Guest Room Design Tips

We can’t believe have fast the summer has gone by. This Friday marks the first day of fall!  With falls comes cooler weather, shorter days, autumn leaves and the onset of the holiday season!

Before we know it the holidays will be here and that means lots of time with family and friends. With family in town, overnight guests are sure to follow, time to make sure your guest room is ready!

Guests rooms have been trending to be more home-esque, allowing your guest to experience a true home away from home atmosphere.

This is a great representation of a hotel inspired guest room. A sense of comfort and a touch of personalization are the main drivers here. The cool neutral paint color is relaxing and restorative. The lighter wall color brings the focus to the bed. A big comfy bed that is just waiting to receive weary travelers. The bed doesn’t have to be large to achieve the same effect. Focus on adding plush lines and layering textures with pillow and throws. This will add focus and enhance small spaces. Lastly think balance and think in pairs. In this photo a nightstand on either side of the bed with matching table lamps does the trick, very similar to what you would find in a hotel room. Each side of the bed needs to have access to the same features. Remember your guests are on vacation, not fighting over space and who gets what.

If you are short on space and typically house multiple guests, consider dual twin beds, bunk beds, trundle beds or ever Murphy beds. Smaller beds instantly maximizes spaces and leaves more floor space for luggage. To make small spaces more inviting use bold colors to dress up the bedding. Pillow size and scale is key here. On small beds there is not much opportunity to go crazy with pillows. Chose your pillows thoughtfully. Consider one pillow for comfort and another as an accent. You can always store extra pillows in the closet and let your guest chose his or her comfort level.

Dedicate the space. Adding artwork that denotes the room as a guest room goes a long way in demarcating the space. What’s great about this trick is it psychologically lets the inhabitant feel that this is THEIR space, even if just for a short stay. Knowing this is the guest room will not only allow your guests to feel more welcomed but this will also keep them from feeling in the way. Use caution here: they may feel so comfortable that they lengthen their stay! We also love the amenity basket in the guest room proper rather than the bathroom. Its similar to receiving a welcome gift in your hotel gift. (Or a towel animal in your cruise ship stateroom). If you want to step up your amenity game a notch look to etsy for homemade soaps and lotions. We love these by Treehouse Naturals:

Finally keep it simple. If you have a great room with a view, use it! If you have high ceilings, showcase them! If you are a multi-tasking wonder woman with a day bed in your home office, own it! Keep the room functional. Pick one thing to accent and keep your bold colors minimal. Color typically works best on bedding or as wall art. Neutral wall colors are great for guest bedrooms. Keep in mind, neutral can be beautiful. Your guest room shouldn’t break your budget and it should function as a space in its own right when not occupied. Don’t forget about storage. This is great for your when your guests need to unpack and also when you need to stow away clutter during the rest of the year. Until next time – D

Bonus!

We saw this great article on Better Homes and Gardens for Grey/Neutral Paint Color Selections. We think they would pair beautifully in a guest bedroom.