It’s officially fall and you know what that means! Yes, we are heading slowly and inevitably toward “holiday season” – first Thanksgiving and then, for a lot of us, Hanukkah or Christmas.
Whatever the occasion or festivity, every home should have a place for overnight guests, expected or unexpected, to sleep. If you have an unused room or a second bedroom that is currently being used for storage, now is the perfect time to convert it into a welcoming place for visitors. My room for guests is also where I write, but when people come over to stay, I tidy away computer-related stuff to make the space as inviting as possible. And I did it on a budget!
First things first
- Empty the room of anything you don’t want keep or won’t be using so that you can see just how much space you have to work with and what exactly you will need to buy. Give the closet, if the room has one, the same treatment.
- Decide the room’s main focus – home office/guest bedroom combination or just simply a guest room.
- Make a list of furniture pieces you want to include. Less really is more – you want enough furniture to comfortably fill the room without making it cramped.
- Pick a style and/or a theme for the room. This will lend the room a consistent look and feel, which, in the end, gives it a calming and inviting vibe.
- Does it need repainting? Take the opportunity while the room is bare. When choosing a paint color for the guest room, select one that is neutral or earth-toned to create a soothing and relaxing environment after a long day of visiting, shopping, walking, etc.
Choose the furniture

- Cheap doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Especially in today’s competitive market, some bedroom furniture manufacturers offer stylish yet budget-conscious beds or bedroom sets. Making a budget and sticking to it will give you a great feeling of satisfaction when you see the results of your handiwork.
- The bed should be the largest size possible that will fit in the space, so that your guests will be comfortable, especially if they are sharing.
- A nightstand makes any bedroom, particularly a guest room, functional and comfortable. It’s almost a must-have for visitors – putting a lamp by the bed saves them from having to hop out and turn out the light. Nightstands also add to the room’s storage capacity, a plus for tidying away toiletries, beauty products and souvenirs.
- Add a dresser or a chest of drawers. Again, the more storage options you provide your guests, the more comfortable they will be. If you don’t have the room for a standard sized dresser or chest, another option is the lingerie chest. Lingerie chests are narrower than a chest of drawers, but offer a number of drawers, while designed specifically for clothing items such as nightgowns and undergarments, would be ideal in a guest room for other items of clothing as well.

- I didn’t have time to paint the entire room, which is a soft cream. I chose to paint the wall the headboard would rest against a deep mauve to make that side of the room the focal point. I wanted the emphasis on the bed and not on the desk.
- Because my room is both my regular work space and a guest room, I chose to put a twin bed in the room. It opens up the space and makes it appear uncluttered, which is important to me when I am writing. But when guests like my sister and her husband come to visit, I get out the pop-up trundle and make up the two twin beds.
- When I have visitors, I remove the file cabinet (it’s on wheels) and the laptop from the room to make the space less office-like.
- I put a 4-drawer chest in the closet so that there would be room for both nightstands when the two twin beds are made up.
Designing a bedroom for guests that is warm and inviting doesn’t have to cost a lot. When it comes right down to it, it’s not the bedroom furniture that makes the room welcoming, but rather those special finishing touches like dressing the bed with luxurious bedding or placing a vase of flowers or a small gift basket on the dresser.














