With a long weekend approaching and potential hosting of friends and family, we wanted to share some styling ideas and tips for a guest bedroom. These tips translate to any bedroom, however it is nice to elevate a guest space for a luxurious feeling that might be less personal than your own bedroom. The cooling weather and move into Autumn has dictated the tones chosen for this space, resulting in a cosy and inviting bedroom.
BED LAYERING
Anchor your bed with a rug as it creates the best foundation to showcase the layers above it. Start off with a fitted and top sheet, then layer on the duvet and/or coverlet. Use contrasting textiles as extra layers, for added warmth and visual interest.
If you don’t have a bedhead, use euro (large square) cushions at the back for added height. You can play around with the colour of the euro cushions and the pillowcases, but generally these contrast with one another for added depth and interest. Use cushions at the front as a blender - these generally bring the whole bed-scape together. Think about using contrasting patterns or stripes in the same colours and tones as the rest of the linen.
COLOURS & FIBRES TO MATCH THE SEASON
Dress the bed in colours and textures that emote the season. Coming into the cooler months, I like to work with warm tones and highly textured fabrics to make the room feel like a cosy retreat. In warmer months, think of cool colours like whites, blues, greens and softer tones in cottons, linens and silks.
FURNITURE TO SUIT THE SPACE
Choose bedside tables which complement how you want the bedroom to look. Consider whether you want them to be a focal point or whether they are to be more of a functional item – this will help you decide what you are looking for. Do you want them to have drawers, do you want them to be solid to the floor, or visually lighter in weight so that you see more of the wall behind them. This is more often than not dependent on the size of the bedroom – for smaller rooms more refined bedside tables work best. If you have a large room then solid bedside tables may be the better option.
I love a bench seat at the foot of the bed as it adds another level and layer of interest. There is a wide range of options to choose from, again, generally it depends on the size of the room and the space available as to the size and style you may want. For example, for a large space you could have an upholstered ottoman with storage, or a wooden bench seat with baskets beneath. For a smaller room you may just want a wooden bench seat or an ottoman on higher legs (to give a sense of space).
BOTANICALS AND LIGHTING
In my opinion every bedroom should have botanicals and good lighting. Botanicals add life and interest and good lighting is the best way to create a calming environment in the evenings. Botanicals can be grand and sculptural like our ‘Southern Magnolia’ used here or small and delicate, grouped amongst other items.
Artificial flowers (like our ‘Kyoto Blossom’ arrangement shown above) and greenery can provide a great permanent, no maintenance option for a guest room, or you can pick something fresh from the garden before your guests arrive. We feature our ‘Faux Potted Olive Tree’ in the foreground and our ‘Brass Finish Table Lamp with Linen Look Lampshade’ is used on the bedside in this room as it provides sculptural form, texture and mood lighting. Our much smaller cordless ‘Zafferano’ lamps are a great option for smaller bedsides.
SPECIAL EXTRAS
For a guest bedroom, think about adding extra touches which are beautiful and practical eg a trinket dish for jewellery (see ‘Viola Marble Trinket Dish’), a quality hand cream, tissue box and a beautiful coaster for a glass of water. I also love beautiful books as it feels like a treat to lie in bed and meander through a good book – that could be a lovely indulgence for your guests.
Our ‘Rattan Tray’ (in Small or Large) is a great option for providing another surface to style - these can be used as a base - styled on a bedside table or ottoman/bench seat, or used for breakfast in bed! A folded towel at the foot of the bed with chocolate or similar will provide a resort like feel and special memories.
CONSIDER ALL OF THE SENSES
It’s not enough to have a bedroom that looks and feels amazing – it also needs to smell amazing – we can’t go past our collection of ‘Ashley & Co’ home perfumes (candles and diffusers).
If you need any help with suggestions on botanicals and styling items – send us an image via our ‘Ask the Team’ request form and we will provide our suggestions for your space.
GUEST BEDROOM STYLING VIDEO
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