Creating A Relaxing Guest Retreat

November 2010

With the holidays just around the corner, friends and family will travel great distances to be with their loved ones. Welcome overnight visitors to your home with a comfortable, relaxing space to unwind. Whether they are relatives or friends, your guests should feel that that they can escape to your guest room and take a pleasurable break. Your guest room should not only be a room for visitors to sleep in–it should be a retreat for them to unwind.

A bed is an obvious need for guests and unfortunately, most homeowners do not offer much more. Providing a comfortable chair with a side table to hold a drink and a reading lamp is an added luxury for visitors that they will appreciate. If you use your guestroom for another purpose, such as an office, organization is the key to being able to quickly turn it into a guest retreat. Storing items in labeled baskets is one way to separate the two functions of the room.

Putting together a stylish space for guests is a project that you can do without spending a fortune. Be sure to:

1. Check out local estate sales and consignment shops for bargain furniture, antiques and vintage accessories.

2. Use furniture that works double-duty such as a small desk that can also serve as a bedside table. It will make an ideal spot for your guests to jot down notes or write postcards and letters.

3. Think like a top-notch hotel and anticipate your guest’s every need. Place items that they may have forgotten to pack such as shampoo or books throughout the space. Stock up throughout the year as you encounter sales so that you are always prepared.

Below are some additional features that will make your guests feel at ease and their stay in your home more pleasurable.

• scented candles
• a bureau
• an alarm clock
• books & magazines for bedtime reading
• travel-size soaps & shampoo
• an extra blanket
• storage space in a closet
• soft robes & fuzzy slippers
• a bedside lamp
• fluffy towels and pillows
• a simply-dressed bed without a large pile of pillows to arrange

Be sure to email any questions that you have about decorating and remodeling to me at pbm@TheHomeProjectFile.com