Prepare your guest bedroom for the festive season
BY Cassie Pryce
1st Jan 2015 Home & Garden
Christmas can be a busy time of year in many households, so get ahead of the game this year and make sure your spare bedroom is ready and waiting for friends and family when they arrive. As well as the bare essentials, think about the little touches that will make your guests feel welcome and at home.
Sleeping arrangements
Begin your bedroom preparations by ensuring you have the correct furniture in place. How many people will be sleeping in the room? Consider investing in a day bed if you’re looking for a permanent piece of furniture that also works in a home office or playroom.
The Hemnes design from IKEA pulls out as a double or single bed depending on your space, and can be used all year round as a sofa in dual-purpose rooms. A good-quality air bed is another solution to consider if you’re short on space and need something that can easily be stored for the rest of the year.
Remember to clear out a couple of drawers and some hanging space (plus free hangers) in the bedroom before guests arrive, so they have plenty of space to store clothes and gifts. Try to de-clutter as much as possible and leave surfaces clear, so they don’t feel like they’re intruding on your space and having to squeeze in amongst your belongings.
Check that there is somewhere to hang and dry damp towels after showering; buy an over-the-door set of hooks for a quick solution if you haven’t already got a permanent fixture.
Home sweet home
Make guest posts feel at ease by creating a homely space for them to unwind in. Keep a few spare blankets at the end of the bed for guests to use if they get cold at night, and pop a new pair of slippers (as an early Christmas present) by the side of the bed for them to wear around the house, or to and from the bathroom.
Make sure to leave towels in an easily accessible place, in the bedroom or the bathroom, so guests know which is theirs and don’t have to rummage through your things to find them.
Lay a soft rug down if you have hard floors in the bedroom, so guests don’t have cold feet when stepping out of bed in the morning and, if you’re very organised, why not leave a little box full of essentials like miniature toiletries, a hairbrush and some tissues?
Ensure that everything in the room is in good working order before your guests’ arrival. Check all light bulbs, in ceiling lights and bedside table lamps, as well as radiators or electric heaters. Remove any clocks that have a loud tick and make sure alarm clocks and TV remote controls have working batteries.
Make sure there are several accessible plug sockets around the room for phone chargers and hair dryers, or fix up an extension lead if they are hidden behind furniture. Leave a note in the room with the wi-fi login details and password, along with any codes needed for burglar alarms or entrance doors in blocks of flats.
Festive touches
Start the festivities from the moment your guests arrive by styling their room with a few Christmas decorations. Hang a string of fairy lights around the headboard or over the mirror for a simple idea that will make the room feel that little bit more magical, or dress the bed with seasonal bedding for an instant and inexpensive update.
Don’t forget to hang a stocking in their room on Christmas Eve and fill it with a few treats to open on Christmas morning!
Fresh flowers will make a thoughtful finishing touch that will make the room look and feel fresh; go for something seasonal like berried eucalyptus or red poinsettias that can be picked up from your local florist at this time of year.
A scented candle, diffuser or room spray can be used before they arrive to help set a cosy scene, or go for a plug-in diffuser that will continue to freshen up the room throughout their stay.
Leave a magazine or two on the bedside table for a little light reading and pop a radio on the side so they can tune into some Christmas classics whilst getting ready for the festivities.
Choose festive bed linen
Image via Dunelm
Gretel double duvet set, £20; Brodie cushion, £12; Lennox cushion, £13, all Dunelm.
Add cosy touches
Image via Matalan
Aztec embroidered duvet set, £25 for a double; zigzag patterned throw, £15; natural sheepskin rug, from £59, all Matalan.
Dress the bedside table
Image via Very
Laser effect pyramind with LED lights, £29.99; cut-out house tealight holders, £24.99 for two; heart hanging baubles, £14.99 for three, all Very.
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