Inviting guests to stay for the festive period makes Christmas all the more enjoyable. Use expert advice to create a bedroom that can be enjoyed at this special time and all year round, without any compromise to functionality or style
PURPOSEFUL FURNITURE
Guest bedrooms vary significantly in size, from compact and cosy to large enough to double up as a home office or reading retreat when not in use by visiting guests. Bear this in mind when selecting furniture and storage. Bed size is of course paramount to making a guest bedroom work: a double is always welcoming, but consider twin singles that can be pushed together, offering maximum flexibility for guests of all ages. Small doubles work particularly well in a guest bedroom providing a workable compromise between a single and standard double, particularly when a striking design such as a patterned upholstered headboard or a heritage iron bedstead makes a style statement. Mark Tremlett of The Cornish Bed Company advises seeking out beds that can be “fully customised and manufactured as a bedstead, bed surround, headboard, or even as a bedstead with no foot end, making them suitable for rooms of all dimensions, whilst remaining the focal point, adding welcoming charm and character.”
Team with a good quality mattress – regular visitors might benefit from a premium style, making their stay more of a home-from-home experience. Chris Tattersall, sleep expert and managing director of Woolroom, suggests luxurious wool. “Sleeping on a wool mattress has numerous benefits for your sleep,” he explains. “The most notable is that users will sleep cool in summer and warm in winter due to wool’s entirely natural temperature regulating qualities. Furthermore, because wool boasts antimicrobial properties, a wool mattress will offer protection against bacteria, mould, mildew and other microbes, naturally making it a great hypoallergenic option for any guests
who may be allergy sufferers, of which you may not be aware.” For extra comfort add a mattress topper. “A good quality feather-filled topper will provide additional comfort as well as give you that hotel feel in an instant,” says Charlie Marshall, founder of Loaf.
Good storage is key, and a wardrobe is a must, particularly in winter for guests’ overcoats and extra layers – the rest of the year it can double up as storage for
