We’re just a couple of weeks away from Christmas, and you all know what that means – guests. For some of us, we’re fortunate to live near our families so we can enjoy the silly season together. But for others, members will be coming from near and far to stay and enjoy the summer.
So, isn’t it about time you make over that guest bedroom of yours?
The essentials
The key element in any guest bedroom is ensuring your visitors feel welcomed and comfortable. Create a homely environment for them; make it livable and functional while still pleasing to the eye. Think of it this way, your job is to combine the amenities of a hotel with the intimacy and charm of a home. It can be a hard balance to tackle.
When it comes to the essentials, think about everything you would want in a room – a comfortable bed, some luxurious linen, storage to unpack your belongings, and perhaps a chair for reading. And for some added extras, you can even pop a smart phone charger in there and some toiletries. Sometimes it’s the little things that really make a big difference.
Play with texture
Most people understand the importance of choosing the right colours, patterns and pieces for a room, but many struggle with incorporating texture. Imagine a room with timber floorboards, sleek cotton bedding and high-gloss furniture. With all the smooth surfaces, it sounds quite stark and uninviting. By introducing some textured elements such as rugs, an upholstered bedheads, curtains or blinds, throws across the bed, fabric lampshades or even different kinds of bed linen, the room can suddenly feel warm and homey. Texture adds dimension to a room, appealing to our senses. All of a sudden, we want to touch and feel the pillows, we want to run our hands down the curtains.
Many design experts are tipping the use of natural and sustainable fabrics to be a key 2019 trend, evoking a peaceful retreat feel to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life – perfect for visitors coming to stay in your home. In terms of the ‘natural’ feel, you should aim to go back to basics and embrace simplicity. Celebrate the quirks and imperfections. This may mean using wrinkled or creased textures in your design, or undyed or raw cotton and denim. A lovely way to play with texture is through your curtains. The current trend sweeping the market at the moment is using natural linen fabrics. Use a lighter colour to ensure natural light still filters into the room or a darker colour to produce a cosy feel.
On trend colours
It can be tempting to go simple and white in a guest bedroom; keep things neutral. But you don’t always have to play it so safe. A guest bedroom is a fantastic place to experiment and use bold design choices.
Pantone recently released their annual PANTONEVIEW Home and Interiors 2019 report which focuses on the colours that will take the interior design industry by storm next year. The prediction is all about what colours we will be ‘craving’ and the ‘classico’ colours that never go out of style. The 72 forecasted hues include rich reds, flamingo orange, rich purples and rich browns. On the ‘classico’ side of things, the PANTONE road map reveals the everlasting colours of teal, grey, rich gold and apricot.
Of course, when it comes to colour, it doesn’t necessarily need to go on the walls. Colour can be implemented in a variety of ways. One option is by playing with patterns, whether it’s stripes, herringbone, floral or check. Or, go with bold colours choices in your curtains and really make them a feature. Alternatively, use an upholstered bed head, or even reupholster an old one to bring it back to life. or you could even find a gorgeous armchair and really make a statement with bright colours or patterns to make it a feature of the room.
Implementing it all
It’s all well and good to talk about trends in texture and colour, but how do you actually take these ideas and turn them into a beautiful guest bedroom?
The first step is deciding what style you’d like to go for. This could include rustic, Scandinavian, industrial or Hollywood, or even simple minimalist. Your paint choices, light fixtures, window dressings and even furniture choices will all be influenced by this decision.
Next is deciding how the room will best be laid out. Of course, this will depend on what furniture you have in the bedroom. If you have an inbuilt robe, perhaps a dresser isn’t required. You may like to include a small desk or side table, or even a chair for visitors to curl up in and get stuck into a good book. Remember here though, to complement the textures against each other. If you have a high-gloss side table, a fabric headboard is a nice complementary feature. And when deciding how to orient all the furniture, remember the main rule: functionality is king. It sounds obvious, but guests should be able to easily move around the room without bumping into walls or furniture.
Finally, dress the room. Choose some gorgeous linen, a couple of throws, some cushions and some accessories, and you’re on your way to creating a guest bedroom that visitors won’t ever want to leave.
