When you enjoy having friends and family members stay overnight in your home with you, it makes sense to have comfortable, attractive guest rooms for them during their visit. In fact, it can be a key element when you want to be the perfect host. 

Overall, you’ll want to create a space that allows your guests to get restful sleep (so you can have fun during your waking hours!) in a functional yet eye-catching private space. To help you with this quest, we’ve scoured the web to find the best ideas for designing a guest room. Enjoy!

#1 Create a Theme That Dovetails With Architectural Elements

Before you begin, consider what architectural elements in the room make natural focal points that you’ll want to highlight in your spare bedroom design. This could be a large window with a gorgeous beach view, built-in bookcase, or vault in the ceiling. You’ll want to keep these focal points in mind throughout the designing and decorating processes. 

Then, consider what decorating theme you want to use—mid-century modern, shabby chic, nautical, French country, urban modern, and so forth—and use it reasonably consistently throughout the guest space. If you find a table, chair, or piece of art that you’d love to have in the room—but it doesn’t necessarily fit your chosen theme—don’t automatically discard it. Some styles, such as mid-century modern or transitional, can accommodate blends of design types. If something “shouldn’t” work according to the rulebooks, but it does, discard the rulebook and keep the design element.

#2 Choose Your Color Scheme

As you select the color scheme for designing a guest room, you’ll want to consider the flow from other portions of your house into the guest space and ensure it’s a smooth transition. Plus, when choosing colors for your guest room, you could pick three: a dark/deep color, a light color, and a bright color—and then decide which of these will dominate the room and which ones will accent the space. You could experiment by using paint swatches, floor samples, wallpaper snippets, and so forth to see what combination you like best in your spare bedroom design. 

Once you’ve found your favorites, double-check that all flows well from the connecting rooms and fits your decorating theme. Don’t forget that colors will look different based on the room’s lighting at the time. So, choose colors while in this room (rather than in a store or in another location in your home) with drapes open and then closed—and also with lamps on and then off before making your final decisions. 

#3 Focus on Your Walls

You’ll need to decide between paint and wallpaper—or a combination of both. With paint, you’ll want to follow your color scheme and taste and, if you want to know what colors Southern Living considers the best for guest rooms, they range from pale blue to moody greens and from sunny colors to bright whites and more. You can also look at Forbes to see the recommended light shades, bright hues, and deep ones for your color scheme. 

If you’re interested in using wallpaper on all four walls or on accent ones, one hot wallpaper trend could be an intriguing choice in a beach town: wave patterned wallpaper. This style brings the movements of the ocean indoors and is “adding softness and fluidity to a space whilst simultaneously elongating walls and offering a new take on the traditional and unmistakably bold stripes.” 

Another way to use wallpaper in your spare bedroom design to seamlessly combine the indoors and outdoors is through botanical designs. These can include “beautiful palm leaves, tropical birds and flowers” and so forth, which are often in large scaled patterns.

#4 Find the Best Flooring

There’s an ongoing debate between carpet and hardwood for flooring and, as a homeowner, you probably already have your favorite. What’s best when designing a guest room, though, may depend upon the specific situation. When considering spare bedroom decorating ideas, let’s say that you’ll also need to create guest bathroom decor ideas. In that case, hardwood floors can be the best en suite solution. In luxury homes, people are often investing in a Brazilian koa wood floor for its beauty and durability. 

In a warmer climate, ceramic or travertine tile can be a good choice if that fits your decorating scheme (such as Mediterranean style). This material also works well when you’re brainstorming guest bathroom decor ideas. 

Carpeting, meanwhile, provides a sense of coziness. Besides the option of wall to wall carpet, you could choose a wood flooring and then use a large, eye-catching rug to cover most of the space. The benefit of the latter strategy is that you can change the rug by season or when you’re updating some of the decor. These rugs may be crafted out of synthetic fibers or, for an added touch of luxury, from natural wool or silk. 

#5 Lay Out Your Furniture Plan

When designing a guest bedroom’s furniture plan, start with the bed. What size will it be? What are the dimensions of the headboard and, if applicable, the footboard? Where will the bed be placed? Fortunately, there are plenty of bed placements that can work quite well—and here are ten of them to consider. You can decide which one fits your spare bedroom design the best.

When brainstorming bedroom decorating ideas for guest rooms, make sure that the rest of the furniture that guests will need for an enjoyable stay fits well. This includes a bedside end table or two for their phones, books, glasses of water, medicine, and so forth. 

