Designing a guest room for your house or apartment? Check out these tips!
We have some larger-than-life guest room design ideas to help you.
Designing your own bedroom is simple because you know what you like.
You can pick and choose the style, color, and decor based on your own taste and preferences.
Decorating a guest bedroom, on the other hand, can be a little more complicated.
Are you going to use it for a specific guest regularly or random drop-ins?
Will it be a home office/clutter collector/storage space?
Do you want to invest a lot of time and money into it or just the bare minimum?
All of these questions and more will come up as you’re deciding what to do with your guest room.
It’s possible to design the space in beautiful, larger-than-life themes that do it all.
When you want to cover all your options, try these five adaptable guest room ideas.
1. Streamline the Office/Guest Room
Can’t decide whether to make the extra room your home office or designate it for guests? You don’t have to choose one or the other — you can do both!
You’ll probably use the space primarily for one purpose. Will it be more of an office or a guest area?
This will help you choose the theme of the room, and you can choose your furniture accordingly.
If your office desk is going to be the focal point of the room, choose bedroom furniture that seamlessly matches it.
Or, if you want your guests to feel welcomed and comfortable, pick out a bed, dresser, and nightstand first.
Then, bring in office furniture pieces that blend into the empty space left over.
Keep in mind that, when you have guests, you probably won’t be using your office area. Anything you store on, in, and around the desk should be easy to move whenever necessary.
2. Pick Comfortable Colors
Decorating the guest room is a bit trickier than designing the rest of the house.
In areas that will be someone’s individual space, the colors can be personalized to them.
Your guest room, though, might be used by many people at any given time.
Your own room is a sanctuary of furniture and accessories in your favorite relaxing shades.
It’s the perfect place for colors that soothe your spirit and lull you to sleep calmly.
But, those same colors might not have the same effect on your guests that they have on you.
It’s better to pick welcoming shades, like neutrals, soft hues, or blues and grays. Use matte paint, not glossy, and avoid hospital whites.
3. Consider the Storage Options
Storage is important in any room.
To make your guests feel at home while keeping storage options open for yourself, you have to get creative with the furniture and accessories.
First, designate a space for your catch-all storage only.
This area should be out of the natural flow of traffic in the room.
The fastest, most convenient places to put away possessions are better off used by guests.
The out-of-reach hidey holes, like under the bed or in the recesses of the closet, are better for your rarely used totes and boxes.
Furniture is another convenient way to add more storage space in a room.
An ottoman or a bench at the foot of the bed holds extra blankets and pillows and an air mattress.
A small dresser fills the empty space in the room and is useful for long-term guests.
While you’re thinking about clothing storage, don’t forget to put some hangers in the closet!
Long bedside tables are better than small nightstands in guest rooms.
Your visitors have more space, which is especially helpful if they stay for more than one night.
In between, you also have more areas to organize clutter.
4. Make It Homey
Bare walls can look cold and unwelcoming. Even hotel owners understand the importance of including some artwork in every room.
Wall decor invites guests to enjoy themselves and, hopefully, return.
Since you have a guest room, this is probably the same feeling you want for your visitors.
You’ve chosen the color palette you are going to use as your theme. The furniture is picked out, and there is plenty of storage space!
The next thing to focus on is making the area look homey.
To do this, fill that empty wall space with decor that matches your theme. Some basic framed photos or paintings will get you started.
Greenery is another simple way to make a room feel inviting. Hang a shelf where there is a glaring space on the wall.
Then, pick an indoor plant you’ll be able to keep up with. Keep in mind that unless the room is your regular office, you won’t be in it much.
How will your guests feel when they tuck in for the night? Will they be running around trying to find a place to plug their phone?
Will they have to jump out of bed to turn the light off?
Solve these problems ahead of time by using the nightstand to hold a lamp and charger port.
5. Don’t Forget the Little Things
Your furniture choices make the room larger than life, but it’s the little things that really pack a thoughtful punch.
The finishing touches in the room can make your guests feel valued.
They see the effort you made to make them feel like a part of your home, and they appreciate it.
Make sure to include these essentials as you prepare your house for your guests:
- Shampoo and conditioner
- Body wash
- Disposable toothbrushes
- Mini toothpaste
- Tissues
- A blow dryer
- An iron
As a last-second addition before your guests arrive, consider putting a basket of their favorite candies or treats on the dresser as the piece de resistance.
Conclusion
If you’re preparing a guest room and you care how your visitors feel when they come to your home, you want it to look nice.
Still, unless you are regularly entertaining people overnight, the room is wasted in between uses.
You can maximize the efficiency of the storage space in the spare bedroom and make it welcoming.
Just use these five larger-than-life guest room ideas!
Author Bio:
Angus Flynn, Business Manager of Arte, has been with Alliance Residential Company for over five years. He has extensive experience with a variety of properties, from large lease-ups to smaller, more urban assets.