Create a welcoming guest room
Solutions that make a special haven for visitors
The best hotels pamper their guests and make them want to return. Some homeowners have a similar knack of creating cocoonlike havens where friends and family nestle into a bedroom set aside for them rather than take over junior’s room or the family den.
With the holidays fast approaching, we deconstruct what else goes into the most special guest rooms. Follow our suggestions and your house guests may not want to leave. We have a solution for that too. Don’t have too big a closet or too many empty drawers, so they can’t stay too long.
Set the tone with a really special bed
Guest rooms tend to veer toward the smaller size but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a bed with a lot of personality or even two twin beds, which can offer greater flexibility. Blue Dot’s beds have a modern verve and come in variations with their wood frames in different finishes, shapes for the frame and headboard and in different sizes. For example, the Nook bed comes in colorful finishes as hip as navy, tomato, charcoal and five others.
Blanket them in comfort
The mantra is the more the better for maximum coziness and warmth. Start with one soft, squishy, warm down comforter, then lighter blankets to give your guests options. Online retailer The Company Store’s LaCrosse comforter comes in multiple weights and a spectrum of colors. Add chic extra layer blankets. Coyuch’s Topanga matelasse blankets are made from soft organic cotton and come in white as well as an array of earthy colors.
Keep a chic carafe of water at bedside
Guests shouldn’t have to stumble through the house at night in the dark looking to get a glass of water. And since we try to avoid plastic, the answer is Petra Palumbo’s charming hand-painted floral glass carafe and tumbler. The Scottish-based company is known for its sustainable accessories. You can even order an extra tumbler in case you’re hosting two guests.
Transport them with color
Wall colors set the tone: Some love a light, airy hue and background while others crave a dark, dreamy cave. We asked paint expert Sue Wadden, director of color marketing for SherwinWilliams, who offered two choices. “Because guest rooms aren’t used as often as other rooms in the home, they’re a great place to experiment with color. A deep, moody color like Cyberspace SW 7076 envelops you and makes the room feel like an escape from the outside world. Dark colors can create a feeling of coziness; create contrast by keeping trim and other accents bright white, which will help break up the dark paint,” she says. “Painting your guest room in a blue hue will make guests feel at home. A pale blue with hints of gray like Sherwin-Williams Krypton is modern, yet calming, creating a retreatlike atmosphere that any guest will appreciate. Pair it with natural wood elements to add a touch of warmth.” Wadden says.
Have a double-duty bench
Offering an extra place to sit or at least put on shoes and maybe rest a suitcase is a thoughtful idea that will make your guests love you more. From Perigold, the Katsura bench with cushion designed by Maria Yee has a sleek, modern look that works perfectly at the foot of the bed.
Get a workhorse nightstand
We vote for using a slightly bigger writing table or desk, which was Chicago designer Tom Stringer’s advice to clients. That way it’s big enough to accommodate lots of niceties such as a carafe and tumbler, iPhone or tablet, good reading light, short stack of a few choice books, small vase with flowers and a place for a few pieces of chocolate for nighttime cravings. We like Birch Lane’s “Wolfgang” small home office classic trestle desk with open shelves where guests can place anything they brought along in plain sight.
Add a personal touch
Keep a terry cloth robe in white or cream in your guest room that’s as plush as those that five-star hotels provide. Most of your house guests don’t have room in their suitcases to pack one for a short stay. You can also provide a few pairs of decorative slippers in different sizes to let them pad about without shoes. Heiwa makes them in batik, naturally dried corn husks, leather, denim and wool and other materials at very affordable prices.
Start with a featherbed mattress topper, then with the cooler season approaching, look for sheets made of flannel. The Company Store and Coyuchi have great products in an array of patterns and colors. These soft sheets are welcome on chilly nights, and washing only enhances the sheets’ softness.
Add a full-length mirror
Who doesn’t want to look at themselves for a quick check before they head out. Don’t go small and timid but big and large, so large, in fact, that the mirror becomes a piece of art and a focal point in the room. West Elm offers a selection of framed designs in different colors.
The small things matter
Lastly, add a small vase of fresh flowers to the room to give it a cheery, personal touch. Keep it small, simple and understated for big impact.