5 ESSENTIALS IN CREATING A GORGEOUS GUEST BEDROOM
October is a great time to Re-fluff and rejuvenate that guest bedroom. If you know that you are likely to entertain visitors over the Christmas and New Year period, now is the perfect time to get it planned and under control. If you want a new bedhead for example, October is probably the final month you will be able to order and have this delivered before Xmas [8 weeks is standard!] so have a think now if you were planning on making any major adjustments to that special space your guests will soon love staying in.
I thought I’d Start with my top 5 essentials on creating a guest bedroom that your visitors will thank you for. Here go’s!
1. Framed Wi-Fi user name and password.
If you have Wi-Fi, this is a huge benefit to your in-house guests. They will greatly appreciate the ability to connect as personal hotspots really drain the phone battery and eat up major storage as opposed to tapping into a local broadband service. It’s a great touch and you could quite easily knock up a version of what is pictured below in Microsoft Word and have it printed on colour 200 GSM paper at Officeworks. Pick an appropriate frame and voila! A major tick in your welcome basket. Hopefully your guests may think about implementing this great idea and return the favour for you when staying at their place next.
Image courtesy of Pinterest.
2. Bottled water & flowers.
Most guests will need water during the night and find themselves gingerly sneaking into your kitchen to find a glass to quench a midnight thirst. A small tray with 2 bottles [sparkling or still] is a wonderful idea if you have the bedside table to accommodate it. If not, add a tray to the bed and place them there. That’s a wonderfully welcoming gesture for anybody. Add a scented candle if you want to make them feel extra special!
Image courtesy of Kelley Ann Design.
3. Rolled towels at the end of the bed.
Rather than having to ask later on, it is comforting and welcoming if you have thought of this first. If we are going to open our doors to stay over guests, we want to make them feel at ease and that we have anticipated their needs. Taking the time to lay out two bath towels and face washers/hand towels that have been freshly laundered and are smelling nicely is a lovely gesture to your sleep-over friends.
Image courtesy of Pinterest.
4. A personalised card.
This one you may feel in two minds about. You don’t want to scream how much you appreciate your guests to the point of weirdness, but this extra touch could very well be a consideration. Do you have a guest staying that has had a terrible year? Do they need a little extra TLC after a year that they will be glad to see the back of? If so, lending that extra layer of kindness may be something that they never forget.
5. New bedding.
Some of the time, we make up our guest beds in older bedding that we have gotten tired of in our master bedrooms. Think about spending a few dollars on some new sheets and [at least] a new doona cover with pillowcases. Whether you are happy spending a little or a little more, there are countless options to refresh your bedding. Here’s an example of a makeover I did to a client’s guest bedroom a little while ago. Actually, let’s start with the before shot.
BEFORE: The bed had a hardwood frame in a cherrywood finish, which we were moving away from. No bedside basics, so we needed tables and appropriate lighting. The bedding was cheery enough with its bright colourway, but we wanted a less relaxed and more tailored look. Still comfortable and unpretentious, but considered in using two or three colours only. Here’s how we ended up..
Photography Brigid Arnott. Designer: Adam Scougall Design.
AFTER: I used a gorgeous Sanderson fabric in bright greens and fresh white for the new headboard and feature cushions. I like my cushions to be custom made to at least 55x55cm in size. A 60cm duck feather insert is perfect for the inside of a 55x55cm cushion cover, as it will be robust in fullness whilst also being malleable. The brisk white bedding was purchased from a local homewares provider. The blue paisley throw was a Freedom Furniture find.
Have a think about the above ideas and see if they resonate with you. A never fail is to have two feature cushions in the same fabric as your bedhead, with crisp white bedding. Add a complimentary throw and you are on your way to completing a beautiful guest bedroom.
In a guest bedroom, keeping colours simple is key. We don’t want to complicate our guests mood with a lot of different patterns and colours, so keep it interesting but relatively basic. Art is also important! In the above guest room, I complemented the green and blue from the bedding with a photograph of grassy fields against a clear blue sky. Simple and not disturbing, your guests minds should be clear when they wake and want to feel relaxed in their temporary home away from home.
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