How to Make Up Your Guest Room
Creating a restful retreat for overnight guests can be a thoughtful and restorative experience for you as well as for your visitors. With a few simple gestures, and carefully pieced together accessories, you can create a lovely welcoming space for someone to join you in your home. It feels good to be able to make a room that says you’re safe, you’re comfortable and you’re welcome.
Whether it’s a quick overnight stay or a longer break, the first place you might show your new arrivals is into their guestroom. It might sound obvious but there’s nothing more important than making sure the room is dust-free, well aired, clean and fresh. Before you make up the bed and style the room, it’s a good idea to do a deep clean, wiping down window sills, cupboard tops, curtain rails and windows with a soft damp cloth rinsed in water with a drop of vinegar and an essential oil like lavender. Then vacuum from top to bottom to ensure all the dust is removed from the room.
The bed is the hero of any guest room so make it as appealing and boutique as possible with a plump mattress topper, crisp fitted sheet and lovely cosy duvet. You can add a wealth of plump pillows and cushions to help your guests relax in their space as well as to sleep soundly. Depending on the weather, you’ll need to pick the right tog for the temperature, but it’s always a good idea to have a spare throw or blanket so they can adjust the cosiness to their own personal preference.
When it comes to bedding, inviting guests is a great excuse to treat your home to new bedding and dress the bed beautifully. Our go-to is often crisp, clean neutrals with accent colours to suit your décor scheme or you can pick up your hero colour in your chosen bedding design. Add a neatly folded towel bale including a big bath sheet, a hand towel and a flannel per guest, in tonal colours, and you’ve created a sumptuous hotel look that is sure to make them feel special.
Go the extra mile and piece together a little bedside collection of toiletries. Clear away your own personal bits and bobs into the bedside drawer or out of the room altogether. Is there a reading lamp you can add to the bedside table and a plug for their phone charger? Add a candle, plant or flowers, a water jug and glass and write out the wifi password on a little card so they can get online without having to ask. This kind of thoughtful generosity puts your visitors at ease from the get go.
Extra Home Comforts
Once they’re settled in, keep the comfort factor coming with some extra casual seating in the living room, maybe by way of floor cushions if you don’t have the space for extra chairs. Make sure you and your family hunker down on the floor cushions first and leave the sofa for your guests.
When it comes to meal times with visitors, try to choose quick and easy recipes that you can prepare in advance, like one pot dishes in a slow cooker or easy to serve sharing ideas like big pasta salads or cheese, biscuits and fruit platters. That way you can devote your attention to your guests. Pour yourself a well-deserved glass of wine, after you’ve seen to your guests first of course, then relax and catch up. It’s you they’ve come to see after all. Time to make some happy memories.
