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3 hours ago
’Tis the season for spare bedrooms to find the spotlight
A spare bedroom is a wonderful opportunity to create a multipurpose space that can house the overflow of your life – kids’ toys, your bursting wardrobe – while also offering a comfy sanctuary for overnight visitors. Stuck for ideas on how to decorate your guest bedroom? We asked leading interior designers their favourite ways to jazz up this extra room and any tips on boosting your hosting credentials along the way.
Comfy bedding is non-negotiable. ‘The key to making a guest bed truly inviting starts with the bedding,’ says Laura Stephens. ‘Freshly laundered sheets layered with soft blankets and plump cushions instantly create a sense of comfort and care. For an added touch of luxury, I always recommend a mattress topper – it makes the bed feel wonderfully indulgent.’
‘We often design spare rooms to be flexible and sometimes design the nearest to the master bedroom to work as an extension of the master bedroom but without appearing so,’ says Octavia Dickinson. ‘For example, we’d always include a full-size wardrobe and storage space for clothing that can double up as wardrobe overflow, seasonal clothing storage or often this room semi-functions as a men’s dressing room. Clients have requested a spare room with just a single bed in it, which can be used as an ‘overflow’ spare room when the house is full, but also as a room if one of them is ill, snores, or as “drunk bunk”.’
‘Guest bedrooms, in our eyes, have a few essentials: including a bedside light and a hairdryer,’ says Karen Howes of Taylor Howes.
Rebecca Hughes also suggests that switches and lights should be considered in the room, too. ‘Gone are the days of fumbling for the switch or settling for harsh overhead light,’ she says. ‘Consider adjustable wall-mounted light for focused illumination – ideal for late-night reading without overwhelming the space.’
Laura Stephens says it’s the small touches that count ‘to make a guest’s stay memorable’. Think ‘a carafe of water by the bedside, mini toiletries, fluffy towels, or even a simple vase of fresh flowers.’
Karen Howes of Taylor Howes echoes floral appointments. ‘Go for fresh flowers, a curated selection of books, artisanal toiletries, or bespoke candles to elevate the space further,’ she says. ‘Your guest bedroom will feel both cared for and inviting.’
Clare Gaskin
Clare Gaskin wanted to create a ‘sense of wonder’ with this bespoke headboard where cutout stars float as magnetic pieces on Cole & Son Fornasetti wallpaper. To recreate, ‘embrace bold colour, tactic finishes and think about small details that invite guests to touch, move and play in a memorable room’. Perfect for littler guests.
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Turner Pocock
It might feel like a feng shui no-no to house a bed right by the outer wall, but Bunny Turner of Turner Pocock is a big advocate. ‘You’ll unexpectedly create space you didn’t think you had.’ Make it cosier by adding a curtain and a ‘playful wallpaper print on the inside wall, contrasted by a bold colour on the outside’.
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Laura Stephens
A pop of colour livens up this room set designed by Laura Stephens. The designer argues that ‘guest rooms can feel a little overlooked so personal touches, like the fireplace or books and framed pictures, are invaluable in giving the space warmth and personality’. But – she says – ‘don’t forget practicality: providing somewhere to put belongings, whether it’s a luggage rack, a small chest of drawers, or even just sturdy hooks on the back of a door, ensures your guests feel both comfortable and considered.’
Octavia Dickinson
Bed hangings are a wonderful way to sneak in extra storage underbed with a stylish finish. This guest bedroom designed by Octavia Dickinson perfectly embodies her flexible design philosophy that uses the spare room as ‘an extension of the master bedroom, that can double up as wardrobe overflow’.
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Guy Goodfellow
‘Artwork is a great way to express personality in a spare room in a natural, characterful way without overwhelming the space,’ says Guy Goodfellow. ‘Tastes may differ from one visitor to the next, so choose pieces you genuinely love, but avoid anything too pointed or polarising.’ Nonetheless, he argues that art is, after all, not what you see but what you make others see…
Rebecca Hughes Interiors
Banish stark overhead lights and instead ‘layer lighting’, suggests Rebecca Hughes. Lowered pendant lighting paired with dedicated reading lamps on both sides of the bed creates a softer effect – ‘Ideal for late-night reading, a relief for the insomniacs and so much more inviting.’
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Studio Vero
Studio Vero’s smart inset shelving is a serious upgrade for device charging and trinket displays. But what particularly works about this spare room design is, according to Venetia Rudebeck, co-founder of Studio Vero, the way it combines old and new items. ‘Mixing pieces from different eras adds character: an art deco bedside table with a contemporary lamp feels relaxed rather than “designed”.’
Taylor Howes
This softly coloured guest bedroom is designed by Karen Howes of Taylor Howes studio. What makes it luxurious, she says, is that it combines a few quality essentials: ‘Good blinds, a dressing chair where space allows, and a quilt at the end of the bed which is made up with the best linens.’
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