If the room is nice and cozy, then multifunctional furniture can be ideal. For example, a small chest of drawers that gives the guests space to store clothing and other items can also serve as a nightstand. Or, placing a stool near the bed can provide an alternative to the traditional nightstand. An upholstered bench with storage space can fulfill two important needs at once: storage space and a place for people to sit or lay down belongings. 

If, on the other hand, you have extra space in your spare bedroom design, providing even more seating can really make the room feel like home away from home. Whether that means chairs or a small sofa and a coffee table, this can give your guests a “sense of ownership to their room.”

#6 Consider the Curtains

When your windows allow guests to see beautiful scenery, they may want to keep them open for much of the day. That said, they’ll want some privacy, and curtains/drapes provide that for them while also allowing them to control the amount of natural light in the space. 

So, as part of your bedroom decorating ideas for guest rooms, consider the curtains. First, you’ll want them to look good with the room’s colors and design. If, for example, you’ve got a room full of wave patterned wallpaper, the curtains will likely need to be a solid color that blends with that wallpaper design. 

If, though, the rooms are simply painted, then your curtains can add a true touch of style to your spare bedroom design. Trends include pared back patterns that add personality to the decorating scheme without being the dominant design; these could include tiny florals, for example, or a checked pattern. Or, with painted walls, you could use curtain designs that are quite bold! Another trend: bespoke details. This can include a range of handcrafted embellishments on curtains and drapes—from embroidered designs to hand-quilted ones to scalloped edges. These can add a touch of luxury and uniqueness without being overwhelming. 

#7 Lighting Up the Room

According to HomesAndGardens.com, well-lit bedrooms use a layered approach to perfectly balance warmth, coziness, and function. When designing a guest room, this can include a combination of ceiling lights with table and floor lamps with the specifics needed varying by the natural light that windows provide in this space. Consider how your guests will likely use the space and incorporate that into your bedroom decorating ideas for guest rooms. A reading light on a nightstand, for example, or a table lamp by a small sofa can be quite functional. If there’s enough height and floor space, then a striking floor lamp could make quite a statement. If space is at a premium, then wall-hung lights can be practical as well as beautiful. Whenever possible, bedroom lighting should be dimmable to match the mood and function of the moment. 

#8 Include the Extra Touches

To truly help your guests feel at home, remember the extra touches. This can include the bedding provided. When quality bedding materials are provided in layers, this can offer up a luxurious feel while giving guests the option of how much bedding makes them feel comfy and cozy. Provide multiple comfortable sleeping pillows, too, along with a few (but not too many!) that are purely decorative.

Having a TV is much appreciated by many guests as part of your spare bedroom decorating ideas. Put the remote near the bed so that they can easily reach it when it’s time to turn the TV off at night. Guests will also appreciate a mirror to use to get ready for the day with a full length one being a bonus. If the spare bedroom is intimate in size, the mirror can also help it to look bigger.

When designing a guest room, additional extras that show you care include phone chargers, a lighted clock, strategically placed pieces of art and, upon arrival, a vase of fresh flowers. And, although this idea will take a bit more planning and work, adding a built-in bookshelf niche (if the room doesn’t already feature one) will add both personality and more space for books, phones, and so forth.

#9 Decorating the Guest Bathroom

If you have an en suite bathroom for guests, they’ll love it—and here are extra touches in guest bathroom decor ideas that will be appreciated. These include plush towels and washcloths, a thick, fluffy bath mat or larger area rug, and plenty of toiletries. From soap to shampoo and from razors to cotton swabs, extra toothbrushes, toothpaste, and more, you can really make your guests feel at home. Make sure the bathroom is well stocked with toilet paper and tissues.

Add fresh flowers to the bathroom, as well, plus candles or other ways that help to keep a bathroom smelling fresh. If you plan to have long-term guests, as part of your guest bathroom decor ideas, include a small hamper for laundry management, hooks for bathrobes, and so forth. For a more luxurious experience, add a soaking tub to the guest bathroom along with bath salts and plush towels on a shelf they can easily reach. Also consider towel warmers.

#10 Extending Smart Technologies

If you’ve got a smart home, you can extend the convenience of these devices—with the lighting, temperature control, shower settings, entertainment centers, and more—to your spare bedroom decorating ideas. This can help to give your guests an even more high-end experience when they visit. 

Luxurious Life on Amelia Island

If you’re still looking for the home of your dreams—one where you can invite friends and family members for overnight stays—we can help! Our experienced real estate agents have a true passion for Amelia Island and its beach town atmosphere, and we can help you to find the home you desire.

You can browse these stunning luxury homes for sale, and we can negotiate the deal, helping you to make the home you aspire to own your reality. Our real estate agents know what exclusive features these homes have and can match your wants and needs to exactly the right property.

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