6 ideas to get your guest room ready

With gatherings given the green light and overnight stays back on the agenda, your spare room may be in more demand than ever but is it ready for overnight guests?

Spare rooms have a notorious habit of becoming dumping grounds, which can render them unusable but with a plan of action, you can transform your space into somewhere welcoming for guests. Here are 6 ideas, tips and tricks for you to try:-

1. Declutter: cast your eye around your spare room – are there stacks of laundry, piles of books and items destined for the loft? If so, diarise one day devoted to decluttering and remember the ‘reuse, reduce and recycle’ mantra.
2. Upgrade your storage: if, despite decluttering, you have items that need a home in your spare room, think about storing them out of sight. While plastic boxes are practical, they don’t really set a relaxing tone, so opt for storage ottomans, blanket boxes and neat under-bed bags. 
3. Decorate: tired, dated rooms won’t provide a warm welcome but almost any decor can be refreshed with some basic DIY. A fresh lick of paint on the walls in a restful shade, such as pastel blue or green, is a good place to start. You could also paint wardrobe doors, change drawer handles and replace the floor covering, if it’s especially worn.
4. Add furniture: while a proper bed is ideal, you could compromise with a sofa bed, futon or pull down bed to save space, a bedside table with a lamp saves fumbling around in a dark, unfamiliar room looking for the light switch. If you have room, a chest of drawers will provide guests with somewhere to store their clothes during extended stays.
5. ‘Dress’ to impress: you can make the experience of staying away from home more inviting with a few finishing flourishes. Prevent guests awkwardly asking for towels with a neatly folded bale at the foot of the bed, while a reed diffuser will perfume the air and disguise any odours that can occur in underused rooms.
6. Tackle dual-purpose rooms: if your spare room also doubles as an office or where you practice a hobby, your main preparation before guests arrive will be to find a temporary home elsewhere for your paraphernalia. If not possible, use a room divider to screen off anything that doesn’t set the right scene. 

If you don’t have enough bedrooms to invite family and friends to stay, why not talk to us about trading up? We can show you some available properties that give that extra bedroom and space to host.