How to create a welcoming guest room…

It is only natural for homeowners to want to leave their guests with a positive impression of the house. 

Inevitably, a large proportion of a guest’s stay takes place in the bedroom – it is after all where they will drop off their things, get changed, sleep all night, and get ready in the morning so it is important that the room is clean, welcoming, and pleasant to stay in.

To achieve a welcoming guest room there are some straightforward tips that you should follow…

Wall colours

The most impactful change that you can make is to colour the walls. If you are decorating a guest room in your own house then naturally you will choose colours to suit your personal taste. However, you should bear in mind that it will not usually be you who is sleeping in the room so it is important to put the needs of your guests first.

Lighter colours tend to make a room feel more spacious and airy – it is important that your guest doesn’t feel claustrophobic away from their property so decorating with light creams or shades of white is often a good idea. The Little Greene Paint Portland Stone (above left) would make a good background colour for most of the walls as would the slightly peachier Little Greene Paint Down No.242 (centre).

 

 

If you are somebody who tends to find these shades dull and wants a more interesting room, then richer colours such as these might be more appealing. The theatre red is a good colour to splash onto one wall to stand out against a different, more neutral colour and likewise the Turquoise Blue is an attractive, vibrant accent colour for a bedroom.

An inviting bed

A good night’s sleep impacts on everybody’s day so it is important that you invest in a snug, cosy mattress and pillows. Provide a double, queen, or king sized bed, depending on which is most suitable for the room size. Choose a duvet with natural fillings because they are light and fluffy so that your guests are comfortable without feeling too hot and provide an optional silky blanket for extra warmth. The bed should be a mixture of tones that complement each other, for example you might choose a caramel duvet, with a chocolate brown blanket or a rosy pink duvet with a hot pink blanket etc.

Bedside Tables

Put a bedside table on either side of the bed and perhaps an alarm clock for guests to use if they need to leave at a specific time in the morning. Try not to clutter bedside tables with much more than a lamp. If you want to add a personal touch you could leave magazines, fresh flowers, or small sweets in the guest room, depending on how formal you want it to be.

Windows

Ensure that windows are clean, window sills are cleared of clutter, and that you use tall curtains which give the illusion that a room is bigger than it is. Likewise, try to put a mirror opposite the window so that it reflects light as well as providing a more spacious feel.

If you are decorating a guest room in the near future, have a look at our range of Little Greene paints online now. We always recommend that you order sample pots initially to ensure that you are happy with the colour before you put it on the wall.

 

Little Greene

As their name suggests, Little Greene is dedicated to producing paint in an eco-friendly way which has little or no negative impact on the environment. For Little Greene, “from big business to the smallest everyday tasks”[i], every decision that occurs is made with the consequences on the environment at the forefront of their mind.

However, the company is not just renowned for its green credentials; it produces high quality paint in a vast range of different colours as well.

Here at Kent Blaxill, we are proud to provide our customers with Little Greene paints and recently we have expanded our already large collection:

 

As you can see, there are lots of different shades for you to choose from, from the very light such as the Loft White (top right) through to the Lamp Black and Toad No. 235.  

Alternatively you might choose to use the pale versions in the Little Greene Collection (below). These are light, airy colours which are particularly effective if you have a relatively small space that you want to decorate in a way that will make the room look bigger:

Pastel colours are often associated with the spring time and because of this they are often featured in baby room because they are soft, delicate colours (find advice on how to decorate a baby room here). 

However, these gentle colours can also look sophisticated in a living room, kitchen or family room.

Light colours such as magnolia and off-white are often used because they are thought to make a room feel bigger. However, colours such as these can become bland if used throughout a house. The Little Greene shades above allow you to inject some colour into a sophisticated room without the risk of making it dark or look smaller.

Explore our Little Greene range online now, and if you have any questions please contact us.