BEDTIME STORIES

Jacqueline Wake Young finds out how to create a heavenly haven when hosting overnight guests

Summer brings with it festivals, barbecues, icecreams and beach days. It also often brings with it house guests who require to be put up and catered for and that often means a marathon session of cleaning, tidying and shopping. Then they arrive and say things like “oh I hope you didn’t go to too much trouble!” as you swap rubber gloves for oven gloves and dab at the sweat around your temples.

Making space for more people can be a challenge and that’s before you get into what they are going to sleep on.

In a survey of 1,000 people by Bensons for Beds, more than 50% said they frequently try to accommodate guests in their spare room and more than 60% said they would prefer to sleep in a spare room when they are a guest in someone else’s house.

If there isn’t a guest room, the second most popular place to sleep is in someone’s living room.

Some 32% of younger individuals, aged between 16 and 24, marked this as their ideal room to crash, compared to just over 5% of adults aged 55 and older.

Rachel Marshall, brand manager at

Bensons for Beds has compiled these top tips for creating the perfect place for overnight guests:

QUALITY MATTRESS

More than 20% of people surveyed said sleeping on an uncomfortable bed was the worst part of staying at someone else’s house. Investing in a good quality mattress or mattress topper is a great way to ensure guests enjoy a comfortable night’s sleep.

NOISE AND LIGHT

A disrupted night’s sleep was voted one of the worst parts of staying over at someone’s home. Ask guests what time they prefer to get up on a morning so you can keep noise to a minimum. Also, check that curtains adequately block out light.

PROVIDE ENOUGH STORAGE

It’s tricky when guests have nowhere to store their belongings or hang their clothes so make some room in drawers or offer them space in your wardrobe.

ADD HOMELY TOUCHES

Guests will appreciate a lamp so they can read at night, a scented diffuser and cosy blankets.

OFFER A WELCOME BASKET

As well as fresh towels, provide small toiletries, such as toothpaste, tissues and shower gel and even magazines and sweet treats.

CosmoLiving by Cosmopolitan Lexington Modern Fabric Futon Sofa, £739.99, Very.

Anderson small Sofa Bed in Blush Pink Velvet with Walnut legs, £949, Cult Furniture.

Corella Sofa Bed, Moss Green Velvet, was £999 now £699, Cult Furniture.

Softline Meghan Sofa Bed, £2,831, Nest.

Softline City Two Seater Sofa Bed, £2,801, Nest.

Softline Nova Sofa Bed, £2,237, Nest.

Softline Cord Sofa Bed, £1,961, Nest.

Softline Lazy Sofa Bed, £2,831, Nest.

Nina three-seater fabric Sofa Bed Yellow, £1,400-£2,000, Habitat.

Ollie Medium Fabric Sofa Bed, £1,095, Furniture Village.