Creating a Great Guest Room

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You want a guest bedroom to include everything a guest needs but not [be a space] where they feel like they’re intruding.

— Lisa Leo, owner of Lisa Leo Designs, Seattle

The Basics

The best guest rooms combine the elegance of a hotel with unique, personal design touches. When decorating a guest room, "think hotel room, but make it a little cozier, because sometimes hotel rooms can be a little sterile,” said Cindy Schlesinger, owner of Interior Minded, a Chicago-based design firm.

Before mapping out decor choices such as furniture, paint and amenities, the foundation for creating the perfect guest room should be built on understanding who your regular guests will be and the size of the space you are decorating, says Lisa Leo, owner of Lisa Leo Designs in Seattle.

Guest bedrooms should feel light and airy, with clean, simple lines — nothing lending the room a heavy feel, says Leo. “You want a guest bedroom to include everything a guest needs but not [be a space] where they feel like they’re intruding,” said Leo. “You want the space not to be too cluttered.”

Even if the room is small, there are strategies to help accommodate your needs and still retain a sense of spaciousness. “A trundle bed is good if you only have space for a twin but you need to sleep two,” Leo said. Futons are best left to the young adult crowd, unless you live in extremely tight quarters like those of an urban apartment, says Leo.

Cool Neutrals

A guest room’s color palette greatly influences its overall air of calm. Cool shades such as blues, purples and greens create the most soothing environment, say designers. The bedroom’s colors and style should be consistent with the rest of the house, says Schlesinger. So what do you do if the rest of your home decor is steeped in bold, bright and warm colors?

“Stay away from stimulating colors,” said Schlesinger. “However, if you like red and yellow, try more of a subdued shade -- maybe a buttery yellow.” She advises perhaps selecting a neutral palette with bold accents in the paint or bedding -- but not with wall color. The plus of going with neutral shades is that they satisfy both men and women, says Schlesinger.

Shades of gray are another option, one that is growing in popularity, says Leo.

“A lot of young couples, 30 and under, are going with grays,” said Leo. “If you’re not into true gray, use more of a green-gray or blue-gray, paired with crisp white linens.”

Structured Serenity

With future guests anticipated, colors coordinated and space considered, the nitty-gritty details of decorating begin. To create a great guest space, devise a well-structured room that provides a guest’s every conceivable need. “You want to create a space people feel comfortable in,” said Shelley Nordlund, a feng shui expert and owner of Transformations for Interiors and Exteriors in Seattle.

A guest’s comfort and security can be ensured in varying manners, especially lighting and the furniture arrangement. Nordlund says the bed should be placed on the wall opposite the door but not directly in front of it. Positioning the bed on the same wall as the bedroom door should be avoided if possible, as your guests will feel more secure with their ability to see it. As far as bed linens, keep the colors neutral and restful, choose sheets that work for all seasons, and supplement with a comforter in winter (have one down comforter and, for allergic types, one down-alternative comforter on hand). Put at least two pillows on the bed and keep at least two more in the closet. Finally, a colorful throw on the edge of the bed not only finishes off the look with style, it's also good for a little extra warmth.

Additionally, lighting is exceedingly vital to a sense of comfort. “Lamps on either side of the bed are imperative,” said Nordlund. “If someone wants to get up in the middle of the night for something, then they have no feeling of anxiety."

Nightstands, Nordlund emphasizes, do not need to match, contrary to myth. Feel free to go eclectic, if that is your style. Leo recommends opting for bedside tables with built in plug-ins, which she says has become increasingly popular. “This way you don’t have electronics plugged in all over the floor or across the room,” she said.

Also important are a desk and chair, as well as a comfy lounge chair, both of which are staples in hotel rooms; a room could come off as inhospitable without them. Armoires are nonessential these days, says Leo -- unless you have a particular taste for them.

What Leo and the other designers agree is a "must" amenity: window treatments that block out the morning sunlight. “Blackout blinds — 10 years ago, no one asked for them; now I don’t have one client who doesn’t ask for them,” said Leo. She says there are many varieties of treatments, such as draperies combined with blackout panels, and other ready-made products available.

“The single purpose is to make it dark,” Leo said.

The rest is up to you -- keep things as simple or fancy as you like. But remember, the bottom line with any amenity or bedroom accessory -- whether it be ample pillows, large closet space or a multitude of family photos and fancy artwork -- is to remember this is your house and your guests. Said Nordlund: “You know your family and friends better than anyone."

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