Guest Room Essentials
It’s that time of year again…you know, that time when you have to unearth your guest room that has been standing in as an extra storage closet for the last 10 months!
If you are lucky, the Christmas decorations you stashed in there last year are handily available to move right out into your living spaces, so that’s a start!
A fun and personal guest room JRL Interiors did for a client for their visiting, now adult, children. You can read more details about this guest room in THIS post #guestroom #gallerywall
Tis the season when friends and family from out of town come to stay and OF COURSE you want to be remembered as a gracious host/hostess!
The Diva is moving to Germany, which is sad for me because I’ll REALLY miss seeing her every day. But on the bright side, I am about to inherit a really stellar guest room (more of this room HERE), and it has been thoroughly tested and outfitted for coziness and comfort by my most discerning daughter!
A guest bedroom fit for a diva by JRL Interiors, Acton, MA #guestroom
My best advice is to try to put yourself in the place of your guests and walk through a visit to your guest room. These lucky guests get an en suite bathroom AND a fireplace!
Guest Room by JRL Interiors. This guest bed and custom bedding has moved to several different homes! #custombedding #guestbedroom
Even if you don’t have a full time guest room with a fireplace to offer, here are some essentials for whenever you DO have guests come to stay:
Please note: This post contains affiliate links meaning I may make a small commission on any purchases at no additional cost to you.
Comfortable bedding
This is not the place to use your cast-off dingy sheets or the ones that the elastic is shot so they don’t stay on the mattress corners (you KNOW you have some of those lurking in your linen closet…).
Invest in some beautiful sheets. THIS post has more details on what matters when buying sheets (spoiler alert, it’s not always the thread count!).
Offer an assortment of pillows (both soft and firm) and extra blankets and comforters if you live in the frozen north this time of year OR even if you live in the south but like to keep your AC set at arctic levels. IMO nothing is worse than being too cold while you are trying to get some sleep!
THESE SHEETS were my first “good” sheets 25 years ago, and they are still as soft and going strong! I discovered them at an inn we stayed in on Nantucket which I credit for turning me into a sheet snob. They are a sateen weave, which is my favorite type.
And THIS is my favorite down duvet insert - available in a variety of weights to suit your location and preferences. They carry down alternative versions as well, in case there is an allergy issue with down.
Bonus: if your bed is the same size as your guest room bed, you can repossess the bedding for your own bed once your guests leave!
Storage space
I absolutely believe you should use every space in your home to the fullest and that probably means your guest room doubles as something else - a home office, a library, etc. when you don’t have guests.
However, a gracious hostess will make sure there is some dedicated space for guests to unpack (a luggage rack is super helpful here and easy to fold up and store once your guests leave) and some drawer and closet space.
Dedicate half the closet or an armoire to hanging space for your guests and don’t forget pretty hangers! These are an inexpensive little luxury that are sure to be appreciated and a definite improvement over those anemic wire dry cleaning cast-offs you should have thrown away.
You can buy wooden or velvet hangers in a variety of finishes and colors to coordinate with your decor - and unless your guests are ALWAY the jeans-wearing-backpack-type, be sure to include a few skirt hangers in the mix!
Using chests for nightstands, or a dedicated dresser drawer or two can offer storage as well.
A beautiful bedroom by JRL Interiors with custom bedding. #custombedding #customwindowtreatments #traditionalbedroom
Even a library or den or home office with a sofa bed can become a wonderful guest room with the right choices!
Images via 1st Dibs Introspective Magazine from Stephanie Stokes book Elegant Rooms that Work (Rizzoli). Photos by Michel Arnaud
Lighting and outlet access
Bedside lamps with good reading light should be on your list, as well as a nightlight somewhere so a midnight excursion to the bathroom in unfamiliar territory doesn’t result in an emergency room visit…or at least bruised shins!
And be SURE to have outlets accessible for all the electronics everyone travels with including at least one near the bed since nearly everyone keeps a cell phone as their alarm clock (or maybe that’s just me?)
In any case, please provide an outlet your guests don’t have to move furniture and crawl around on the floor to find one! You can kill two birds with one stone, so to speak, by purchasing a bedside lamp with an outlet and/or USB port in the base. OR there are nightstand chests with outlets, and USB ports built in as well. Frankly, I want that for MY room!
The newest ports that seem to be the current standard are USB C types. It is a really nice gesture to have a variety of charging cords available for whatever your guests might need to connect.
THIS inexpensive multi charger is an easy way to streamline that
Click on images for links:
All these lamps are inexpensive sets of two and have USB ports in the base ideal for a guest room! And you can always change out the lampshades or finals for a different look if need be!
Thoughtful extras
These extra touches will vault you into the “hostess with the mostess” category, and make your guests feel pampered!
A tent card with the Wifi password
A reading chair - every room has space to squeeze in at least a small comfy chair
For bonus points, include a writing desk and chair (it can double as one of the nightstands). This gives a place to serve as a vanity and/or to catch up on computer work if needed. For old fashioned graciousness, stock it with pretty note cards, stamps, a blank notepad, and a fountain pen
A basket of travel toiletries like an extra toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, razor, soap, lotion, lip balm, etc.
A bedside vase of fresh flowers
Water, either a carafe and glass, or bottled, along with some snacks - from fresh fruit, to packs of nuts, to gourmet chocolates - depending on the taste of your guests!
A small, pretty trash bin - most rooms already have this, but it is easily overlooked in a dedicated guest bedroom and much appreciated by guests!
A full length mirror - add it to the back of the door if there’s nowhere else to put one. Your guests would like to make sure they aren’t sporting any wardrobe malfunctions before they appear in public too!
And if you really don’t want your guests to ever leave, fluffy terry spa robes and slippers, and a heated towel rack for the guest bath!
Wishing You and Your Guests a Happy Holiday Season!
Other posts you might enjoy:
A Vintage diva glamour den (bedroom) project reveal
How to choose the best down comforter