bedrooms Archives - life{in}grace

This is day 12 of a 31 Day series on hospitality. Start from the beginning here.

Let me start out this post by saying that everything I ever learned about making a guest room comfortable, I learned from my friend Susan. As a matter fact, almost everything I learned about everything was from her. She is the essence of Southern hospitality and I hope to be just like her when I grow up. Because of her stellar example, I’ve gotten much more intentional over the years about my guest spaces.

Here’s my list of the top ten items that every well-appointed guest room should have. This is the ultimate goal but collect things here and there as you can, within your budget. I mostly ‘shop the house’ when I’m having company. I mosey around my rooms and look for pretty and cozy things to add to the guest room to make it more inviting and comfortable. Sometimes they make it back to their rightful homes and sometimes they become permanently attached to the guest room. Look around and see what you have a first and then do some shopping if need be.

1. A comfortable bed.

Most of us can’t afford to buy a high quality mattress for the guest room so I’m a huge fan of a thick mattress pad on the bed to make it more inviting. It’s often hard to sleep in a strange place and an uncomfortable bed only adds to the difficulty. They’re not that expensive and make a huge difference in comfort. Those high thread count sheets from Tuesday Morning come in handy here too!

2. Extra pillows

I try to store 2-3 extra pillows in the guest room closet.

3. Fresh towels and washcloths.

I like crisp white towels for company and I will often buy a couple new ones when company’s coming. It’s a fairly cheap way to freshen up a room and who doesn’t need a few more white towels?

4. A luggage rack

I’m completely in love with luggage racks. They’re so practical and vintage, all at the same time. You can often find them at antique stores but some retail stores still sell them. Trust me, get one. You’ll wonder how you ever lived without it. Or your guests will.

5. A cozy throw

I don’t know about you but I use throws ALL.THE.TIME. Every room needs a throw. I’m looking around and can see three in my living room at the moment. I’m a throw-hoarder among other things. TJ Maxx has great ones on the cheap and you can find them in great colors and patterns. They are cheap, instant style. My black and white striped one was less than twenty bucks from IKEA.

6. Fresh flowers

If I don’t have time to pick up flowers and there’s nothing blooming in my yard, I’ll snip a fresh magnolia leaf or something from the yard. I think more than anything, this tells your guest that you were thinking of them before hand—that you care—-that they are important. Fresh flowers add instant life and beauty to a room and make everyone smile:)))))

7. Water pitcher

There’s nothing wrong with handing your guest a water bottle but a pretty water pitcher and a piece of beautiful glassware add such a nice touch. Almost all my glassware is thrifted and I’m always on the lookout for beautiful pieces. And this is where you don’t need a whole set of matching glasses. Next time you’re thrifting, look for a few pieces for the guest room.

8. Stationary

I leave pens, pencils, paper, stationary and even stamps in my guest room. This comes in especially handy if your guest has trouble sleeping. Besides, writing hand-written notes is such a lost art! If you don’t have a desk in your guest room, consider thrifting one and repainting it. Most people travel with electronics and it’s nice to have a desk to work from. I’ve also been hoarding extra chargers to keep in my guest rooms, which has come in handy more than once already.

9. Books and Magazines

Decorating or art books, poetry, and books with essays are great to leave in your guest rooms. And I even change mine out depending on who’s gonna be staying with me. I try to think of who I’m entertaining and then put a few books and current magazines that match their interests. I just shop the house because heaven knows I have a book or two.

10. Snacks

I usually make sure there’s some good chocolate, mints, cough drops etc. I just keep a drawer full of goodies and stock up when the goodies are on sale.

And for my guest room fragrance (and the one I use in the workroom!), I use Archipelago’s Stonehenge diffuser. It’s divine!

Hope you enjoyed the list. Did I miss anything that you would add? I’ll tell you how I stock my guest bathroom tomorrow and if you were worried about the robe—it’s on tomorrows list!

And if your children just so happen to place a small lego man on the plate wall for fun, you should leave him. He can keep your guests company. Like a little guardian angel.

I recently updated my About page, in case you’re interested!

Until I can decide which of the 356 pictures to show you from our Fourth of July Fest, I thought I’d show you some progress in my bedroom.

I’m finally getting furniture and some art work in this room—which means it’s starting to have that sultry vibe that perhaps all master bedrooms should have?

My first thought was that the master should be relaxing—a bit of a sanctuary.

But upon more contemplation, I threw it all out the window for passion. Let the bathroom or the guest room be soothing. This room should be a little spicy and evoke love and beauty. The bust of Aphrodite (from Pottery Barn) seemed like the perfect icon. Not only is she the goddess of love but she’s also the goddess of necklace holding.

My tufted bed was finally delivered and I LOVE the antique glass around the perimeter. (from Braden’s in Knoxville). The bed and the chandelier add just the right amount of glamour. The cowboy boots at the end of the bed add just the right amount of grit.

I’ve moved this stool around to every spot in the house but I really like it here at my dressing vanity. (Polka dot dress from Target).

When the painters laid the first brush stroke to this room, I think everyone thought I had finally gone off the deep end. Black walls?

But this ain’t my first rodeo 🙂

I’ve had dark walls before in the master and it’s the perfect spot in the house to create a little cocoon. The color is graphite from Benjamin Moore and Darlene helped me pick it out. I LOVE this color so much. It often looks navy, sometimes looks charcoal and occasionally looks black. It has depth and a certain muddiness that keeps you from being able to decide exactly what color it is. It’s alluring and makes you take notice. And then the pops of white reassure you that although it has a certain mystery, this room has nothing to hide. It’s honest and trustworthy. You know, like you want your marriage to be.

And the desk? It’s for writing love letters, of course.

In my humble opinion, every room needs a monogram. But then again, I like banjos and cornbread.
I recently had some white linen pinch pleat drapes made, along with a vintage sofa that I had recovered, and they are divine!

Just plain white linen, but beautiful against the dark walls.

masterbr2
The master bath is the only room in this house that is exactly the same since the first day we moved in. It’s the only room that I don’t beg, steal and borrow from. Maybe some day I’ll give it some more personality but I kinda like its understated loveliness.

And THAT is the state of things in the most important room in the house.
So, tell me about your bedroom. Have you neglected it for far too long? Maybe you should start a Pinterest board of inspiration and then slowly make a few changes. More importantly, what about the person who shares the room with you? Perhaps a love letter is in order.
xoxo,
edie