Guest Room Refurb – The 5 Essentials

With many of us settling for a staycation this year instead of jetting off to far-flung destinations, will this mean a lot more visits from friends and family? If so, this could be a good time to start planning a re-vamp of your guest room. We’ve given advice before on being the perfect host, with plenty of ideas to turn your guest room into a gorgeous getaway. If you don’t have time for all of them before your guests start arriving, we believe there are 5 essential elements that every guest room must have.

Guest room, High End Italian Designer Upholstered Bed

Your Guest Room Bed

It goes without saying. Of course your guest room needs a super-comfortable, luxury bed. But before you dash off and buy one, think carefully about who will be using it. A luxurious kingsize or superking bed is always welcome but would you be better to have two zip & link twin beds to give you more flexibility? Two standard UK 90 cm single beds will zip together to create a UK superking. Or you can often get a smaller, 75 cm mattress, which would double up to a UK kingsize*. If you are refurbishing more than one guest room, this may not be a priority but it still offers more options and may prove to be very useful for unexpected visitors. Does your bed need storage for bed linens, bath towels and maybe a throw or two in case your guests get chilly? If so, look for a divan with drawers or a base that lifts, offering storage underneath.

Hypnos Luxury Lusso Cashmere Zipped And Linked Support Mattress
A zip & link base and mattresses offer flexibility – though you may decide to have two single headboards or a wide headboard attached to the wall

Once you have decided on these practical aspects, it’s time to think about style and colour. At this point, the world is your oyster. Will it be shapely and romantic, a contemporary four poster or a subtle, luxurious bed to suit all tastes? When it comes to colour, a guest room is a great place to experiment if you want to see how a pop of bright colour might look. Or you could play it safe and go for muted but warm neutrals. You can always add colour with bed linens, cushions or accessories. Just make sure you have plenty of time to browse and choose the perfect bed for each guest room.

* NB: Make sure you check out our handy bed buying guide to compare UK, US and other mattress sizes. The same name does not mean the same size.

Bedside Tables

This is non-negotiable as far as we’re concerned. Every guest room must have bedside tables. You can get away with one in between two twin beds but you need one either side of anything larger. Guests will always have things they need to put down but keep to hand, such as phone, glasses, e-reader or book. They also need a bedside light. Luxury bedside tables come in all shapes and styles, from a simple side table to an elegant design with a drawer, through to a very useful small chest of drawers. Only you know how long your guests are likely to stay and how much space they will need. A bedside table can be just a place for a few bits and bobs or a handy storage space. It’s really up to you.

Wardrobe

We are often surprised by the lack of clothes space (and thought) in some guest rooms. When people come to visit you, your guest room becomes their home from home. As such, they need a wardrobe to keep their clothes. Living out of a suitcase is no fun unless you’re backpacking, and even that’s debatable. So, you need to provide guests with somewhere to put smaller, folded items of clothing and to hang longer or more formal ones. We love nothing better than a spectacular wall of fitted wardrobes with space for everything from underwear to evening wear. Obviously, there isn’t always space for that but if you choose your luxury wardrobe carefully, it will provide all the space your guests need, without having to fit in a chest of drawers as well.

Dressing Table or Desk

Guests need a place to get ready for the day but often, also to sit and work. This may mean catching up on a few emails, catching up with colleagues or running a business remotely. A dressing table can easily do double duty as a comfortable and stylish desk. In fact, a designer desk or console table can easily double up as a dressing table. The main difference is that a dedicated dressing table will usually include a mirror whereas a desk or console table would not – so we would suggest adding one. We do love a dressing table with a foldaway, hidden mirror as a versatile option. Again, think about your friends and family and how they are most likely to use the guest room.

Lighting

Lighting should never be an afterthought. It is an integral part of any well-planned interior design. Just like you, guests will need layers of lighting for different purposes and moods. You will need a minimum of a ceiling light, table lamps and floor lamps. These give more flexibility than wall lights, especially if the layout of your guest room is changeable. Every bedside table needs a table lamp as no guest wants to get out of bed to turn lights off. If you have a dressing area, it needs a good, bright light. Ceiling lights should be bright enough to light up a central area without being too stark. Floor lamps then illuminate the areas in between, creating warmth and ambience.

Guest Room Extras

Those are the 5 essential elements that no guest room should be without. After that, depending on the space you have, you can start bringing in little extras to make it even more luxurious and like home for your guests. A full length mirror is always welcome. It very nearly made it into the top 5 but was just edged out by lighting. We also love to have an armchair or two so that the guest room becomes a little haven, a home from home where guests can escape and cherish the peace and quiet. You may prefer to include a sofa. If you have the space, why not consider a proper seating area with coffee tables and side tables? Think of the finest hotel you have ever stayed in and think how they furnished their rooms. What did they include that set them apart from their counterparts? Then do the same for your guest room. Your guests will definitely thank you for it.

Finishing Touches

There are many things you can do to make your guests’ stay as luxurious as possible. In our earlier post, Impress the Guests, we talked about practicalities such as charging stations and coffee machines. Check out the full post for these and other ideas to really make your guests feel at home.

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