With Christmas slowly creeping up on us I got to thinking about the inevitable festive visitors. And no I don’t mean Santa and Rudolph! Christmas means get togethers and celebrations with friends and family. It also means the likelihood of guests staying over and sharing your house for a few days over the festive period.
In amongst the mince pie eating and general merriment your guests are likely to want to get a little shut eye. So how do you create the perfect little haven for them? I pretty much know what I would want. Big squishy pillows and cosy throws to snuggle down in. There are also LOADS of cute little touches that you can do to really make them feel at home. The question is do you actually do it?
I will be honest here and say I don’t have a guest room so anybody staying at mine has to make do with the sofa bed in the lounge and a duvet and pillow thrown at them at around midnight! Hopefully we can clear everyone else out of the room before they want to actually go to sleep.
However, in an ideal world I’m led to believe you can create the perfect guest room with a few lovely touches. I just hope my guests don’t expect quite this level of hospitality!
Layering Up
If there is one thing that is worth the effort then creating the cosiest bed is it. There is nothing more inviting after a few glasses of mulled wine than climbing in to a lovely bed layered up with pillows and throws.
You could go all out festive with your bed linen but I think it’s best to stick to simple white sheets from Marks and Spencer and accessorise with bit of colour. There are some gorgeous throws out there that work well coupled with a simple grey knitted blanket or two. This fair isle pattern throw from John Lewis is lovely or their snowflake design would add a subtle Christmassy touch.
Make sure you have big fluffy pillows and add a few cushions for a relaxing feel. To keep the look simple go for some beautiful woollen cushions or this lovely Herringbone design from Barker and Storehouse.
One top tip someone once told me was to use a top sheet under a bed spread or duvet. It gives a boutique hotel feel and if you have guests only staying one night you can simply just wash the top and bottom sheets rather than the cumbersome duvet cover.
Fragrance and Flowers
An abundance of candles, diffusers and room sprays can help create a relaxing room. There are so many gorgeous wintery scents out there from pine to winter spice and there is nothing nicer than flickering candlelight. You can’t go far wrong with a little selection from The White Company. I adore the Fir and Berry for the perfect hit of festive scent.
A small vase of fresh flowers on the bedside table instantly makes the room welcoming and adds a lovely touch.
Toiletries
Leave a pile of fluffy towels on the bed or in the bathroom for them to use. Include a large bath sheet, hand towel and flannel.
A selection of toiletries and essentials like cotton wool or toothpaste are a great addition. If like me you still keep your posh bubble bath for best now is the perfect time to put them out for your guests to use.
Keeping Cosy
It’s such a lovely touch to leave some lovely cosy socks and freshly laundered gown for your guests to use. I will admit I’m a bit sad but I love nothing better than warm socks. These cashmere socks from The White Company would be amazing but I’ll settle for my usual Joules fluffy ones!
If your house is a bit chilly, like mine, then a nice hot water bottle would do the trick.
Little Touches
It’s the little unexpected touches that can make your guests feel really welcome. You don’t have to go to the trouble of crafting a swan out of their towel each morning (although that would be impressive!). Leave a little stack of books and magazines on the bedside table or some nice cd’s/ipod speakers. Only if they aren’t planning a wild party, obviously! You could go so far as to put out some nice chocolates like these from Hush or how about leaving them their own infuser mug and tea selection from Whittards of Chelsea. If they are staying a few days then clear some drawers for them to store their clothing in. Make sure you leave your wifi code out for your guests to use. Ok, so perhaps you don’t need to create a bespoke wall hanging but a simple little notecard on the bedside table would be great. It’s these small things that will make their stay special.
So that’s my top tips for making your guests feel all comfy and cosy over Christmas. Do any of you go all out when you have guests over? Do you even have designated space to put up guests or is it an inflated airbed and sleeping bag in the living room approach? If it is Lauren heartily recommends a blow up bed with a built in pump to make inflating after a few proseccos an absolute doddle!
Image sources: White Bed | Lights | Dark Walls | Toile | Twin Beds | Throws | Cabinet | Bath Caddy | Socks | Chair | Wifi | Lamp | Blue Bed
{TREAT YOUR GUESTS}
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Me and the hubby are moving house in the new year and I can’t WAIT to get started on the guest room! We have friends all over the place and love it when they come to stay so it will be great fun using all of these tips to create a gorgeous place for them to stay-as opposed to our spare room that currently doubles up as one giant laundry basket!
Oh you lucky thing having a lovely new house to style up! I used to have a guest room until the little one’s took over but I console myself with the fact that we don’t have people staying over too often so they don’t mind the sofa! Good luck with the move x
We have a guest room, but unfortunately it’s only big enough for a single bed. However for one person it’s really cosy. If it’s two people staying over (which is getting more likely) they have to make do with a blow up bed with a built-in pump, but we set it up in a separate room, so the guests don’t have to wait for everyone to leave the living room! Really lovely inspiration though! Will definitely add some lovely socks and perhaps a hot water bottle!
I do love a single bed if I’m staying over somewhere on my own. Its so cosy. A hot water bottle is always a great addition! x
love this post (secretly I’d love to run a B&B)! Just getting around to decorating our spare rooms now, slowly and one by one on a budget. We are in a four bed and have only really decorated our own bedroom and that’s not even finished. The first spare room we are tackling is a single room with a massive window and fireplace. Lovely idea putting the wifi details out for them, I also leave out a spare hair dryer so they don’t have to bring one and don’t need to worry about asking for mine. A hot water bottle is also a lovely idea. I like leaving magazines and books out in case they have any trouble sleeping. Extra blankets are always a good idea too in case they are cold.
I definitely think you should open a B&B! I’d come and stay x
My mum always leaves lovely little touches in what was my old room (now the guest room) at theirs including a wee vase of flowers from the garden and a stack of magazines (if hubby is staying too she even adds the farmer’s weekly for him!). We have a guest room in our house but I dint particularly leave anything special out. we do have a guest book in there though and I love reading their messages after they leave! We have piles of pillows and throws to make it feel homely. We’re moving in 2 weeks and will have 3 spare rooms (until we fill them with children!) So I’m looking forward to decoraing them for guests x
Your mum sounds the best. The guest book is such a lovely idea and such a great thing to look back through. Good luck with the move x
Ahh M-J, my mum leaves magazines out too!
Love the guest book – such a cute touch x
We’ve just moved house and now have a lovely guest bedroom. I can’t wait for people to stay over so they can use it. I saw a really good tip on Pinterest a couple of years ago and guests have said how lovely it is. Basically I have a big kilner jar, which I’ve filled with any samples I’ve got. All those little sachets you get in magazines or freebies from high end beauty counters. I attached a label to the outside telling our guests to help themselves (I also raid it occasionally). It’s simple but I think a really lovely touch and it’s free!! ?xx
Fabulous tip on the samples. I have a whole stash of them that really need a new home x
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