Before and After: Guest Room

Today I am headed out to one of my favorite projects to do an installation. These are always exciting days because in the matter of a few hours a room or a house is transformed from a shell with some great ideas into a finished home. It usually represents months of work on behalf of our team, but days like today is when the payoff really comes. I will be sure to snap some pictures.

In the meantime however, I wanted to illustrate the point with a couple of shots of a different project. This is a Guest Room that we did, you can see where we started from and where we finished up. The bed is obviously the biggest thing, but also adding the chandelier and artwork helped as well. You will notice that the doors changed too from white to a faux wood. This is because when we designed the room we thought that the white would pick up the color of the bedding etc. After installing it felt a little weak, I think it looks a lot more substantial finished like this. What do you think?

Make Your Guest Room Unique

It seems like that time of year, that guests are upon us, especially for people who love in areas, where there might be a beach, a Disneyland or a Theme Park. In the last few weeks alone, we have had visitors from as far west as Australia and as far east as Miami, and I think it's fair to say that you want to make their stay as comfortable and inviting as possible. One way to do this is to create a unique Guest Room, somewhere, where the minute they walk in they feel welcome and pampered.....here are a few thoughts:

• Put in a feather bed. There are few things more luxurious than a feather bed, it's like sleeping on a cloud. I personally, am not a fan of sleeping on one every night, but as an occasional thing it really makes an impression.


• Attend to the bed side table. Every bedside table should have things that the average traveller may need, fresh water, a good book, a local magazine that will give some ideas about what is going on in town, and a fresh piece or two of fruit.


• A gift box is always a good idea too. Depending on your guest, a gift box tailored to them is a nice touch. Include basics that they may have forgotten to pack, toothpaste/brush, aspirin, tums etc, as well as a few luxury items, maybe a day pass to the gym, a voucher to the spa, or even a map of local hiking or jogging trails.


• A guest book too, is always a fun addition, people love to hear about other peoples experiences, I can spend hours reading old guest books. In the image above, I used this chandelier as a guest book, a pile of vintage postcards is kept in the dresser and when a person stays, they write on the card and attach it to the chandelier, it's fun to read while lying in bed!


• Keep your pets out of the room. Even if your Guests are not allergic, they may not be as excited as you to wake in the morning, looking Fido in the face, it's a small thing, but it will make a difference for your guests.
  

The Perfect Guest Room

Travelling is one of my favorite pastimes, there is always an adventure to be had somewhere, and because of all the travelling I have been lucky enough to do, I have developed friends from all over the world. I love to play host and show them around the city I have come to love, but one thing I have learned is that it is important to create a quiet place for your guests to retire to. Whether it's a Guest Room or a nook off of the Laundry, they need some where to get away from you (probably as much as you want to get away from them)!
Today's entry is about how you can create a great Guest Room, quickly and easily, and perfect enough to ensure that you will be invited to be an honored guest at their home in the future.

• Create a welcome tray that is on the bed when they arrive, on it you should have some fresh fruit, a bottle or two of water, today's local paper, and a map of the area. I think its a good idea to include a local guide book too, you could even highlight attractions that you think they might enjoy.Don't forget sample sizes of common toiletries too.
• Create your own minibar somewhere in the room. This doesn't mean you should have liquor out, but maybe some snacks and drinks that they might enjoy. There is nothing worse than waking up in a strange house in the middle of the night, wanting to snack and not being sure where they keep the potato chips.
• Leave out Fresh towels either on their bed, but definitely in their room in plain sight, it takes away any confusion they might have about what to use. Also, use the best towels you have, make them feel welcome!
• Create a Guest Book in the room. In the image above the Chandelier becomes its own Guest Book, as people stay in this home they write a note and pin it to the light, makes for great reading when you are in bed! But a more conventional book is great too, it's a great record for you and helps to make your guest feel like this is effortless for you.
• Try to design your Guest Room, so that you can block out the light, your guests are probably on vacation and will appreciate the ability to sleep in.
• On the same idea..... a privacy lock on the door please!

The general idea here is make them feel at home, try and anticipate their needs so that they are rummaging around looking for things. Create a room that is simple, laid out well, and you will be a success. There is a great book on hospitality called "Simple Hospitality" by Jane Jarrell, here is the Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Hospitality-Jane-Jarrell/dp/0849904846/ref=pd_bbs_2/104-6703765-5740715?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1173324342&sr=1-2

Enjoy Your Guests!