Dressing Up the Guest Room

There’s a great scene in a classic episode of Friends where Phoebe has to stay with Chandler and Monica in their guest room. Monica, always the over-the-top personality, greets her with warm cookies and a “Welcome to Hotel Monica.”

Now, most of us aren’t going to go quite that far with our guest rooms and accommodations. But when you have family and friends staying with you, especially for an extended period of time, it’s important to spruce up the guest room to make it look, and feel, comfy.

Here are four ideas on how to create a cozy nest for your guests:

• Make it warm and inviting — First and foremost, your guest room should look warm and inviting and not just like a storage room that you clear out when guests show up. Make sure that you have nice cushiony comforters and fresh sheets on the bed. But also, get sheet sets and linens that work nicely with the color scheme of the room. Speaking of color schemes, one area that can add an extra layer of comfort is by painting the ceiling, especially if you choose a warm color to accent that of the walls.

• It’s not just a bedroom — Remember that your guest may not want to spend every waking moment in the main living area of the house with you. At some point, they are going to want to retire to the guest room to unwind. Besides the obvious choice of a bed, your guest room should also feature a chair that they can sit in to relax. If possible, create a little reading nook with a comfy chair and a reading light so they can just sit and read or reflect quietly.

• Share your space — Let’s face it: a lot of us use our guest rooms as storage space. If you have a dresser in the room that you use to store your off-season clothes, clean a section out of it for your guest. No one likes to live out of a suitcase, and they can unpack and feel a little more at home. And speaking of sharing, make sure that you give your guest your wi-fi password on a note in the guest room so they don’t have to ask for it.

• Hotel touches — Lastly, you can make your guest room feel a bit like a five-star hotel with a few little touches. From mints on the pillow to warm cookies and coffee or tea on the table, these are all ways to make your guest feel at home. And if you can pull off towel sculptures of animals then go for it!

Your guest room doesn’t have to be a bland setting with only a simple bed. If you dress it up a little bit and give it a little flair, then you can make a home away from home that your guests will want to visit again.

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