Guest Bedroom Inspiration For Country Homes

November 9, 2024

With our thoughts already turning towards Christmas and New Year, we think about hosting friends and family and looking at our all-important guest bedrooms, making sure they are warm and inviting, and an absolute joy to stay in. So I thought I would highlight some simple tips and ideas for helping you to create beautiful guest bedrooms.

So I thought I would highlight some simple tips and ideas for helping you to create beautiful guest bedrooms.

Calming & Beautiful Rooms

I am often asked if a guest bedroom should have a different ambience to your own bedroom, and the answer is always yes! Your own bedroom is your personal space, a room of calming sanctuary, whereas a guest bedroom can be different, bolder, inviting and more experimental, as well as calming and beautiful still.

A guest bedroom is also a room to explore new ideas. Perhaps consider statement wallpapers, darker colours, ambient lighting, large cushions on the bed and some all-important beautiful fresh cotton or linen bedding, soft wool throws and wonderfully soft pillows. And you can also add layers of texture and design with upholstered headboards.

Choosing colour is important, and often we are pulled towards colours that create a sense of calm, but sometimes it is good to experiment and be brave with bolder colours.

Layers of textured bedding are a perfect way to add design, pattern and colour if you choose to create a more understated room with neutral colour walls and carpets.

Cushions are always a moot point, you either love lots of them or hate them! Lots of cushions on the bed can be frustrating, and generally end up thrown on the floor. My personal style is to have one or two, either very large ones that can be used to curl up in or propped against the headboard, or one or two on a chair.

If you have enough space in the guest bedroom, a small reading chair is perfect, or a desk for writing or using the laptop.

Helen Izzard is a Somerset based interior design studio, creating timeless, quietly elegant interiors. Our design philosophy is underpinned by our ethos of timelessness, quality, longevity, and craftsmanship. We are drawn to natural materials, which are inherently beautiful, practical and sustainable. Our speciality is bespoke curtains and blinds, using sustainable fabrics from UK independent fabric designers, alongside our Moorland Collection of Artisan British-Made Trimmings.

Creating ambience with Lighting

Using layered lighting is important, as it makes guests feel at home and allows different corners to be lit. Standard lamps are always perfect in corners, close to chairs or desks, or little wall lights if space is limited, as well as bedside lamps for reading in bed. Lighting is really important in these dark months, as it creates welcoming cosy rooms.

Guests often want to retreat to their bedrooms at times, away from the noise and bustle of Christmas for a few quiet moments, so a cosy room to retreat in is important. I am sure many of us have felt the same as guests, the basic human need for space and quiet at times.

Storage Solutions

Storage is not as important in guest rooms, but somewhere to put a suitcase away, a bedside cupboard for small personal items or a chest of drawers for clothes are useful, if the space allows. I have often seen a beautiful upholstered or vintage wooden trunk or ottoman placed at the bottom of the bed, a perfect solution for storage and another idea for layered textured interiors. It is also a perfect place for cushions, away from the bed! A side table or chest of drawers is the perfect place for a vase for welcoming flowers too.

Window dressings

As well as dressing the windows, privacy is an important factor in a bedroom where you want your family and friends to feel safe and secure. I love adding interlined roman blinds tucked in the window recess and interlined curtains outside on beautiful poles, as this helps guests to sleep and feel cosy.

Interestingly, it is often the room that many owners decide not to use blackout lining, something I am always puzzled with, as you want your guests to sleep comfortably and not everyone likes bright light at the windows in the morning. So do bear this in mind when you are designing the room.

If you would like to see our complete British Made Trimmings collection, please click here for fan edge trims or onion tassel pom pom trims, or if you would love some help in designing your home or are interested in our interior design services in Somerset and the surrounding areas, please do contact me here.

I look forward to working with you.