extra set so you have a clean set to switch over to when your guests leave. You could also consider a feather top mattress cover for a sense of decadence only experienced in 5-star hotels.
Next up, provide your guests with a place to relax and experience some solace while they enjoy their stay. Clear any dressers or desks of trinkets and knick-knacks so they have a place to set down their suitcase and unpack. A bedside tray chalked full of chocolates, tea and coffee, a couple of mugs, and some wine glasses tells your guests you have them at the top of your mind. Be sure to provide a clothing hamper, guest towels, extra blankets, and even a robe or two to help your guests feel the love. For a proverbial cherry on top, consider stocking one of the bedside table drawers with little travel essentials like new toothbrushes, toothpaste, comb, hand sanitizer, etc.
The added comfort and utility of placing a couch and coffee table in the room help to complete the look and feel of a complete suite. The seating area helps to make the room more of a finished space, not just a bedroom, and the coffee table and/or desk give your guests a place to kick back and enjoy a morning coffee, read a book, and enjoy a home away from home.
Give it Purpose
Let’s imagine that you’re planning to build a brand new space for potential guests. One of the things that not only makes a guest feel welcome, expected, and at home is having their own bathroom. Coincidently, adding a guest room en suite can yield some major return on your investment when it comes time to sell your home. Having access to their own bathroom makes guests feel as though they don’t have to potentially interrupt the host family’s routine while they’re staying with you, and it keeps things running smoothly within the home. A purpose-built guest room en suite bathroom adds value and purpose.
Part and parcel to giving your guest room a sense of dedicated purpose is to not treat it as a storage room. Keep it clear of reminders that your guest is in someone else’s house - leave the family portraits and seasonal clothing somewhere else. Dedicating a space to guests can be truly rewarding, and quickly becomes a point of pride for many homeowners. Being able to accommodate friends and family on vacation, over the holidays, or in times of need is of great value to a home, and to family.
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So in lieu of the age-old mantra about ridding your home of nuisance guests by offering up a sub-par guestroom - go out of your way to provide the best accommodations possible, and feel the positive vibes and appreciation when they (finally) depart. Family and friends deserve the best from us - and just to be clear, should you be in their neck of the woods, you’ll have a great excuse to come stay with them for a change!