What do your girlfriends from college have in common with your overstaying in-laws? They will both be in need of a great guest room when they stay over this summer. The summertime is the season for beautiful weather and spontaneous visits, so there’s no doubt that you’ll be designing guest bedrooms that need to be easy to maintain yet fit for a bed and breakfast (while maintaining the integrity of the rest of the house).
Putting a lot of time and dedication into the guest room shows your devotion and care for others as a host. After all, people tend to define the places they stay at by how they remember them…so let’s try to erase the memories of the ol’ blow-up mattress and prepare a guest room you can show off with pride.
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Challenge: How do I design a guest room that is warm and inviting?
Solution: Consider French Country with elements of Modern Classic. If our guest bedroom had a mouth, we’d want it to say “Come inside, feel good, and stay for a while.” Well, I suppose we wouldn’t want it to say anything at all since a haunted talking bedroom might frighten off guests Scooby-Doo style. But the point is, we want people to feel welcome. For this reason, one of our favorite styles for the guest bedroom is French Country.
Make your space reminiscent of lavender fields dappled with sunshine, a welcoming old-world aesthetic composed of warm whites, fluted or ribbed wood detailing, and rustic decor. Make sure there is plenty of natural lighting for your guests to wake up to; some good vitamin D is always a great way to start the day! Lastly, make sure to add a rug to your hardwood floors. Nothing feels more satisfying and familiar than stepping onto soft carpeting. We love the subtle patterns in the photo featured above as well as the gorgeous white, tufted day bed.
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Challenge: How do I keep my guest room versatile yet universally appealing?
Solution: Stay Neutral. While we’re in total support of colored walls and patterned wallpaper for your main rooms, the guest bedroom should remain neutral and a perfect fit for any type of house guest. Neutral colors are classic, never go out of style, and are very soothing and calming for your visitors. Imagine the room above with brightly colored walls or decor. It definitely wouldn’t offer the same sense of serenity.
Neutral backdrops also serve as the perfect template for creating a layered look because they show off the furniture and textures featured in a room. Don’t let your neutral room become boring! Throw in a pretty printed or embroidered pillow or interesting wall sculpture. If you know your guest does happen to really love color, the neutral backdrop can accentuate any specialty piece you want to throw in last minute.
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Challenge: My guest bedroom is smaller than my other bedrooms. How do I design for a small space?
Solution: Embrace it. Think of all the good things that come in small packages: fun-sized candy, engagement rings, the Kuotes’ 5’7″ content editor Cal… the list goes on. Don’t see a small room. See a design opportunity! First, make sure the room is free of clutter. Make the bed the focal point of the room, and select only a few other pieces of space-saving furniture, like some nesting side tables or floor baskets.
If your room is small but has a high ceiling, accentuate the vertical space with a canopy bed. If you’re stuck with low ceilings, use the inspiration from the featured room above and paint the walls in horizontal stripes. Lastly, leaving a lot of empty space to live in the room does not mean a lack of decor! In small rooms, utilize the wall space. Cover your walls in dramatic pieces that add definition through decor in a room that may not be defined by furniture. Another suggestion: mirrors on the wall can expand the space to look twice as big!
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9 thoughts on “Chic & Inspired Guest Room Design Ideas You’ll Love”
Hi Kathy, absolutely love your tips on guest bedroom design – particularly the idea of staying neutral. Would also love for you to check out my blog post on guest bedroom styling ideas here? https://stylecurator.com.au/7-thoughtful-guest-bedroom-ideas/ 🙂
We are right in the process of buying a small château in the Dordogne and your ideas for colour and decor are spot on for the look we want to achieve. Thank you. I particularlt like the idea of changing one or two items in the guest bedroom to suit the age and style of the particular guests.
Hi what is the name of the blue-gray paint color in the neutral room?
Hi Michelle!
While the room you’re talking about was not one of our own designs, our designers at http://www.kathykuodesigns.com may be able to help you find a similar color!
Hello.
Thank you for this amazing blog post.
I appreciate your time and effort writing this knowlegeable and useful post .Moreover i would really appreciate if you can give my blog post a read as well.
Thank you
Sergey
I’d love to know the paint color on the second image! The blueish gray color!
Hi! Do you have a link for that grey bed in the second picture? Thanks!
Hi Tom!
The closest bed that we have up on the site currently is this one here: http://www.kathykuohome.com/Product/Detail/6619-Miller-Hollywood-Regency-Fawn-Upholstered-Queen-Bed
However, not nearly all of our inventory is on the site, so please feel free to give us a call at 1-888-908-2925 and we can put together a more customized order for you and make sure you get the exact bed you’re looking for.
Thanks for reaching out!
Hi! Do you have a link for the bed in the second image?