Tips To Help Create Great Guest Rooms

There’s no place like home-especially if you have a great guest room. With a little planning, you can transform some extra space into a comfortable and welcoming home-away-from-home for visiting friends and family.

Whether you work with a design professional or do it yourself, creating that welcoming retreat can be easier if you follow a few tips from the experts.

“Every situation has its unique challenges,” says Carol Donayre Bugg, author of “Creating Great Guest Rooms” and vice president of Interiors by Decorating Den, one of the country’s largest in-home decorating services. “But a few basic pointers work for every guest room.”

In her book, Bugg offers more than 150 photographs of actual rooms design professionals have created, plus tip boxes and checklists. Here are her top tips for making guests feel welcome and comfortable:

• Provide a good bed. Whether you offer a traditional bed, daybed, sleeper sofa or futon, make sure it is comfortable and in good condition and supply options for pillows and blankets. Today, many people opt to use air mattresses so guests can adjust the firmness to their liking.

• Supply sufficient lighting. Lighting is critical in a guest room, since people with different nighttime routines may share it. It’s important to provide individual light sources that can be turned on and off from each side of the bed. Swing-arm lamps mounted next to, rather than directly over, the bed are a good choice as they minimize brightness for the early-to-bed sleeper and provide enough light for the night owl.

• Don’t overlook window coverings. Even if your guest room has a beautiful view, it still needs window coverings. Blinds or draperies enable guests to get some privacy and control the amount of light that comes into the room. Window coverings can also help to control room temperature.

• Offer a comfortable seat. Placing a chair in the guest room provides a place for your guest to rest, read or write. An overstuffed armchair with an ottoman is a good choice, especially if the ottoman opens to provide additional storage for pillows and blankets.

For more information about “Creating Great Guest Rooms,” visit www.decoratingden.com. (NAPSI)