10 Ways To Create The Ideal Guest Room
I was due to see a friend this week, to watch the new Nancy Meyer's film, Home Again. I sent a quick message to ask whose house we were due to spend the night at, to which the reply came "I'll come to you, as it reminds me of staying in a boutique hotel".
Home Again with Reese Witherspoon and THOSE kitchen worktops
Other than the time Tom Ford complimented my outfit {true story, I was in my favourite restaurant, The Wolseley, where he was dining with Colin Firth around the time they released A Simple Man: we met on the stairs, awkwardly sidestepped and he said he liked my dress}, this was pretty much the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me - sad creature that I am - because making people feel welcome brings abject joy to my soul.
I may not have Kate Middleton's hair, or be able to do a yoga headstand {or any kind of bloody headstand for that matter}, but since I was at university and welcomed 'home friends' for weekend visits, I have known how to setup a guest room.
So whether you're having a girlfriend to share your one bedroom flat for a night, or have the treat of establishing your first spare room in a new home, here are a few tips on how to get it right.
1. Firstly, spending a night in the designated room/space is a surefire way to understand what does and doesn't need to change. No point having a beautiful room if your guests get woken up at sunrise because the curtains are thin or swelter to death in summer the windows are painted shut. Equally, if it's freezing you know to pop a hot water bottle with their towels.
2. Easy access to a power socket. Not a traditional one, but even if you have a friend coming to stay over setup a spare phone charger plugged in on their side of the bed so they can have their phone to hand and be ready to go in the morning.
3. Plenty of fresh, fluffy towels make a real difference - one for hair and hands, as well as a bathrobe for guests to snuggle into is a little extra touch. My absolute favourites are the Marbella robes from Richard Haworth wholesalers - bonus of having a fiancé in the hotel trade, - they are the absolute softest, and you can get them monogrammed if that's your kinda thing.
4. Ensure you give the room a good airing before anyone comes to visit, and add a vase of fresh flowers. These needn't be anything grand, just something simple from the garden adds a cheery, welcoming touch.
5. Tea. Does your guest have a favourite tea? I absolutely adore Earl Grey {has to be Twinings, Tea Pigs is too strong, and Pukka is actually vile}, and pathetically struggle to function in the morning without a cup first thing. Maybe subtly check with your guest if they have a preferred tea, and indeed a milk preference with so many variations out there, that you can buy in before they arrive - nothing says welcome like a fresh cup of your favourite as you settle down to share news at the kitchen table.
Being brought a cup of tea first thing in the morning is an absolute treat for me, so will always make one for guests along with my own, and either deliver it bedside {boarding school habit}, or leave it on the landing table for them and send them a text if they aren't the type of friend who you regularly see in their PJs.
6. If you want to go a step further why not place a little welcome gift on the bed. A book you know they'll enjoy curling up with*, some lavender sleep balm {Scentered Sleep Well Therapy Balm is the best} or some freshly 'borrowed' spa slippers for them to sink their toes into.
*Every girl I know is loving Dolly Alderton's first book. Honest, funny and full of nostalgic, I would be delighted to find a copy on my pillow.
7. Ensure guests know where the bathroom is or which one they are to use if there is a chance of confusion. Same goes for tea making facilities in the morning - always good to be able to help yourself and then pad back to bed with said book.
8. Clear out the junk. This is admittedly space-dependent, but is pretty much non-negotiable if you're really going to call it a guest room. A couple of neat storage boxes in the wardrobe is fine, but expecting guests to sleep amongst piled up suitcases and old CDs isn't especially restful for you, or welcoming for them.
9. Always have water on the night stand. Growing up in a house with a water tank meant drinking from upstairs taps was forbidden, meaning I still have a thing about it. Leave a cooled bottle or carafe on the night stand for guests to help themselves.
10. And finally, for the full five star treatment why not do a turn down? Since my Mother was widowed some years ago, whenever I go to stay with her I have taken to setting out her pyjamas and drawing the curtains, before putting a hot water bottle in her bed and spritzing some lavender on the pillow, which she says makes bedtime a little less lonely.
I am a big fan of the Gregorian Monks chanting on Spotify, but it's not for everyone {4,800 monthly listeners may be on to something though - go listen}
So when I have people to stay, around 9pm I draw the curtains, fold down the top corner of the duvet, lower the lighting and adjust the radio station to Classic FM on low. Dreamy.
Obviously if you don't know your guest that well this last one could be classed as rather invasive, so maybe adjust accordingly, but I'd say 9/10 on these and you're nailing it.
Happy hosting x
Too much? It's too much isn't it?
