At a Glance:
Use a Thoughtful Furniture Selection
Explore Functional Storage Solutions
Consider Multifunctional Rooms
Add Greenery and Natural Elements
When friends and relatives stay overnight, you want them to feel comfortable in the space you provide them. This can help them enjoy a good night’s sleep before they spend more time with you the next day. When you create a welcoming guest experience, your loved ones are more likely to reach out and stay with you again in the future.
There are many ways to enhance your guest room depending on the space you have. Use these guest room ideas to learn how you can choose the right bed, ambiance, and decorative elements to create a thoughtfully designed space that your visitors love.
Discover Bedroom Furniture Deals
Taking a spare bedroom from sad to glam is easy with our fine selection of bedroom furniture at Ken's.
Shop NowChoose a Cozy Color Palette
Before you move forward with any guest room ideas, think about the type of atmosphere you want to create in the space. Consider designing a room that incorporates neutral colors to create a serene atmosphere. This can help your guests relax after a stressful travel day. You might not realize it, but colors can impact your mood and interior designers often use color psychology when creating palettes.
As you pick out your guest room essentials, like dressers and floor lamps, consider how each piece supports your color vision and vibes in the room.
We Recommend: Flexsteel® Plymouth 3 Piece Whitewash King Poster Bedroom Set
Shop This Flexsteel Bedroom Set
This is one of the more dramatic guest room bed ideas, but you can immediately see how the neutral color palette and cool colors of this bedroom set create a calming environment for your visitors. After a long day of activities and visiting loved ones, your guests will love climbing into this bed and resting through the night. It is also a durable made that is built from quality veneers and solid acacia wood, and with a 9-drawer dresser to accompany the bed and mirror, guests will have plenty of room to store overnight clothes and items (that means less cleanup for you).
Use a Thoughtful Furniture Selection
Your guest room decor will be used by a variety of people who have different needs. Consider what the average guest would want in the room (like a nightstand with essentials like a table lamp, clock, and charging station) along with bonus elements that add comfort to the space. For example, you can add a comfortable chair or seating area for reading and relaxation.
Guest room furniture usually isn’t used as often, so make sure you dust and clean the space before your visitors arrive.
We Recommend: Benchcraft® Dahra Right Arm Facing Jute Corner Chaise
Shop This Benchcraft Corner Chaise
This chaise is a great example of thoughtful furniture selection. It is small enough to fit in most spaces without dominating the room, which is perfect for adding to a guest area. Your visitors can stretch out along the chaise or sit upright as they get ready for sleep or the day. The piece includes one toss pillow and one bolster pillow that your guests can adjust for added comfort, and its neutral upholstery lends itself to a variety of designs styles—modern, contemporary, and transitional, in particular.
Featured Benchcraft Dahra review: “Love the chaise as a piece. Perfect size for lounging, tv or sleeping. Beautiful design.”
Invest in the Right Bed
Making sure your guests have an enjoyable stay is a reflection of your hospitality, and that’s not something you want to compromise. That’s why choosing the right bed is essential when reviewing guest room ideas and decor options.
What Size Bed for a Guest Room is Right?
A twin mattress might seem easiest for a small space, but it might not be ideal if you have two people staying in one room. Try to add at least a full mattress or queen mattress to your guest room to accommodate your visitors. Regardless of mattress size, prioritize a high-quality mattress for a restful night's sleep. No one wants to stay over in a house with a rock-hard or lump mattress.
✔ Bonus Tip: Another option is to add a sofa sleeper to your guest room, which can free up space for you to use when you don’t have guests over.
We Recommend: Serta® iComfort ECO™ Foam Firm Tight Top Queen Mattress
While there’s no one-size-fits-all for when it comes to the best guest room mattress you can, you can never go wrong with quality. This Serta iComfort mattress is a welcome landing spot for sleepy guests with specially designed materials to keep sleepers cool throughout the night, allowing for a deeper and more restful sleep. If your friends or relatives are hot sleepers, they might never leave because of how comfortable this mattress is with its unique construction of latex and memory foam for body-contouring support like no other.
Featured Serta iComfort ECO review: “My partner and I love this bed. It's a softer mattress but that's what we prefer. It sleeps cool and it has more than enough room for us.”
Explore Functional Storage Solutions
Even if your guests are only staying for a few days, they’ll be unpacking in your home. That means they’ll need a place to store clothes and belongings. Make sure there is ample closet and drawer space, along with hangers, hooks, and luggage racks for easy organization.
Of course, not all bedroom storage has to be dressers and nightstands. Other hacks include storage ottomans, lift-top coffee tables (if there’s space), hooks, over-the-door organizers, and floating wall shelves, to name a few.
