The holiday season is here, often bringing overnight guests.
Hosting requires planning, energy, patience and a great attitude, as well as sometimes being a space engineer. Not everyone has an extra bedroom or two, a designated guest bathroom or even a furnished basement with a Murphy bed, pull-out couch or air mattress. Moreover, many homeowners don't understand what makes a guest room most comfortable and worth a return visit unless they've been a guest themselves. That's why some hosts test-drive their accommodations with an overnight stay to see how well the space performs.
Here are suggestions from design pros for what helps turn your guest room into a space that guests may never want to leave.
Think hotel style, if you have a separate bedroom. The best guest bedrooms are rooms inspired by a luxurious hotel suite. The room has a door for privacy and an adjacent bathroom. This way, guests don't feel they're intruding on their host's privacy.
"There's nothing more special than being shown to your room, which makes you feel pampered from the second you place down your bag," said Sam Allen, a Westport, Conn.-based designer.
What's needed?
• A comfortable bed should have beautifully ironed or no-iron, crisp sheets, said Allen, plus plump pillows, soft blankets, quilt or duvet.
• Empty some drawers, and fill them with sachets of fresh lavender or another pleasant scent, and empty out a closet and line the rod with lots of hangers. Making a robe available in the closet or on the back of a door hook is a nice touch, Allen said.
• A table at the right height for the bed should be kept fairly bare except for a vase of fresh flowers, a good reading lamp (or hang one on the wall), a clock and a carafe for water and a glass, Allen said.
