Furnishing a guest room: ready for holiday guests

Are family or friends coming to stay over the holidays? Then you want them to feel at home straight away. Yet the guest room is often where the ironing board, boxes and things from the attic end up. With a few smart pieces of furniture and a little atmosphere, you can turn it into a room your guests love in a single afternoon. In this guide you'll read what makes a good guest room and how to furnish it without it getting in the way for the rest of the year.

What does a guest really need?

Think of a hotel room: somewhere to hang clothes, a spot for the suitcase, a light by the bed and a mirror. That's all. Walk through the room through your guest's eyes and ask yourself these questions:

Your guest's question	Solution	Our tip
Where do I hang my clothes?	Clothes rail or foldable wardrobe	Clothes rail on castors or Klythara wardrobe
Where do I leave my coat and bag?	Wall coat rack or freestanding coat stand	Quinn wall coat rack
Where do I put my phone and glasses?	Bedside table	Joey bedside table
How do I read in bed?	Cordless lamp, no socket needed	Alba table lamp
Is it warm enough in here?	Heated blanket with timer	Heated blanket 180 × 130 cm

Step 1: hanging space you can put away again

For the rest of the year a guest room is often used for something else, as a workspace or storage. So choose flexible hanging space.

• On castors: the steel clothes rail on castors (€35.00) holds up to 50 kg and has a bottom shelf for shoes or a weekend bag. After the visit, simply roll it into a corner.
• With shoe rack: the Freja clothes rail (€49.95) stands on 4 castors, 2 with brakes, and has a shoe rack. It holds up to 60 kg.
• Dust-free and foldable: the Klythara foldable wardrobe (€69.95) is 150 cm wide and 175 cm tall, made of canvas, and folds away when you don't need it.

Add a set of slim velvet hangers (set of 50, €45.00), so your guest doesn't have to search.

Step 2: a place for coat, bag and suitcase

A suitcase on the floor and a coat over the chair quickly make a room feel full. A coat rack on the wall solves that without using floor space.

• Compact: the Quinn wall coat rack (€29.95) has 5 hooks across 60 cm, handy behind the door.
• Your own design: with the Baelion wall knobs (set of 5, €29.95) in marble look, you create a row of hooks at the height you want.
• Freestanding: don't want to drill? The bamboo Quorin coat stand (€39.95) has 8 hooks and a round tray for keys.

Step 3: light and a bedside table

Nothing is as awkward as searching for a light switch in the dark in someone else's house. Put a bedside table with a lamp next to the bed. The Joey bedside table (€79.95) has a drawer, a lower shelf and adjustable feet, and measures 40 × 40 × 55 cm.

No socket near the bed? Choose a cordless lamp. The OMNIEXA Alba table lamp (€35.00) charges via USB-C, dims with touch and has 3 light modes. Find more models in our guide to choosing a cordless table lamp.

Step 4: warmth and atmosphere

Guest rooms are often cooler than the rest of the house, especially if the heating is usually kept low there. An electric heated blanket of 180 × 130 cm (€49.95) in flannel and sherpa has 9 heat settings and a timer. Lay it over the foot of the bed so your guest can switch it on. Also read how to use an electric blanket.

For a warm welcome, put LED candles on the windowsill. The LED glass candles in amber glass (set of 3, €29.95) have a moving 3D flame and a timer. No open flame and no soot, and the timer switches them off again automatically.

What to look out for

• Walking space: keep at least 60 cm clear around the bed so your guest can easily get past with a suitcase.
• Dual use: choose furniture you can fold away or roll aside after the visit, so the room can go back to being a workspace or storage.
• A mirror: a standing mirror such as the Calyndor LED mirror of 160 × 40 cm is just as handy for guests as it is for you.
• Clear out first: remove things that don't belong there. An empty chair or a free shelf feels like space to your guest.

Checklist for the day your guests arrive

• Fresh bedding and an extra blanket within reach.
• A few empty hangers on the clothes rail.
• A charged lamp next to the bed.
• A free hook for coat and bag.
• LED candles on the timer, so the room looks warm when they arrive.

This way your guest room becomes a place where guests feel welcome straight away, and it stays useful for the rest of the year. View all bedroom furniture. Your order ships free in the Netherlands and Belgium and you get 30 days of free returns.