My last decorating article, Prepare your Guest Bathroom for the Holidays, offered tips on getting the guest bath ready for holiday visitors. This week, I focus on preparing your guest bedroom or any area you plan to host guests. If you are new to your living place and want to host guests and have nothing, you can easily pull this together on a budget.
Create a sleeping area.
There are several affordable mattress-in-a-box businesses out there that offer comfortable sleeping options; begin with checking reviews.
If you do not have an extra room to set up a guest bed, consider purchasing an air mattress that can be inflated, deflated, and stored.
Another option is a convertible chair or sofa if your budget can invest in a piece of furniture. Check your local furniture stores as they may have deals on floor models that they want to move before year-end. If you have a Homesense in your area, they also sell affordable sleeper sofas.
Add a side table light!
If you are setting up a new room, consider re-purposing a small table from another area of your home to use as a bedside table. Be creative; this could be stacked decorative gift boxes or antique suitcases, or a sturdy stand-up folding tray. Another resource is Facebook Marketplace, where you can set up a search for an item and be notified when they become available. The color of the table can easily be changed with a fresh coat of paint; go for the size you want! It is amazing what you can create with what you already own.
Re-purpose a lamp from another room, or run by your local Target, many options are affordable and attractive!
For your convenience, I created a checklist of the essentials and niceties for you to have when your guests arrive, and to keep you organized, I made a printable list that you can download.
Guest Checklist:
- Clean and fresh linens.
- Extra blankets and pillows. Always have two clean and fresh pillows per person available, with clean linens available for those who need extra pillows to sleep.
- Bottled water or a water pitcher and glasses on a lovely tray.
- Good reading light and a nightlight. If the room has only an overhead light, please provide lamps that your guest can use for reading and general comfort.
- Provide potentially forgotten toiletries, such as lotion, toothpaste, mouthwash, sewing kit, etc.
- Box of tissues and a trash bin.
- Luggage rack – a place for the guests to put their bags that is not on the bed. You can use a portable one that may be stored under the bed or closet when not in use and made available for guests.
- Reading chair – provide a reading chair, small table, and light for guests who do not want to sit on the bed to read.
- Surge protected power strip and space for your guests to charge their electronics. Also, remember to supply the Wi-Fi password.
- Space – a beautifully decorated theme room with every surface covered may not be the most comfortable for guests. Provide space, have a place where your guests may place their things. If the bed has 12 decorative pillows where will your guests put them when they need to use the bed?
- Window covering – be sure that the window coverings offer the right amount of privacy for your guests as well as light-blocking.
- Add a place to hang things. Provide space in the closet, or if there is no closet space, offer an over-the-door hanger for your guests to hang their things and extra hangers.
- Reading material – magazines supplying information about your area or novels of varying topics offer guests something to read.
Have fun getting ready, and enjoy your holidays! For all your interior decorating and home staging needs, call me at 610-955-8202 with questions.
By Debbie Correale, Redesign Right, LLC. Stay connected on Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Houzz, and Instagram. Feature photo owned by Debbie Correale.