The new house has a pretty great sized guest room down stairs. We had some company stay recently – before we had a chance to get all the flooring done and I was so stressed about it. Being the proud owner of not so pretty concrete basement floors and welcoming guests just didn’t seem to mix.
I began adding details to the space like crazy hoping it would help. The room ended up being such a pretty space no one even cared the floor wasn’t quite finished. ;) I’ve partnered with Dash & Albert for their gorgeous bedding which I layered in mass and added my own simple details to the room – it’s helped me realize that a guest room is more about texture and comfort than having everything perfect anyway.
Here are six details I focused on that will work for getting any room guest ready.
Detail one: A place to store things.
One of my least favorite things about traveling is organizing our clothes on the road and it only multiplies with kids! What is clean? Are those socks dirty? It can quickly become a huge mess. Having pop up bins around the room like this one and this pretty pink one give guests a place to toss their dirties with ease. Since the bins pop up and down again they are easy to move around and easy to put away when we don’t have guests in town.
Detail two: A pillow for everyone.
I like to sleep with three fluffy pillows stacked behind my head, Matt likes firm ones. To ensure our guests have the best night sleep I filled the bed with both options and even more! Ensuring we have a couple firmer pillows and a few fluffy soft ones means our guests can dream in peace. The fun paint chip pillow is by far my favorite of the bunch, it also looks so great on our seating area sofa.
Detail three: Bring in blooms.
I’ve learned how to hang wall paper since moving into this house. We’ve done it in a few rooms so far, it is easy an great fun. I have to say though this room might be my favorite! The black and white floral blooms set a fun stage for the colorful bedding and I always like to bring fresh flowers into the room right before guests arrive. This pink flower branch was cut off one of the trees in our yard, it’s been blooming like crazy!
Detail four: Go for bold.
In the past our guest room has sadly gotten all the leftovers. A blanket we don’t use anymore, a sheet set that is a bit faded, it’s been more a tossing place than a fully thought out room. I’m super excited about getting to develop an entire space that is bold, fun and purposeful for our guests. We used the graffiti sheet set as our base and topped it with large fleece pillows, boyfriend shams, a hot pink bed skirt (isn’t it divine!?!), a graphic brush stroke duvet cover that is reversible, and a linen coral one. We even included a coordinating striped woof giving a comfy floor spot for our guest’s pups. Layering colors and graphic textures create the most comfortable bed ever and really brightened up the entire room. It’s amazing what a little planning and color can do.
Detail five: Open up the space.
No matter how large (or small) a guest space might be it always helps to open it up as best as possible. Sometimes that means opening up the blinds on a window, or removing the hated sliding closet doors. For me it meant combining a large walk in closet as an extension of the room. We removed the door, painted the wall, hung up art and set this fun star poof inside. Eventually the little side room will be totally developed as a relaxing reading spot for our kids and guests.
We knew our guests wouldn’t really need a walk in closet and we don’t need it for storage, so using the space as extra guest room footprint made the most sense. I’ve really enjoyed the process of reimagining parts of our house to match our families daily needs.
Detail six: Mood lighting matters.
Although we have an overhead light in the space like most bedrooms across the country, adding in mood lighting has really set the tone for a restful guest room. I swagged an exaggeratedly large black pendant over to the perfect spot in bed for a little late night reading. I love how the pendant plays off the flowers for a graphic but calming corner at home.
I am happy to say our guests loved the spot and so do I! It will be a fun year of hosting and enjoying this space.
This post was done in partnership with Annie Selke Companies. All styling and ideas my own.
(Photography ©A Subtle Revelry by Erin Holland).
LOVE this poppy wallpaper! Will you please provide the source?