10 Best Ways to Decorate a Guest Bedroom
April 08th, 2024
Decorating a Guest Bedroom
What are the best ways to decorate a guest bedroom? Here are ten decorating ideas to make your guest bedroom functional and cozy!
While choosing to have a guest bedroom in your home is a choice and not a must, they are nice to have if you plan on hosting family and friends throughout the year.
More and more people are choosing to leave the guest bedroom behind and instead are sleeping on air mattresses and couches in order to save money and preserve space. But, if you choose to have a guest bedroom in your home, there are ways to decorate it that will make the room functional even when it is not being slept in.
Guests of all ages will always appreciate having a room of their own to stay in when they are visiting. The reality is that most guests just want a welcoming and comforting space, and it does not have to be overly decorated or cost you lots of money to be cozy and tasteful.
Simplicity is key, and decorating a guest bedroom should not be a cause for stress. If you live in one of the best neighborhoods in Raleigh and are expecting visitors, here are some must-know decorating tips for your guest bedroom.
Check out these decorating ideas for your guest bedroom
Chapters
1. Use a Calming Color Palette
When it comes to decorating a guest bedroom, choosing a calming color palette with off-white hues is best. You want your guests to feel comfortable in your home, so deciding on off-white paint colors or even pale or pastel colors can help achieve coziness.
As one of the first interior decorating tips for your first home, choosing a color palette to help the space feel warm and welcoming is ideal. Plus, a calming color palette with lots of white is easy to decorate around.
Calm and neutral colors are great paint colors for selling your home but also for the guest bedroom. Keeping your guest bedroom neutral with the occasional pop of color is always a great idea. No matter what overall look you are going for when decorating your guest bedroom, some of the most popular guest room paint colors from Benjamin Moore include Whitewater Bay, Cliffside Gray, Smoke, and Spring Thaw.
2. Add Bookshelves
Bookshelves are not only a cozy addition to any guest bedroom, but they provide extra storage and can be used to display pictures and pots of plants. If you live in a small home, bookshelves can be a great organizer and are a unique addition to any bedroom for your books and personal items.
Whether or not you read a lot, incorporating a bookshelf into your guest bedroom is a great way to liven up the space. Most bookshelves are affordable and do not require much work to install.
If your guest bedroom is small, installing bookshelves on the wall might be a good idea so they do not take up too much floor space. This is a great way to display any fun or classic reads you picked up from the best bookstores in Raleigh. If you have a bookshelf, you might even encourage your guests to pick up a book while visiting.
3. Add a TV
If you are going back and forth about getting a TV for your guest bedroom, you should consider adding one. Not only will adding a TV help your guests feel like they are at home when they are visiting, but sometimes people like to sleep with the TV on or want to watch something different than what is on the TV in the living room.
Adding a TV in the guest bedroom can help guests feel relaxed and welcome. If you decide to add a TV, you do not have to get one that is big or overly expensive. There are plenty of budget-friendly options on the market, and finding one off of Facebook Marketplace or another second-hand site is also a great option.
Whether you mount the TV on the wall to face the bed or purchase a TV stand along with it, adding a TV to your guest bedroom has many advantages and is an added luxury for guests visiting you.
4. Functional Storage
One of the best things you can do when decorating a guest bedroom is to include functional storage options. While you may have guests visit occasionally throughout the year, it is safe to say that you will not have guests all the time, so you want to find other ways to utilize the space when it is not in use by making it into a glam room or storage space.
A guest bedroom is a great opportunity to add extra storage to your home, especially if you have a smaller home. Adding functional storage options such as a bed with storage drawers, a dresser, an accent chest, and a functional bedside table are all great options when decorating and furnishing your guest bedroom.
By incorporating functional storage into your guest bedroom, as the homeowner, you can store any extra clothing, blankets, or holiday decorations in the guest bedroom.
5. Give Old Furniture a New Look
Instead of buying a bunch of new furniture to decorate your guest bedroom, one of the best things you can do is give old furniture a new look. Whether you choose to use hand-me-down furniture from family or find used pieces online through Facebook Marketplace, a guest bedroom does not need brand-new furniture to look nice.
By repurposing furniture, you will give your furniture pieces new life by upholstering, painting, and staining instead of throwing them out or giving them away. Repurposing old furniture can be a fun project, and it is a great way to save money if you are decorating your guest bedroom with a budget.
Giving old furniture a new look is also a great way to make pieces that are otherwise hard to find. Though repurposing furniture might not be easy, plenty of online tutorials are a great way to learn something new.
6. Include a Work Space
Much like adding functional storage into the guest bedroom, including a workspace is also a great idea. When decorating a guest bedroom, it is important to make it functional, and incorporating a workspace will do just that.
