Cozy & Comfortable Guest Room

My aunt is such an most amazing hostess. Every time I stay with her, she goes above and beyond to make sure I’m comfortable and taken care of. The last time we visited, she even left us a few little goodies – a Valentine’s Day tea towel and a few coasters that say California (since they live in CA). She even left some meringues too! Her guest room has an en-suite bathroom also, which is super convenient. In the bathroom you can find any kind of toiletry item you might need. The thought and care that she has obviously put into preparing for us makes us feel so loved and wanted!

When we moved from our townhouse to our single family home, there was a room in the house that would be the natural choice for a guest room. This room is spacious enough for a queen size bed, a dresser, and even a little writing desk, chair, and storage bench. It even has a full en-suite bathroom and the walk-in shower is especially perfect for anyone with difficulty stepping over a tub. The bonus in this room is a very decent size walk-in closet that will probably spoil any long term guests!

The first two weeks that we were in our new house, we actually slept in that guest room while we were waiting for our new bed (we upgraded to a king!) to be delivered. All that time in the guest room gave me time to really think about how I was going to set up the room to be comfortable and cozy for guests! Soon enough, we had our first house guests, who said they loved staying with us. I am so excited to share what I did to make them feel welcome and comfortable during their stay!

First Things First: Furniture

Let’s start with essentials, since no overnight stay would be comfortable without an actual place to sleep. The mattress in our guest room is our old mattress from our master bedroom. Given that we had a tight budget to stick to, there wasn’t room to buy a new mattress for the room, but we do eventually plan to upgrade. For now, the mattress in there is still in pretty good shape. I also put a down-alternative topper underneath a thick mattress protector and pad. Those layers give the mattress a slightly softer landing, since the mattress itself is pretty firm.

There is also a 6-drawer dresser in the room that I’ve had since I graduated from college. Three of the drawers are currently used to store fabric for a project I plan to complete (eventually!) but I left three drawers empty. Having drawers to unpack into for longer stays always makes me feel more relaxed, since that living-out-of-a-suitcase thing gets old fast! There are a couple of small trinkets on top, and basket, but most of the dresser top is bare. The more space for their items, the better!

In one corner is a basic chair – it is useful for putting on shoes, dropping a purse or backpack on, or can even be moved over to the little writing desk if need be. There are nightstands on each side of the bed, with small lamps for soft lighting. The last piece of furniture is a storage bench at the foot of the bed. I’ve left it empty, but it can house the decorative pillows from the bed or serve as a luggage rack. It’s strong enough for two average size adults to sit on it.

Little extras

I don’t know about you, but I always find that a full-length mirror to come in pretty clutch as I’m making myself presentable for the day. Unfortunately, most guest rooms I stay in don’t have any mirror in the whole room, let alone a full-length mirror. Since I am building this guest room by keeping in mind all the things that I would want in a room I stay in, having that mirror was a priority. It’s a little thing that is often overlooked, but whenever I have one in a guest room, I’m so thankful. With that said, the full-length mirror got hung on the closet door.

In addition to the full-length mirror, I also hung a smaller, decorative mirror in the room because a) it matched, b) this is where it made the most sense. Full disclosure, I don’t really like where the mirror is hung, but there was already a screw mounted there from the previous owners, so I just used it for now. Eventually the room will be painted and I’ll patch the hole and hang the mirror in a better spot then.

On one side of the bed, I included a little trinket bowl to catch jewelry or spare change at the end of the night. It always makes me more comfortable to have a designated jewelry place so that nothing gets accidentally knocked or moved. Plus, the bowl is blue and white, and you might pick up on the fact that I’m a sucker for anything blue and white! I use that exact phrase in this post also!

Comfort

I’m a pretty big plant lady. I talk to them, I refer them as “him” or “her,” and I deeply appreciate the beauty and usefulness that they have. After years of reading about all the ways that snake plants purify the air and the ease of caring for them, I finally have some of my own! Snake plants are known for being especially good at emitting oxygen into the air at night, which can help you sleep better. They’re also known for being able to grow in little light, and don’t need much water or care. It seemed like a no-brainer. The guest room is now the proud owner of its very own snake plant! I also added a little succulent arrangement to one of the nightstands – I just think plants make a space feel more welcoming and relaxing!

On the little writing desk, I set up a small hotel-style tea/coffee station. On a cute little (blue and white, of course) tray, I’ve left a couple mugs, a few fancy water glasses I found at a thrift store, and a couple snacks. I even dug out my old electric kettle we’d packed away. I took a page out of my aunt’s book and left our guests a few treats on the plate (just shortbread cookies). We also left them a personal note (and birthday card, and RSVP to their wedding, haha!). The final thrift store purchase on the table is a little box that is the perfect size for two rows of tea bags. I included herbal and caffeinated tea, a few packs of instant coffee, and lettered the “Tea & Coffee” on the top.

Even though the down-alternative comforter on the bed is pretty warm, I also left an extra blanket for them on the bed.

Linens and Pillows

Part of a restful night is having linens that don’t make you too hot or feel old and worn out. I chose white linens, since they’re easy to bleach and clean and also let guests know that there are extra towels and blankets on the shelf in the closet. I also made sure the bed had plenty of variety of pillow shapes and sizes. One that is soft and not too full, one that is more firm, and two average pillows that are full but squishable. I hate having to sleep on an old, flat pillow – it makes my neck hurt!

There are fluffy towels in the bathroom – bath towels, hand towels, and wash clothes. I also left a note explaining where more linens could be found.

Bathroom

In a further attempt to emulate a hotel room, I included a hairdryer and basic toiletries in the bathroom, but I didn’t stop there. The basket with the hair dryer has wrinkle release spray, manicure items, hair spray, cotton swabs, and lotion. I also made there there was Poopouri and a scented oil diffuser. The medicine cabinet has some general pain relievers, contact solution, immune system boosters, and an over-the-counter sleep aid. The drawers of the vanity have spare tooth-brushes, tooth paste, floss, and make-up remover wipes. I also included a magnifying mirror for those times you need to get a little closer!

Final Thoughts

Since the guest room will host people from out of town, I did a few extra things to make them feel more comfortable and welcome. First, I left a basket with a few magazines and a book, all about local attractions. Second, I left a hand written, personalized note for our guests. I welcomed them, said what I was looking forward to, and explained how they could find the essentials. This was great because then I didn’t have to worry about if I’d told them everything. It also meant that hopefully anything they might need was already prepared. A lot of times people hate to ask, so I tried to anticipate what they’d need. Hopefully this helped them not have to worry about asking, since whatever they needed was hopefully already there!

What else have you included that I might have forgotten?