Tracy deShazo designed this welcoming room as a place guests might want to linger. (Photo by Gordon Gregory)
While sometimes relegated to a forgotten storage space or a makeshift office, guest bedrooms are an excellent opportunity to experiment with your home design and take your hosting game to the next level. Four Richmond decorators share their tips for achieving welcoming guest rooms that will invite your guests to give in to full relaxation.
Tracy deShazo, Tracy deShazo Interiors
“Make a statement with beautiful bedding and mix it up with patterns, texture and color. In addition, a seating area for your guests offers a place to read, enjoy a cup of coffee or simply relax. Add depth to your space with window treatments, wallpaper, lighting, rugs, found objects and original art. Fresh flowers are also a nice touch. Be warned, your guests may just overstay their welcome!”
“I love pushing the design with color and pattern layering in these spaces to make them feel like boutique hotel rooms. My essentials for a successful guest retreat include bedding that feels luxurious but is easy to care for, great bedside lighting, storage for guests to stow away clothes and a comfortable place to sit. I am team ‘no TV in the bedroom,’ but for a guest room I tend to urge my clients to install one. I think it is such a great feature to have for guests, especially if they tend to get up earlier than the rest of the house.”
Myrf Bowry, Decorum
“A comfortable bed is probably the most important element in a guest room — a great mattress with crisp linens, a variety of pillows, and a blanket or decorative throw at the foot of the bed so your guest can achieve their perfect sleep temperature, no matter how the homeowner sets the thermostat. Room-darkening window treatments are a nice touch so guests can avoid rising with the sun when they’re on vacation. It’s important to have nightstands and lighting on both sides of the bed. Other special touches include chargers for electronics, a place to put their luggage and fresh flowers.”
Leah Walder, Leah Walder Interiors
“We love hosting guests in our home and showing them all that Richmond has to offer. Guest rooms are so much fun to design since I believe they are great spaces to take a little more risk with color or accents. To make guests feel extra comfortable, blackout shades along with luxurious bedding and towels are essential. Some extra touches that I like to include are a glass carafe by the bed, a vase of fresh flowers, a ‘Really Richmond’ city guide and, of course, the latest issue of Richmond magazine.”