Why not make the guest bedroom your office when no one is visiting? Not only is this a great use of space, especially if you have a smaller home, but when guests visit, they can also get some work done.
Including a workspace in your guest bedroom does not mean you have to invest in a complete home office setup, but investing in a desk and comfortable office chair will go a long way. This is also a great opportunity to decorate the desk as you see fit, whether that be adding a lamp, printer, desk plants, bulletin board, or desk calendar.
You want to make your guest bedroom as functional as possible and use it when possible. Otherwise, you will end up with a mostly empty bedroom that is only used occasionally throughout the year.
7. Create a Sitting Area
There is no better way to make your guests feel at home than by creating a sitting area in the guest bedroom. Adding a couple of chairs and a side table near the window or a corner of the room can make your guests feel like they are staying at a five-star luxury hotel.
If you are short on space, consider incorporating smaller pieces to avoid overcrowding. Providing guests with an area to sit in, not just the bed, can go a long way, especially if you decorate for comfort and practicality.
The best way to set up a sitting area in a bedroom is to choose a focal point that the chairs will face, which can be a fireplace, window, or piece of artwork. Consider who will use the space and choose furniture pieces to complement the bedroom and other decorations.
8. Add Plenty of Light
It is important not to leave your guests in the dark, so you should always consider lighting when decorating a guest bedroom. Make sure that there is plenty of natural light from the windows and that there is a good amount of extra light from lamps, overhead lighting, and even night lights when necessary.
While overhead lighting is found in most rooms, adding multiple light fixtures throughout the space and considering ambient lighting is necessary when decorating a guest bedroom. This can be accomplished by incorporating bedside lamps, floor lamps, or mood lighting around the TV or throughout the corners of the room.
When incorporating new lighting in the guest bedroom, consider adding lights that are adjustable so that your guests can choose the setting of their liking. If you do not wish to add additional lighting in the guest bedroom by incorporating new light fixtures, you can create new sources of light by using mirrors, which will reflect natural light from the window and brighten the space.
9. Offer Plenty of Bedding
Ensure your guests feel warm and cozy by providing plenty of bedding. In order to be a great host or hostess, leave multiple layers of extra bedding and provide plenty of blankets in case they get cold when they are staying with you.
Ensure your guests get a great night's sleep by providing warm bedding and comfortable bedding that is soft to the touch. It might also be a good idea to offer multiple pillow options with different firmness levels so guests can choose what to sleep with.
10. Anticipate Your Guests Needs
It is always best to anticipate your guest's needs when decorating a guest bedroom to ensure that you always have everything on hand in case your guest needs something.
From extra pillows and blankets to a phone charger, having everything your guest might need is a great way to make them feel at home and comfortable when staying with you.
When decorating a guest bedroom, it is also important to consider decorating the guest bedroom. Providing extra towels, washcloths, a toothbrush, makeup remover, q-tips, cotton balls, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, plenty of toilet paper, and anything else that you think your guest may need is an extra added touch that anyone staying with you will appreciate.
Methodology
We used data and information from Architectural Digest, Forbes, and Benjamin Moore to determine the best ways to decorate a guest bedroom.
FAQs
What is a nice color for a guest bedroom?
Off-white is a nice color for a guest bedroom since it is soft, always in style, and is easily customizable.
What is the best color bedding for a guest bedroom?
The best color bedding for a guest bedroom is white since they are easy to clean, can be bleached if needed, and is extremely practical.
How do you make a small guest bedroom cozy?
Some of the best ways to make a small guest bedroom cozy are to choose a classic bed frame, add a side chair, hang photographs, and to decorate with plants.
Best Ways to Decorate a Guest Bedroom - Final Thoughts
From choosing a color palette to repurposing furniture, decorating a guest bedroom can be a fun project that the whole family can get involved in. No matter how many guests you are expecting or how long they are staying, having a space that visitors can stay in and feel comfortable in your home is worth the effort.
If you are moving to Raleigh and are looking for your dream home that your guests can visit, contact the experts at Raleigh Realty. We are here to help and answer any questions.
Ryan Fitzgerald
Hi there! Nice to 'meet' you and thanks for visiting our Raleigh Real Estate Blog! My name is Ryan Fitzgerald, and I'm a REALTOR® in Raleigh-Durham, NC, the owner of Raleigh Realty. I work alongside some of the best Realtors in Raleigh. You can find more of my real estate content on Forbes, Wall Street Journal, U.S. News and more. Realtor Magazine named me a top 30 under 30 Realtor in the country (it was a long time ago haha). Any way, that's enough about me. I'd love to learn more about you if you'd like to connect with me on Facebook and Instagram or connect with our team at Raleigh Realty. Looking forward to connecting!
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