5 Tips to Create the Best Guest Room

Give your guests the five-star treatment with a guest room that is comfortable, warm and appealing. Here’s how to transform that extra space into a suite of possibilities that include acting as an office, craft room or reading nook when your friends and family aren’t visiting. “The key to helping a room feel warm and inviting is to style it with finishing touches,” said Laura Price, founder/director of The Home Organisation. “Adding decor pieces, pops of color and different textures are all great tricks to making a room feel more cohesive and considered. Your guests will feel so much more welcomed if they’re staying in a room that looks and feels loved.”

Aaron Masterson/ABM Initiative

Tip 1: A little storage goes a long way

A guest usually stays just a few days — that means not much storage is needed. A good rule of thumb is one small hanging space and a drawer or two. “Having a wardrobe and dividing the space into two is a great option for a guest room, half is for yourself and half is for your guests,” suggested Price. You can also incorporate storage into a bed frame that includes drawers or a headboard with shelving.

Photo credit: Isabel Runsewe/Isy’s Interiors

Tip 2: Think About What Extras Your Guest Needs

Try to anticipate what items your guests might require while visiting, such as extra blankets and plush pillows. Invest in bedding that impresses, such as sheets with a high thread count. Blackout curtains are also a nice touch if your guest is crossing time zones and is adjusting to a new bedtime.

Decorate with personal touches, recommended Jay Sanders, licensed contractor and the owner of Castle Dream Construction in Baltimore, MD. “Fresh flowers, framed photos, and a stack of books can make the room feel more like home,” he said. You can also make your visitors tech happy by providing a charging station, Wi-Fi access and a TV.

Isy’s Interiors, completed a guest room that provided cozy bedding with lots of layers so visitors could pick the perfect temperature just by adding or removing blankets. "We even included a pin board where guests can leave their own personal notes to the hosts," she said.

Photo credit: Isabel Runsewe/Isy’s Interiors

Tip 3: Don’t Clutter the Space With Furniture or Knick-Knacks

Clutter isn’t welcoming. Your guest wants space to store their things. They also don’t want a room that feels overcrowded with furniture. Make sure that everything in the room is there for a reason. You can also select furniture that serves multiple purposes. A futon, for example, is both a bed and a couch.

Try finding pieces that fit the space. For example, if you're working with a small space, go for narrow bedside tables, suggested Kendra Hagerman, CEO of Kendra Found It, a budget and lifestyle design blog. “They save so much room and guests still have storage and their own area to put down their items at the end of the day.”

Even if your guest room doubles as a home office, you can incorporate the desk easily into the space. After all, it offers a place for visitors to use their own laptop or other devices. “But make sure you don't end up filling the space with office clutter,” warned Price. “You don't want a messy desk to be the first thing they see. Having adequate storage to hide paper, tech and stationary will help the space work as both an office and a guest room.” Remember to write the Wi-Fi password on a pad and leave it in the room for your visitor’s convenience.

Paint the walls in a calming color, offered Sanders. Opt for neutrals like light blue, green, light grey or lavender that are pretty and relaxing. “For color, I like to go with a simple white (my personal favorite is Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee),” said Hagerman. “It's neutral, easy to decorate with, isn't off-putting, and goes with most home decor styles.” Color in the guest room works, too. “Just remember: it's your home and where you live, so I wouldn't choose a color that you dislike or is overly trendy just to appease guests,” she said. “If you want to add color, choose one that flows with the rest of your home and ensure that you love it, too.”

Photo credit: Isabel Runsewe/Isy’s Interiors
Tip 5: Lighting Should Make the Room Bright and Inviting.

“Make sure there are multiple light sources, including overhead lighting, bedside lamps and possibly even a floor lamp for reading,” said Seymen Usta, an interior design specialist, and the founder of Seus Lighting. “The idea is to create a warm, inviting and comfortable space for your guests to relax in. My favorite tip is place a small lamp on the bedside table with a warm bulb for reading.”

Dimmer switches can also create a cozy atmosphere, but well-lit environment. “Natural light is essential for productivity,” added Sanders. So position items like the desk near a window if possible and your guest’s stay will be fruitful as well as relaxing.

Once you finish your guest room, maybe you want to work on a reading space? Check out our piece on creating a book nook for your home.

Featured photo: Isabel Runsewe/Isy’s Interiors