to be so fussy about creating perfect guest-room?

[theboatisleaking]

We've just completed extension and for first time ever have a proper guest-room! I'm very excited about making it as comfortable and welcoming as possible but DH thinks I'm going OTT and wants to keep it very simple.

When you're a house-guest, what things make a perfect guest-room? What do you need or wish hosts had provided and what's too much?

It's a small room, just space for a double-bed, plus an open-storage wardrobe (with shelves and rail), also a small chest of drawers. Large window with no blind/curtains as yet (DH thinks no need to cover window but I diasagree!) No ensuite but a bathroom right next door for guests' exclusive use.

So far I've added a bedside lamp, box of tissues and a warm throw. I want to add a tea-tray with travel-kettle, cups, tea, biscuits etc and a TV (we have a spare) but DH thinks this is too much and might make guests feel they're not welcome in kitchen and living room. I also want to add fresh flowers, a bowl of wrapped chocolates (like Lindor) and some books/magazines but he thinks it will make it look cluttered! What do you think? What would you appreciate if you were a guest?

And do you think plain white bedding is best or something colourful (I think white looks a bit clinical and makes guests paranoid about marking it but DH thinks otherwise!)

Any advice/opinions appreciated!

Coloured sheets for the obvious reason. Basic toiletries in the bathroom in case I forget anything.

And I'd love a kettle meself. I'm not a morning person and I need at least two pints of coffee before having to face anyone I'm obliged to be polite to.

Oh yes, make sure the bed doesn't creak/boing/bang on the wall during sex!

I think it depends who you guests are. If it's friends and family then there's no need for a tea tray and chocolates as surely they are coming to spend time with you so you would have those things together.

A few of our friends host students from overseas and business clients. Their guest rooms do have the extras more like a B&B as their guests are not on social visits IYSWIM.

You certainly need curtains or a blind and definitely the most comfortable bed you can afford. If you have a limited budget I'd scrimp on everything but the bed. I've rarely had a comfy nights sleep in a guest room.

priority =

1. curtains. decent ones that cut out the light. If the room is east facing then black linings or blind

1. warmth. doesn't matter how, heating/blanket/duvets etc

1. comfortable bed. I slept on a sofa bed last weekend and it had a wooden ridge at my shoulder level, I had to shimmy down to miss the wood and then my feet were over the end.

I'm not fussy, just a reasonable bed.

I stayed with friends for two months years ago, and the things I really appreciated were:

• loads of bathroom stuff (shampoo, shower stuff, even sponges etc) - I was a bit dubious about using it but they insisted, and it was lovely not to have to buy it myself

• tv - ok, so perhaps not for overnighters but being there for so long meant it was nice to be able to shut myself away occasionally (I was there working for them, so was with them a lot anyway, so watching tv for an hour by myself wasn’t as rude as it sounds!).

• hairdryer – never take my own anywhere (too big, travel by public transport) and it’s nice not to have to ask

The only other thing I might add is sanitary stuff in a cupboard in the bathroom.

OMG you are Monica from Friends aren't you!

Bless.

Right, so it needs curtains, we've established that.

Other things I like in a guest room:

A lock on the door. Not for any sinister or pervy purposes but when you are staying in someone's house, if you are starkers getting dressed, its nice to know your husband/your kid/someone else's kid isn't going to just barge in. If the room is slightly tucked around a corner or something then its less of an issue.

Nurofen/paracetamol, if the guests you host are going to stay up with you drinking copious amounts of wine, as is required when you are a guest at my house. I always put a box of Nurofen out and a bottle of Evian for my guests. They nearly always need it. Nothing worse than being at someone's house and waking at 5am sweltering with a pounding hangover headache and not being able to pop two nurofen and go back to sleep for at least another 6 hours.

This one is really important, though you may not have room - a bedside table ON EACH SIDE OF THE BED or at least somewhere to put things down each side. When I stay at inlaws house I go bonkers because on my "husband's" side there is a bedside table, so he gets to put his charging phone, watch, drink, (and Nurofen ) etc and I'm having to shove my earplugs and eyemask under the pillow and balance my drink on the floor, right near where the door opens (the door with no lock!) and every time I spill it. Every. Single. Time.

That's all that comes to mind right now. But you don't need a kettle. A kettle is no good unless you also have a fridge with milk. Putting chocolates out is nice bit a bit OTT and people might not want to eat them. By all means have chocolates laying round in a bowl if you have people to stay but they don't need to be IN THE ROOM. Its too bed and breakfasty.

Oh, does it have a waste paper bin? I always try and keep things tidy when I'm at someone elses house and end up shoving wrappers and little bits and bobs in my handbag if there is no bin.

Just to clarify the husband barging in in itself wouldn't be a problem, but they always seem to do it just as the gentleman of the house is sloping by looking your way. Lol.

My guest room has a kettle with teabags, coffee milk etc plus biscuits plus a large bottle of water. A full length mirror, non noisy (ie no loud ticking) clock, TV magazines, tissues, selection of toiletries, towels, also my duvet cover is dark and patterned (after a guest ruined the white/pale one with her fake tan stuff).

We have a venetian blind at the window, it cuts out light for those who like black out, lets in some light, or can be pulled up completely.

(we also have a dog bed and bowls for some guests who bring their pooch)

I'm very accomodating

Feeling a bit inferior with just a mattress on the floor of ds's room for guests. I suppose we do at least move the toddler out of the room for the night...

