I love to travel. And I am admittedly a hotel snob. But I don’t always stay at hotels when I’m on the road. My husband & I will rent a villa or a condo or a small house when we plan on staying in the area for more than a few days. And of course, I will stay with family when we visit them. Well, usually. 🙂 One thing that really makes a trip more enjoyable for me is a nice guest room to stay in. There are some serious guest rooms do’s and don’ts that I have discovered both in my travels and in the many homes I have visited in my interior design career.

First. And most importantly. Do NOT throw all of your unwanted furniture, art, bed linens and accessories into your guest bedroom – and then invite friends & family to stay there. If it is THAT bad, replace it. If it is not THAT bad, dress it up with some paint. You can get inexpensive bedding at places like Home Goods, Wayfair or Target to spruce up your space.

Below is a photo of a guest room that includes a dresser that was painted, inexpensive window treatments and colorful bedding that welcomes guests. Note there is plenty of room on the bedside tables for guests to put a glass of water or to charge their phone and use as an alarm.

And here is a bedroom in a Dallas high-rise that our clients downsized into. The bed, art and accessories were from their previous house. We updated with new, smaller nightstands, updated lamps, and new bedding.

The room was not large, but we were able to fit a television above the closet and included a small seating area on the balcony for our clients’ guests.

Do try to fit some seating into your guest room if space allows, as we did in this guest bedroom in Preston Hollow. It makes for a good place for your friends or family to sit and put their shoes on or relax and enjoy the silence before going to bed.

And while you don’t HAVE to deck out your guest room as if it were a swanky hotel, ask yourself why NOT welcome your loved ones with a really nice place to spend their nights in your home?

This Preston Hollow space includes nightstands he already had that we painted a high gloss white, the bedding is an inexpensive pinch pleat set from Target – we just added some pillows to make it look pricey. We also purchased new “statement” lamps from ZGallerie, added some art and brought in accessories that our client already had…we just re-arranged their placement into the guest room. There is also plenty of closet space that includes empty hangers for guests to use when they unpack their suitcase.

Wouldn’t you rather stay in one of the rooms above? Guest rooms do not need as much detail or budget as your master bedroom, but it should not be a dumping ground for all of your unwanted furniture either. I know that a good or bad guest room does not ruin the actual visit with loved ones, nor does it make or break a vacation, but it sure can enhance your time away from home!

Do you have good guest bedroom solutions? Tell me in the comments below – I would love to hear!

XOXO,

Michelle Lynne

P.S. I am also on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Houzz – where you will find more images that don’t always make the blog or the website.