How to Create the Best Guest Room

Having guests stay in your home can be a great experience. Whether it’s your relatives during the holidays or friends visiting from out of town, if you have a proper guest room, you can welcome them with open arms.

With a little bit of creativity, you can create the perfect guest room, and you don’t have to break the bank to do it. To help you with this task, here are some ideas for you that will be fun to implement, and the end result will be a beautiful room that your guests will enjoy. As a bonus, you can put it to other uses when you’re not hosting

Keep it Simple

When decorating your guest room, think about how fine hotels are decorated. Most hotel rooms are decorated very simply but with all the necessities placed conveniently around the room. While you may not have the budget to turn your guest room into a luxury oasis, you can make it comfortable and welcoming on any budget. 

Getting Ready

To start this project, you need to do some planning, and it’s easier if you have an empty room at the start. That will provide you with a blank canvas as it were, and you can do just about anything you want with the design.

Colours

The first decision you need to make involves the colour scheme. Start with an empty room and get the room ready for furniture. Start with paint or wallpaper or a combination of both.

Flooring

The next major decision is flooring. If the existing flooring is in bad shape you might need to replace it. Do you want to have carpet or bare floors? If you’d like to have carpet, do you want wall to wall carpeting or a nice area rug?

The Bed

This will be the focal point of the room, so you need to get it right. You want the bed to fit nicely into the room, so your first decision is to select the kind of bed frame you want, and there are many to choose from.

There are so many types of bed frames, and you need to pick the one that works for your situation. Here are a few of the options available:

• Divan beds- A divan bed base is crafted from a wooden structure, covered in a layer of soft wadding, and then upholstered in fabric. The base is made to the same measurements as a mattress, making it more compact than a standard bed frame and creating a beautifully clean and minimalist aesthetic. Unlike other bed frames, many divan beds have built in storage drawers integrated into the bed base as well, providing convenient under bed storage.
• Bedstead-this is basically a bed frame, similar to a platform bed, but instead of having a solid platform to set the mattress on, it has a series of slats that support the mattress. This provides an added layer of comfort and support to your sleep as the slats adjust to your weight.
• Storage beds-as the name says, a storage bed is a frame that is designed to include built-in storage. Options range from simple platform beds with underbed drawers or baskets to captain's beds with a bookshelf and multiple drawers.
• Ottoman bed- A variation on the storage bed, an ottoman bed is a bed that includes an integrated storage system, lifting up the base through the use of hydraulics to reveal storage space underneath. Ottoman beds tend to provide more storage capacity than divan or drawer type storage beds since they use the entire space under the bed.
• Sofa beds-a sofa bed, sometimes referred to as a sleeper sofa, is essentially a sofa that can be converted into a bed. These work well in a room that you won’t use for sleeping every day, and they’re easy to convert to a bed and back again to a sofa.
• Bunk beds-these are double decker beds. Some designs make both the upper and lower bed the same size, while others have a larger bed on the bottom. The biggest advantage of these is their compact design.
• Trundle bed-this is usually a single size bed with another bed underneath that can be pulled out to make a second bed for a guest. This is especially suited for kids’ sleepovers. Some of these beds have a spring mechanism that raises the second bed to the same height as the main bed, essentially turning the single bed into a king.

Headboards

If you’ve selected a divan bed and want to add a headboard, you have a lot of options to consider. Headboards come in a variety of styles, colors, materials, and sizes. At Carters Bed City we carry a large selection of headboards from such quality manufacturers as Sealy, Kaymed, Harrison Spinks, Relyon, and Hypnos. 

Do You Need a New Mattress?

Nothing lasts forever, and if your mattress is getting up there in age, you might need to replace it. The average lifespan of a mattress is anywhere from 7 to 15 years, depending on the quality of the mattress, and how much it’s used. If you notice any stains, tears, or bulges in your guest room mattress, you probably need to look for a new one.

When beginning this project, measure the room to decide what size mattress you’re going to use:

• Small single-75cm x 190cm-these mattresses are great for children and fit into tight spaces.
• Single-90cm x 190cm-slightly wider than the small single, this size is good for older children or to be used as a guest room mattress.
• Small double-120cm x 190cm-this one is slightly smaller than a standard double and is suitable for two adults in a smaller bedroom.
• Standard double-135cm x 190cm-a standard double can comfortably sleep two average adults.
• King -150cm x 200cm-wider and slightly longer than the standard double, the king size mattress sleeps two but is roomier than the double. This size is good for couples who disturb each other in the night, or for folks who find children or dogs with them in their beds.
• Super king-180cm x 200cm-this mattress is particularly suited for taller or heavier sleepers, and they work well in a larger bedroom.

The next factor to consider when shopping for a mattress is the tension or firmness level, from extra soft to extra firm. Choose a mattress that you think will please most of your potential visitors.

When choosing your new mattress, we hope you’ll come see us at Carters Bed City. We carry a wide range of mattresses from these top brands:

• Harrison Spinks
• Hypnos
• Kaymed
• Komfi
• Reylon
• Sealy
• Somnus
• Vispring

Storage

An important part of any guest room is storage. When your friends or family come to visit, they’ll need to hang up some clothes or put some things away in drawers. If your guest room has no closet, or if your closet is full, you can add a wardrobe to take care of this. You should also add a chest of drawers, bedside table, and a blanket box for the convenience of your guests.

Bentley Designs and Ercol are two of the leading suppliers of quality storage options necessary for your guest room including wardrobes, chests of drawers, bedside tables, blanket boxes and more.

Additional Amenities

After you’ve fully furnished the guest room, think about amenities that would make your guests more comfortable.

• Reading Material-Many people like to read before they fall asleep. Books or magazines left in the guest room will prove to be a thoughtful touch.
• Bathroom Needs-Make sure that your guests have access to clean towel sets, tissues, soap, shampoo, bath tissue, and maybe even a spare toothbrush or two, in case they forgot to bring them.
• Extra Linens-Accidents happen so make sure that your guests have an extra set of linens handy. If your guests are the type that would change the linens before leaving, let them do it and thank them.

Room for a Suitcase

Clear a space on a low bench or provide a luggage rack so they’ll have someplace to rest their bags, other than the floor.

Seating

If you have room, a nice touch for a guest room is a comfy seating area where your guests can have a place to relax other than the bed. If you have a window seat, that makes a dandy reading nook.

Final Words

Setting up a guest room can be a fun project. Creating a welcoming space for your family or friends can be a way to show them that you care. If you need help in selecting furnishings for your guest room, come see us at Carters Furniture.

Here at Carters Furniture, we pride ourselves on the vast selection of furniture that we offer, along with our outstanding customer service. Our highly trained staff can provide you with the right advice and information so that you can make the most of your furniture purchase. Because of the special relationships, we have with our suppliers, we are able to source furniture from all over the globe, as well as products that are manufactured locally, and we can offer the lowest prices on all of the products we sell. In fact, we have a low price guarantee that states that we will match or beat any competitors price on identical products. We have 2 large showrooms full of the most stylish, practical, and high quality furniture and bedding, and our stores are open seven days a week to serve you.

If you’d like more information about the products and services we offer, visit our website or call us at 01562 540862  (Carters Furniture Store) or 01562 66396   (Carters Bed City). Even better, stop by either of our locations to see for yourself. We look forward to serving you!

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