Create a Guest Room that Says Welcome!
For most of us, an overnight guest is usually a relative or close friend, and we want them to feel welcome and special during their stay at our home. Preparing a stylish guest room is a snap when you keep in mind the amenities that you enjoy when you’re staying in a new place.
It’s always the little touches that transform an ordinary room into something special. Let your guests know you have their comfort and enjoyment in mind by considering these suggestions for your guest bedroom:
- Resist the temptation to use all your extra or unwanted furnishings — the result can look cluttered and thoughtless. Aim to make the room look and feel like a top-notch hotel or bed and breakfast. Make it a room that you'd want to visit.
- Remove any unnecessary furniture or clutter that makes the room feel crowded, even if you just have to move it until your guests leave. No one likes to stay in a room where they can barely make a path to the bed or unpack a suitcase.
- Create an environment that promotes a great night’s sleep. Make the bed super comfy by adding a thick duvet and lots of fluffy pillows. Add a further touch by draping a coverlet over the end of the bed. Don’t skimp on the linens — give your guests the comfort, textures and luxuries you would want.
- Provide guests with extra pillows and blankets, regardless of the time of year.
- Be sure to provide a nightstand and reading lamp beside your guest bed. Stack a few recent magazines or books there, along with a small candy or snack bowl for your guests to enjoy.
- Offer an area for clothing storage such as a chest of drawers or closet with extra hangers and bare shelves.
- Hang a small mirror in the room to provide a spot for putting on makeup or jewelry. A long dressing mirror is also a nice addition.
- Update the lighting by replacing the lamp or overhead light. Old lighting can really date a room, and an inexpensive new lamp can do wonders to bring your guest bedroom up-to-date.
- Place a couple bottles of water and a glass on the nightstand or dresser so guests don't have to find their way to the kitchen if they wake in the night with a dry throat.
- Add a few fun photos that show off your personality or time spent with family and friends to enhance the homey feel of the space.
· In the guest bathroom, prepare a basket with extra toothbrushes, toothpaste, mouthwash, shampoo, soap, body lotion and other small items they may have forgotten to bring with them. Make sure to have several clean towels and washcloths already in the bathroom. Hang a large terrycloth bathrobe for your guests to use after showering.
- Place a night-light in both the bathroom and the hallway to make it safer for guests to find their way.
- Other items to provide in the room include a clock radio, a notepad and pen, wastebasket, ironing board, iron, sewing kit, window treatments or shades for privacy, and facial tissues.
- Just before guests arrive, vacuum and dust the room to make sure it looks and smells fresh. To freshen up a musty mattress, sprinkle baking soda all over the mattress. Let it sit overnight, then vacuum it up the next day. Throw already-washed sheets back into the dryer to freshen them up. Freshen pillows by air-drying them in the dryer with a fabric softener sheet.
- A vase of fresh flowers is the perfect finishing touch.
One final note about spare bedrooms: not everyone has an entire room to dedicate as a full-time spare bedroom. But if you have an office, consider adding an attractive day bed or sofa-sleeper that can serve as extra seating while you aren’t entertaining guests but can also double as a guest bed when the need arises. Also, as older children move out of your home, consider buying new linens for the room and limiting your child’s old belongings to one area of the room to make other guests feel welcome in the space. A few small and inexpensive changes can really enhance your guests’ stay in your home.