Creating the Perfect Guest Room
December 20, 2011 at 6:39 AM
By Samantha Grose, Designer, JP&CO: A residential construction firm delivering a personalized home, an enjoyable process, and a remarkable pace. 
Although hosting overnight guests occurs throughout the year, I think it’s safe to say that the winter holiday is often the “busy season” for house guests.
One of the most rewarding parts of having a house guest is succeeding in making them feel at home. Hopefully you have already experienced a stay with a friend or family that was cozy and welcoming. Likewise, you have probably also experienced a less than perfect stay. As a host, there are many things you can do to make your guests feel more at home.
JP&CO’s Great Guestroom Checklist:
- A Nice Bed: Invest in a quality bed in order to give your guest the best night of sleep possible.
- Bedding Upgrades: Quality linens, a featherbed mattress topper, extra pillows, and extra blankets will transform a spare sleeping area into a luxurious safe haven for guests.
- An Extra Set of Linens: Despite all of our best intentions, accidents do happen. Beyond accidents, many courteous house guests may insist on cleaning the sheets for you before they leave.
- Suitcase Spot: Provide a luggage rack, bench, or small table to make suitcase access easy and painless. Leaving closet or dresser space is also also a nice way to accommodate others.
- Extra Seating: Add an additional chair or couch to your guest room for non-bed seating. (Bonus points for a coffee table and adjoining reading lamp!)
- Bedside Basics: Always provide the basics of your own bedside table in your guest room, such as an alarm clock, tissues, a little notebook or paper, writing utensils, a few great books, etc.
- Eliminate Clutter: Stash your extra knickknacks and decorations in lidded boxes and containers tucked away in the closet and other parts of the house. Leave as much furniture surface space for guest use as possible.
- Room Refresher: Check bulbs, dust, sweep, and air out rooms before a guest’s stay. Placing a carafe of water, drinking glasses, and a vase of fresh flowers on the bedside stand are nice touches.
- Bathroom Necessities: Lay out a fresh towel, washcloth, soap, and obvious paper extras such as rolls of toilet paper, tissues, cotton balls, and Q tips so that your guests don’t have to go searching.
One last tip for ensuring that your guests are happy during their stay: Keep them well fed! Be sure to offer your kitchen to guests and even consider inquiring as to specific dietary needs or preferences before their arrival to avoid difficulties.
Happy Hosting!
Would an outstanding remodel of your home help you to host guests with more ease and accommodation? JP&CO specializes in transforming houses into homes. Contact JP&CO today to learn how we can help you reinvent your home’s interior.
Grose Samantha
Associate AIA, Allied ASID Designer for JP&CO.