Decorating Tips For A Guest Bedroom
With
a few simple but stylish interior decorating ideas, it's possible to turn a
small spare bedroom into a haven for house guests.
Warm
welcome
When it comes to home
decorating, spare bedrooms are often neglected, especially if they’re seldom
used. This space also tends to be the smallest room in the house, so decorating
can be difficult. But all it takes to create an inviting space is some basic furniture
and a few thoughtful touches.
·
Sleep easy: Treat
your guests by investing in some good-quality sheets.
·
Floral display: Use
throw cushions to inject color.
·
Pretty and practical: A few
thoughtful additions will make your guests’ stay more comfortable.
·
Streamlined look: Simple
furniture makes small spaces seem less cluttered.
Spare
change
·
Color
The
first step in transforming our spare room into an inviting guest quarters was
to choose the color for the walls. Light colors make small rooms appear more
spacious and airy, but we didn’t want to opt for plain white as this would look
too stark. Instead, we used a soft, chalky pale green. This shade gives the
room warmth and the color changes throughout the day; in the bright morning sun
the walls seem to be a soft stone color, but in the pale afternoon light they
appear more green.
·
Floor
A dark
timber floor will make a room seem smaller. To add to the illusion of space, we
decided to paint the floorboards with a white enamel gloss from Bristol.
·
Curtains
To keep
costs down, the window and French doors were dressed with ready-made curtains
in a neutral shade. We added a splash of color by trimming the curtains with
bright-red ribbon.
·
Bedding
The
existing bed had a padded leather headboard and bed-end, which didn’t suit the
new scheme. Rather than replace the bed, we made covers for the ends using a
hard-wearing cotton fabric. To make our guests’ stay as comfortable as
possible, we invested in quality linen – the Lattice range from Linen House
includes neutral basics and accent pieces.
·
Lighting
For a
more contemporary look, we opted for pendant lights instead of lamps. The
lights are positioned above the bedside tables and controlled by dimmer
switches within easy reach of the bed.
·
Storage
Freestanding
wardrobes take up a lot of space and aren’t essential in a bedroom that’s
seldom used. A small chest of drawers offers ample storage for guests’ clothes
and hooks have been secured to the back of the bedroom door in case hanging
space is required.
·
Shelving
To give
the room a lived-in look, a couple of floating shelves were attached to the
wall and used to display interesting objects and a few books.
·
Seating
To
inject some color into the predominantly neutral scheme, an occasional chair
and a few throw cushions were covered in a bright patterned fabric.
To give the illusion of
space, choose a light color for the walls and paint the ceiling white. If you
opt for darker colors, the walls and ceiling will feel closer.
Keep fixtures and
fittings to a minimum or the room will look cluttered. Consider using mirrors
to make it appear bigger.
Choosing smaller pieces
of furniture, such as a double bed instead of a queen and a three-drawer chest
instead of a tallboy, will make the space less cramped.
Freestanding wardrobes
take up lots of space - consider installing a built-in storage unit in an
adjoining hallway.
Look for plain window
dressings that let in as much light as possible. To make windows and French
doors appear taller, opt for long curtains in a light-colored material. If the
window is east or west facing, consider installing a blind as well as curtains
to block out the sun and keep the room cool on hot days.
