If you could design your dream guest room ...

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We are about to move to a new house and will have space for a guest room.

What would be your must haves? This is our forever home and I want it to be a really welcoming space for all the people we miss seeing right now.

That said, I'm not averse to making it a bit of a multipurpose room, so that we can still get use out of it day-to-day, so interested to hear ideas in that direction too.

Congratulations!

I’d love to have a cosy nook with floating bookshelves, with loads of books, and a hanging chair. Also a modular sectional sofa, which can be turned into a bed, and a pouffe with storage...a coffee table near the sofa and maybe some plants dotted around the room?

A few guest room basics that are often overlooked- a decent mirror, power points and bed side lighting on both sides of the bed.

Bed as comfy as yours with nice pillows and an extra blanket or two.

Electric sockets and a decent bedside light.

Empty surfaces to dump stuff on and a hook on the back of the door with a couple of coat hangers.

Thick curtains.

A little bookshelf or book case with an utterly eclectic mix of books - short stories, childhood favourites, and whatever else you have spare in a range of tastes.

Active permission to turn the radiator on or off.

And then if space, a chair.

One relative always had a biscuit tin by the bed in case visitors were hungry in the night. We loved staying there!

Sufficient floor space for a travel cot or blow up child bed if that’s likely to be needed.

I love the idea of a tin of biscuits . I always put a throw in the room so guests can choose to use the warm duvet or a cooler throw. Plenty of plugs near the bedside table, even if it is an extension. By the time you have a light, laptop, phone charger and I also have a Cpap machine it starts adding up.

I'm sleeping in ours at the moment as DH is being a PITA............

We've got an antique king size bed, with a massive thick squishy mattress and nice bed linen. It points towards the window and lovely view, we've got a table each side of it with lamps on, and no TV in there.

And a Luxaflex Duette blackout blind at the window. I also keep our Dyson fan in there, which helps me sleep.

I may not move back into the main bedroom..............

We went for:

• 2 single beds (90 wide)with upholstered headboard
• separate bedside tables
• table lamps
• 2 posh pilllows, posh duvets and blankets
• dressing table
• task light for dressing table
• wardrobe
• set of drawers
• full height mirror
• black out curtains
• lots of sockets
• had bought a set of towels too
• thicker than average door so very quiet in there So better than our room (incl bigger) in many ways. PIL hate it. For several years I've emptied it of all but the bare necessities as they were piling their stuff on them and things were getting damaged. Would advise you don't overthink it.

Our guest room has a little snacks/hot drinks station with a nespresso machine and a kettle. The worst is when you’re jet lagged at 2am and all you want is a cup of tea and something to eat at 2 am but are stuck waiting until someone in the house wakes up in the morning and offers.

We also have:

• bed we know is comfy
• full length mirror
• bench at the foot of the bed for suitcases
• hangers behind the door
• a little desk with chair and chest of drawers
• a fan
• blackout blinds
• nightstands with lamps on either side of the bed
• power points on either side of the bed
• plants and a nice rug
• nice guest bathrobes and bath towels

I agree about making sure guests know they can adjust radiators to their liking.

I have a chest of drawers, bedside cabinet, fitted wardrobes and a dressing table in mine - unfortunately we currently have a long term booking aka university is shut!

Comfortable bed, cotton sheets (and please make the bed up just before use, if sheets are left on a bed for a long time they get damp), towels in the room when you arrive so you don't need to ask, wifi code supplied, lamp on bedside table, somewhere to store clothes, minimal nicknaks, as a PP said it's good to have space to put your stuff. If possible an en suite (make much more sense for a guest room than amaster bedroom) but not essential.

Having said all that, having spent the last year working in the spare room I'd go for the best sofabed you can find and have it set up as a stylish home office most of the time because realistically even in normal times a guest room is used less than 50% of the time.

Fully on steampunk/industrial design. Probably the only one with such a strange taste :)

Its own ensuite.

Sockets on both sides of a double bed
comfy mattress, mattress topper, 15 tog duvet, nice sheets, throw
4 good pillows of 2 different types, an extra V shaped pillow (esp if no headboard),
lamps on each side of bed,
an adjustable radiator, fan in summer,
decent blinds/curtains (basically useable),
bottle of mineral water and glasses,
small tv,
radio/bedside clock,
more sockets,
spare hairdryer stuff,
bin,
small clothes rail,
room for suitcases/luggage,
small desk, lamp for desk,
mirrors,
tissues,
fresh towels,
new carpet,
art above bed

As DDs have left home we have their rooms and two other guest rooms and a big flat above our garage.

All rooms have king size beds except one which is a single. It’s dual aspect and my elderly mum likes it!! It also has duette blackout blinds by Luxaflex. Lovely high quality carpets of the same colour in most rooms that lead off the landing with the same carpet.

Big guest room has a large end suite and so does one of the smaller rooms. Other two rooms share a bathroom. Flat has a bathroom. We always have White Compsng bed linen, mattress toppers , decent lightweight duvets, quilts/throws, cushions and decent pillows.

Every room has bedside tables with lamps. Fabric blinds in all the king size rooms. White painted Wood Venetians in the flat. That has cooking, dining and lounge facilities. Several beds are bedsteads and cases go underneath. Others have upholstered headboards. Large bedroom has a settee and the single bedroom has an armchair. Hanging space is available in every room.

DH uses one end of the largest room for exercise. His gym machine thing is in the flat. I hate it and he doesn’t use it! Offensive thing!

I really take influences from hotels and I always make beds and leave loads of towels etc in the bathrooms. Molten Brown body wash etc. Hair dryers and mirrors are in all rooms. Just think what you would want in a good design led hotel and do the same as them. If you have space for secondary use, a reading area with a chair and bookcase is good. Or a bookcase with a fold out desk. Put away when visitors come.

Anyone can open windows or adjust heating. We have a warm house so no great big duvets or blankets needed. Fresh air is great though.

Hope that is of some help.

Decent size and en suite.