Nearly every home has at least one room that is commonly regarded as the ‘spare room.’ When you buy a house, it is always advisable to get one that is slightly larger than you need. I don’t usually advocate taking on more than you need. But in some instances, such as if you are planning to have a family shortly, you may as well get a house with a spare room that could one day serve as the nursery. This saves you having to up sticks and move somewhere completely new when you were aware that you needed some more space, to begin with.
It’s not just to do with having children though – a spare room can come in useful for lots of different reasons, and hosting guests is one of them. If you have family and friends from all over the country – or maybe even from all over the world – having a guest room in your home is vital for when they come and stay.
It is so much more personal than them having to book a hotel for the duration of their stay. T means you end up spending a lot more time with them too. In fact, many people really enjoy hosting guests in their homes, as it gives them a sense of purpose. After all, who doesn’t love making sure that their loved ones have a comfortable and enjoyable time when they visit our homes?
The first step to creating this top-tier experience is by providing a beautiful room for your guests to stay. Take inspiration from wherever you want, whether it’s from Pinterest boards or from the luxury hotels you have visited. But the three top things to bear in mind are style, comfort, and functionality. Here are just a few ways you can create a perfect guest room that your loved ones won’t want to leave.
Spare Room: The Beds
Nothing is worse than going to stay with someone and finding out that you’ll be bedding down for the night on a hard, uncomfortable futon. No one wants to have a bad night’s sleep on vacation, so first and foremost, you need a comfortable bed in your guest room. Of course, the size of the bed is dependent on the size of the room, but it makes sense to opt for at least a double. King size might be dreamy, but often they are too big, and that is a lot of money to spend on a bed that is maybe only used a few times a year.
Along with a double or queen-sized bed, it can also be a good idea to have a sofa bed in there, or at least an option for a child-sized bed too. Even some thick floor cushions can provide a suitable bed for a child, and they will probably enjoy the adventure of it all! For the bedding, choose something classic and not too ‘out there’ – whatever matches the colour scheme of your room. Always provide spare sheets and additional pillows, too, as some people sleep with multiple ones to avoid neck-ache.
Letting in The Light
The amount of light a room gets can make a huge difference to how it feels. If your guests are put in a dark, dank room at the back of the house, they may not have a great experience staying with you. Open up those windows and provide suitable lighting, especially if your guests are staying with you during winter. A bright ceiling lamp and a couple of table lamps will usually suffice, and this also means that your guests have jurisdiction over the kind of lighting they have in their room.
But all that said, there is also such a thing as too much light in a guest room, especially during the mornings. If you don’t have anything to cover your windows with, you can expect your guests to awaken at the first sign of dawn (and thus be very grumpy and sleep-deprived for the rest of the day!).
Prevent this from happening by using . You can get a huge selection of made to measure curtains that can add a touch of style to your spare room as well as some practicality. Having a beautifully light and airy room is always pleasant for guests, but most people also appreciate the option to darken their room if they wish, too.
Spare Room: The Practical Things
It can be hugely beneficial for both you and your guests if they can find their way around their room, no questions asked. As we don’t use the guest room ourselves, we often forget to check if it is workable. For example, do you have an abundance of plugs for your loved ones to charge their devices at, or are the sockets all hidden by the bed? If they are, you may want to rethink the arrangement of furniture in your guest room or at least invest in an extension cable.
Mirrors are also another issue, as your guests may want the option to get ready for the day in their bedroom. Sure, every bathroom has a mirror, but as we all know, you cannot use electronics such as hair dryers or hair straighteners in there (one of the idiosyncrasies of Great Britain). Even if you don’t have enough room to hang up a mirror on the wall, simply by a cheap one from your local store and lean it up against a wall. Or, if you have limited room, buy one that you can hang over the door.
As far as other practicalities go, it is all at your discretion. You may want to go the extra mile for your guests and provide them with their shower items and towels. Even if they are sharing the main family bathroom with you, this can still be a nice touch. You may also want to leave them a few little snacks and some tea and coffee in their bedrooms, in case they want a drink before bed. All of this adds up to the kind of experience your guests have when they stay with you, so try them for yourself to become the perfect hostess.
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