10 easy ways to upgrade your guest bedroom
We often start off with high hopes for our guest bedroom, but it can quickly become a bit of a dumping ground. It is just too tempting to hide spare bits of furniture, luggage, bedding and other household clutter out of sight and out of mind behind its closed doors.
But with a few smart tweaks, guest bedrooms can become little sanctuaries that encourage us to host friends and family. They are often small, so redecorating is not a behemoth undertaking, and they can also be an opportunity to indulge your decorating fantasies, with bright colour or eye-catching wallpaper that you might not want to test out in your main living areas.
Below we look at 10 great guest bedrooms, with design ideas and inspiration for creating a warmer welcome.
Go for glamour
A dressing table and mirror is a total luxury in a guest bedroom and can be a great way to inject a bit of personality – achieved here by Barlow & Barlow with the playful leopard print stool and family photos. The built-in design that sits flush to the bed is a great use of space and even holds a handy bedside wall lamp.
Design by: Barlow & Barlow
Read more: 14 modern dressing tables
Prioritise (beautiful) storage
For guests, there's nothing worse than having to keep clothes crumpled in suitcases. Built-in storage is a great use of space and provides an opportunity to get creative. Take your cues from this retro-inspired bedroom by interior designer Laura Stephens – drench wardrobes and walls in the same colour and accent your doors with a gorgeous beaded trim.
Design by: Laura Stephens
Read more: Built-in wardrobes, fitted cupboards and bespoke storage ideas
Thoughtful extras
Thoughtful finishing touches such as fresh flowers and a clean robe, a pile of magazines or books, task lighting for reading or working and a full-length mirror can make all the difference to a guest’s stay.
Pictured: Wool Iconic Herringstripe Carpet at Alternative Flooring
Create a comfy corner
An armchair provides a spot for guests to sit aside from the bed, and doubles as a handy place to lay some clothes. Follow the lead of design studio, Run for the Hills, and create a little nook with a small rug to delineate the space, with a handy side table and an occasional chair with extra deep seats to encourage curling up.
Design by: Run for the Hills
Read more: How to decorate nooks in the home
Internal storage
Wardrobes with internal compartments offer plenty of space for stashing away luggage for the duration of your guest's trip. It is of course useful extra storage for your own bulky essentials like bedlinen and towels. Just remember to leave some space for your visitors...
Pictured: House Beautiful Realm Wardrobe at Homebase
Don't hold back
Papering a ceiling – and especially a pitched ceiling – creates a cosy, tented effect in the most diminutive of spaces. Guest bedrooms are an opportunity to indulge your decorating fantasies too with a feature wallpaper that you might not want to live with on a daily basis.
Read more: Tour the rest of this maximalist flat in Nottingham
Make sure it's useful
Don't let a guest bedroom languish unused until occupants arrive. They can almost always serve a secondary function as a home office or TV snug. Interior designer, Jen Samson, has very cleverly integrated desk space into a wardrobe with shelves above to hold office supplies.
Design by: Jen Samson Design
Try space-saving tricks
Guest bedrooms are often compact and could do with some clever space-saving tricks. The designers at Oakley Moore have used a wall-mounted light and tiny shelf built into the bespoke wardrobes in lieu of a bedside table here.
Design by: Oakley Moore
Read more: See See this entire home makeover with heaps of character
Mix retro and modern
The guest bedroom in the Insta-famous home of Lisa Dawson (@_lisa_dawson_) provides a decorating cheat sheet for those who love her signature vintage-with-a-twist design style. Recreate the look with a retro floral wallpaper – a busy print brings an enveloping feel – and apply a matching colour to woodwork. Here, a chequerboard rug, bobbin mirror and antique furniture add a dose of nostalgia.
Read more: 50 beautiful bedrooms with great ideas to steal
Save space
Make a feature of the guest bed, no matter how tiny. This recessed nook designed by Studio Peake has been wallpapered and furnished with a slim day bed – usually a better option than a sofa bed because they can house storage underneath. The articulated floor lamp is a nice touch too as guests can move the spotlights around when getting ready or for some late-night reading.
Design by: Studio Peake
Read more: 40 small bedroom ideas to fall in love with
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