Seriously though, curtains are a must, but other than that as long as it's clean it's great. I would assume that guests would generally be spending time with you in the rest of the house, and just sleeping in the room?

I think:

-The room being clean
-Blinds
-Curtains
-Spare Plug Sockets
-Clean towels somewhere (that you can point out if needs be)
-A small bin (the type with a lid)
-Spare toiletries in bathroom

Are all you need. Magazines, books etc downstairs so they can choose and take them upstairs with them if they want. If you have a spare hairdryer etc you could put that in there, but don't think it's a must, you can always just offer a lend of yours. I think the kettle/flowers/chocs are too much.

This is all totally OTT. Now SIL did this the first time DH and I stayed with her and DB after they moved in together.

Now bearing in mind that I had crashed at DB's house loads of times, often in a sleeping bag, drunk - you get the picture.

The pillows had chocolates, there were robes, all kinds of fussing. DH and I had hysterics, but actually it made us feel very uncomfortable. It absolutely put us at arms length.

A blind and/or curtain is a must, how on earth does your DH not realise that??

Apart from that, all you need is clean bedding, clean towels, a mirror, a box of tissues and a rubbish bin. And some accessible sockets.

I have a spare room. I make sure the bedding is clean, i have a blind at the window, bedside lamps and i provide towels. My guests have always been happy with this. I don't even have a rail to hang clothes on. There is a hook on the back of the door. I think being good hosts is about being warm, welcoming and hospitable rather than having a kettle and robes in the spare room.

YY to what's been mentioned already, and I'd add:

• A wastepaper bin - it's only a little thing, but it's a pain to have to troop down to the kitchen bin once you've finished taking your makeup off.
• If you can swipe eye masks and slippers from a hotel/plane journey, do - half the time I forget to pack my slippers and then end up with cold feet.

The three key things I like to see in a guest room, apart from the obvious, are: a bin, a mirror and a bedside lamp. It's surpr how few people put all three of those in.

Black out blind

The tea,coffee & water should be kept in the kitchen and your guests shown around.

I think you're trying to hard( in a nice way)

Mine has got double bed with nice mattress, curtains, clothes rail with wooden hangers, hooks on the back of the door, empty cupboard, lamp, mirror, clock, plug bar for chargers etc, little basket with loads of mini toiletries collected from hotels, my old hair dryer, little bin, spare blanket. I put a vase of flowers on the windowsill when someone stays, and put a stack of towels out for them. If it's my sil staying I make a towel animal as a joke, but wouldn't do that for anyone else!

Yes to mirror, waste bin, bedside light and table, availability of hairdryer. We also put a bottle of water and a glass and tissues. A flower or two from the garden is nice. Kettle is well OTT - as is TV except for long stays.

And obviously towels and hangers.

I just make sure I don't put dark sheets on the air bed because they show up spunk and other bodily fluids.

You sound rather sweet I would find in very endearing if a friend of mine had gone to so much trouble over a guest room. Though if I knew them very well I might also rag them a bit about it

YY to the wastepaper bin. I have an annoying nose which I constantly have to blow, nothing worse than having to stash snotrags in your handbag and ferry them to the kitchen bin. For the same reason, I really appreciate a box of tissues in a guest room.

Mirror, decent size, with plugpoint nearby for hair drying

Good bedside lamp - not blinding, dim enough to be cosier than the overhead light but bright enough to read comfortably by. If at all possible, one on each side of the bed.

I wouldn't personally miss a kettle, but I have friends who wake very early and are also 3-cups-of-tea-in-the-morning types, and I'm sure they would love that.

And yes, curtains

A bedside lamp that can be easily switched off when lying down in the bed.

An accessible free socket for plugging in phone.

A well positioned, pref full length mirror.

A clock radio beside bed.

I'd really appreciate a tv but wouldn't expect this.

A lovely soft carpet and a couple of nice pictures on the walls is nice.

No animal hairs or smoke smells.

A bin.

A lock on the door!

Oh yes, nice spare hangers, wooden ones if you really want to make it nice, when I stay at my mum's there are a wad of mangled tangled wire hangers from the 1970's which is the last time she had something drycleaned

See, my dad puts a kettle and mugs etc in their spare rooms and I love it! I nab hot chocolate sachets when I go and it means I can have a drink without disturbing everyone.
It started because they had a bonkers dog that thought if people were up once all the lights had gone out then it was, in fact, morning and she would refuse to believe it was still night......

Some good ideas up there.

One thing I often find is that spare rooms are very barren, cold and unwelcoming. Some cosy furnishings like your throw is great, put some art on the walls or framed photo's etc, a rug, definitely a mirror and side tables with a lamp on each side. A little basket they can put their phone and car keys in, they often get lost in the mess of living out of a suitcase. (I'll crochet you one if you want! Looking for recipients for my projects )

Add different textures in the room, that also makes it feel cosier and more homely.

I'd love to find a vase of flowers, a small chocolate treat and magazines (even out of date mags as I don't buy them normally), and maybe an easy reading book, depending on how long I was there for.

I'd use patterned sheets with a white duvet cover. Also I like the idea of a small basket of useful items, bandaids, nurofen, cotton buds, spare toothbrush etc... saves guests having to ask if they need something like that.

Blind or curtains or both

White bedding and a bedspread or throw

Sleep there one night to see if any niggles