10 guest room ideas so delightful, your guests might never want to leave!
All a guest room or cottage needs is a practical bed, a bedside table, a reading light, and storage for bed linens. A cozy atmosphere lets your guests know you've thought of them!
When furnishing a guest room or cottage, consider whether you want the space to also double as a living area. If so, a sofa bed is a smart choice. Alternatively, arrange two beds or daybeds in an L-shape or end to end. For a cohesive look, sew covers for the mattresses from sturdy cotton and adorn the beds with large decorative pillows.
If there’s no room for a wardrobe in the guest room, a bed with storage drawers is an excellent solution for storing linens. A handy alternative to a full-height wardrobe is a 120–150 cm high model that also serves as a countertop. You can replace the doors of a tall wardrobe with a space-saving, ceiling-mounted, floor-length cotton or linen curtain—an affordable alternative to sliding doors.
A wall-mounted rack for hanging clothes and towels also saves space. In a small room, a wall shelf made from a board and brackets can serve as a nightstand.
Alongside white, shades like warm beige, sage, and blue-gray work well in a guest room. If the floor is wooden, painting it a dark color that contrasts with the walls can effectively define the space.
Guest room—10 beautiful and practical ideas
1. Materials from nature
The tree branch attached to two long hooks holds summer clothes on slim, lightweight metal hangers. An old Muurame drawer unit serves as a nightstand. The bed is dressed in easy-care linen sheets. The resident of the home wove the rustic blanket from paper yarn.
2. Cozy nest
A perfectly sized spot for the bed was found under the sloping ceiling of this guest cottage. The softness of the sturdy pine bed can be adjusted by adding or removing mattresses. The bed has floral-patterned bedding for the delight of the guests, and a mosquito net hung from a ceiling hook ensures a good night’s sleep. The portable Hay DLM table serves as a nightstand.
3. The new meets the old
The bedding fits into the half-height wardrobe, which also serves as a convenient countertop. The rattan chair is part of the original decor, and the coat rack was found during a family trip. The rustic-style bed is from an antique shop. The floor is painted with Betolux. A similar shade is Tikkurila’s 2113.
The guest room stays tidy when there are proper hooks for clothes and towels.
4. Sleep and sauna
There’s an airy spot for towels on the covered terrace. Two Notte beds by Kiteen Huonekalutehdas fit perfectly end to end in the sauna cottage. The mattresses have removable, washable covers. The sleek dining table can hold toiletry bags and sauna drinks.
5. Consistent materials
A straightforward two-person futon sofa is practical in both the living room and guest room. The pine-framed Roots sofa is from Karup’s collection. The wall-wide storage cabinet is assembled from three IKEA Ivar pine cabinets, which blend seamlessly into the pine-paneled wall.
A daybed easily transforms into a sofa with the help of large backrest cushions.
6. Mini nook
In the two-meter-wide sleeping nook of this houseboat, there are two beds arranged in an L-shape. Sturdy back cushions turn the bed into a sofa-like lounging spot. In a small space, it’s wise to stick to solid-color textiles, as patterns can make it feel cluttered.
7. Beds for three
A 50-centimeter-deep cabinet is installed in the lowered ceiling of this alcove, providing storage for bedding. The old wooden sofa’s mattress has a removable cover made from Marimekko fabric. The wall space is utilized for hanging accessories with numerous wall hooks. The string of lights creates ambiance, and the spotlight provides reading light.
8. Shades of red clay
The wooden floor painted in red ocher and the linen duvet cover in the same shade add character to the small room. The plastic-free Porstua floor paint by Virtasen, for example, goes well on old wooden floors. The weathered wooden bench serves as a nightstand. You can look for old metal beds at secondhand stores.
9. Wallpaper and paneling—a perfect pair
White wainscoting calms and brightens this room wallpapered with a colorful pattern. A good height for the paneling is about 30 centimeters higher than the bed’s headboard—typically the height of the paneling would be 150–170 centimeters. The wallpaper is ‘Chestnut Blossom’ by Boråstapeter.
10. Lightweight surface
There’s room under the wall-mounted nightstand for a lidded laundry basket, for example. The Hope nightstand shelf can be installed on either the right or left side of the drawer. The nightstand is made of European beech (65 × 15 × 30 cm), €239, Woodek.
