29 Nov Holiday Guests? – How to make your guest room feel like a home away from home

BEFORE: A guest room before “feeling the love”

Many of us have a guest room in our home, but sadly it is a place that we don’t want anyone seeing, let alone having a guest stay in!

These rooms tend to get the scraps of our furniture, art, and bedding, making it feel more like a storage space than a temporary home for our friends and family.

Well this doesn’t have to be the case!  Just because we don’t use a room often doesn’t mean that we should ignore it!  Turning your guest room into a proper room can be pretty simple and painless.

Step 1:

Clean up!- If you aren’t using the stuff laying around the room on a daily basis, and it doesn’t help your guests, then it shouldn’t be in the room!  You can move stuff to the garage, basement, wherever, just don’t have it in this room!

Step 2:

The Bed- Every guest room needs a bed.  A queen-size bed is always nice as it makes a room seem more complete.  However if you have the room, I would suggest putting two twin-size beds together.  When they are pushed together they are the same size as a king, but if you need to have two separate beds available, they can be pulled apart.

Step 3:

Bedding – Make sure that the bedding is nice and neutral.  I like to use whites because it always feels cleaner (think high end hotel).

AFTER: The same bedroom after getting some touch ups.

Step 4:

Side Tables-  You want to be sure to have at least one side table, this way your guests have somewhere to put a glass of water, or jewelry before bed.  Also make sure to place a light of some sort on the side table so that guests can read before bed.

Step 5:

Art – Painting an accent wall might be a little much for a lot of people, but if you place a piece of art above the bed then it automatically makes the room feel warmer and more “loved.”  A piece of art can also work as a headboard if the bed that you have doesn’t have one.

Step 6:

The guest room at my home … nice and simple!

Show the love-  It’s the little things that show you care.

Always make sure to lay out fresh towels and hand cloths.  If you happen to have pictures of you and the guest, it’s nice to stick them in the room as well.  It’s the little things that help make a room feel like home!

Photos provided by: Interiors Designed by Naomi Weissmann