Whether you’re hosting friends for the weekend or welcoming family for a longer stay, you want to create a space where guests can truly feel at home. Unlike your bedroom, which houses the same people night after night, a guest bedroom should be designed with passersby in mind.
Warm and welcoming? Sure, but there also needs to be plenty of room for your visitors to unload their bags, set up their daily essentials, and unwind. To do that, you might need to take an audit of your guest room and its current belongings. “A well-edited guest room should feel like a peaceful retreat where guests have a sense of privacy and comfort,” says designer Mary Patton. “Staying in someone else’s home can sometimes feel a bit awkward, so thoughtful details and a clutter-free environment help guests truly relax and feel cared for.”
So, what needs to go? Interior designers know a thing or two about creating a beautiful, inviting space—including guest bedrooms. Below are the five top things they recommend removing from your guest room before your next visitor checks in.
Your Storage
A guest room should feel like a home away from home, but having your Halloween décor and boxes of winter sweaters out in the open will do the exact opposite. “The guest bedroom is often where overflow storage goes to die,” says designer Cathleen Gruver of Gruver Cooley in Northern Virginia. “But, a room that functions as a hybrid storage space never feels like a welcome retreat, no matter how nice the bedding is.”
Before her guests arrive, Cathleen always reallocates those random odds and ends to a different room. However, if space is limited, consider placing everything in stylish under-bed storage. Out of sight, out of mind.
Personal Photos
We love Kodak moments as much as the next sentimentalist, but that doesn’t mean they belong in your guest room. In Cathleen’s opinion, family photos and snapshots from your most recent vacation can make visitors feel as if they’re “sleeping inside someone else’s life.” “A few curated pieces are lovely,” she says. “A wall of family portraits, however, is disorienting for someone who is not family.”
For an artful edge, decorate with vintage prints or place a small object on a nightstand.
Old Linens
A guest room might seem like the place to use your backup bedding, but designer Lauren Wodicka of LBW Studio encourages you to reconsider. “Guests absolutely notice the difference,” she says. “Fresh bedding instantly makes a room feel more luxurious, welcoming, and hygienic.” For her guest bedroom, she loves to use new down pillows, crisp sheets, and a well-maintained duvet.
Lauren takes a similar approach to her guests’ bath towels. “I even had a set of towels monogrammed ‘Guests’ so visitors know they are reserved just for them,” she says. “Small details like these make people feel cared for and comfortable.”
Too Many Throw Pillows
Speaking of bedding, get rid of those piles of throw pillows. They’re cumbersome in your primary bedroom, so why would your guest space be any different? “Beautiful pillows are fine, but if they require a 10-minute removal process before bed and there is nowhere logical to put them, they are working against the room,” says Cathleen. “The goal is a space that feels considered and calm, not one the guest has to negotiate.”
Instead, adopt a pared-back approach to pillows so your guests can prioritize some well-deserved rest.
Unnecessary Electronics
Nowadays, a guest room should be a place where visitors can recharge—yes, themselves and their devices. “Too many knickknacks leave guests with nowhere to place their belongings and can make the room feel like it is filled with rejects from the rest of the house,” says Lauren.
A Bluetooth speaker can create a multisensory escape, but Lauren likes to unplug any superfluous devices and remove them from the room. In their place, leave a charge zone for guests to power up their phone, tablet, or computer.
Kelsey Mulvey is a freelance lifestyle journalist, who covers shopping and deals for Good Housekeeping, Women's Health, ELLE Decor, and Country Living among others. Her hobbies include themed spinning classes, Netflix, and nachos.