Before your guests arrive, clear out excess clutter so your visitors don’t need to move your stuff out of the way in order to settle in.
We Recommend: Flexsteel® Ludwig Walnut Dresser
Shop This Flexsteel 2-Piece Dresser Vanity
This dresser combines both a mirror and storage drawers, which can help your guests prepare to take on the day. There are six total drawers, more than enough for one guest and just as accommodating for a party of two where visitors can unpack and organize their clothes. Additionally, we like how this mirror’s large, reflective surface can help make a room feel larger, just in case you’re worried about guests feeling stuffy.
Consider Multifunctional Guest Rooms
It’s not uncommon to find people asking about office guest room ideas as more people work from home. If you have visitors staying where you normally work, try to find another temporary location in the house to set up your computer. Overall, if you can design a room that can be rearranged easily to suit different types of guests, what you do in the space when it’s vacant is not likely to interfere with the stay.
We Recommend: Benchcraft® Traemore Linen Queen Sofa Sleeper
Shop This Benchcraft Sofa Sleeper
This sofa sleeper tops our list of small guest room ideas because of its flexibility. By night, it opens up into a queen-size bed with a high-quality memory foam mattress, and by day, it serves as a cozy place for visitors to sit, ready, talk, and unwind. This is a great addition for a multifunctional guest room that requires minimal effort to turn a setting into a sleeping space without taking up too much floor space, in case you want to fit a desk or other furniture alongside it when the area isn’t being used as a guest bedroom.
Create a Relaxing Ambiance
Many guest room ideas focus on helping visitors relax because they are usually only in the room during the night and down times during the day. One of the most cost-efficient ways to do that is by investing in adjustable and ambient lighting that creates a cozy space. You can also install blackout curtains to offer privacy and control over natural lighting—especially if your guests like to sleep in.
Our style experts also suggest incorporating soothing scents through candles, diffusers, or potpourri. However, make sure your guests can remove your aromatherapy if it is too strong or if they are sensitive to the smell. Otherwise, they could develop headaches from the odors.
We Recommend: Flexsteel® Ludwig Walnut Open Nightstand
Shop This Flexsteel Nightstand
If you plan on adding lighting to a guest bedroom, you’ll need a place to put ambient lighting. This is both a fashionable and practical nightstand where table lamps, candles, and aromatic décor can coexist with storage needs for an all-in-one solution on a small footprint. There is plenty of storage space in the drawer and underneath for you to add decorative elements. And as an added bonus, this nightstand also has two integrated outlets and USB ports so your guests can charge their phones while they sleep (also saving you from the dreaded “Can I borrow a charger” request).
Add Greenery and Natural Elements
Even if your guest room ideas center around a neutral palette, don’t be afraid to add a touch of nature (and pops of color) with indoor plants or fresh flowers. Even if you aren’t interested in keeping real plants alive, you can incorporate natural textures through rugs, cushions, or wall decor.
You can also welcome in nature while keeping it outside through the use of your windows. Natural light and outdoor views can connect your guests to the outdoors while they stay warm and cozy inside.
We Recommend: Signature Design by Ashley® Dallson Brown/Gray Floor Lamp
Shop This Signature Design by Ashley Floor Lamp
This is a neutral floor lamp that can bring warm light into your space. This is a good piece if you have large windows that provide natural light but also want supportive light fixtures for your guests to use at night. The cream-colored lampshade can match most palettes, especially if you are pairing with warm browns and cool greens, making it the perfect complement to plants used in the guest bedroom.
Featured Signature Design by Ashley Dallson review: “Great Lamp for a great price. Six foot tall is higher that nearly all we could find. We needed something taller for 12' ceilings. Also like the 3 way switch instead of just on/off like most have. Would definitely recommend!”
Whether you have a twin bed guest room that doubles as an office or a large space that can hold a king bed, take steps to make your visitors feel comfortable while they are staying with you. If you need some help creating the perfect guest bedroom, don’t hesitate to ask the pros—us! At Ken’s, we can help find you the right pieces for a functional space both when guests are in and check out. Browse our selection online today or in-store near you!
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Ken's has been a trusted source of home furnishings in the Grand Island area since 1962. With nearly 60 years of experience in the community, customers have come to rely on us for all their home needs. We offer a wide selection of furniture, premium mattresses, and high-quality appliances. Our knowledgeable sales team will help you find the perfect items for your home. And once the sale is made, we are there for you with installation services and an experienced parts and service department.
We are routinely recognized by both the Grand Island community as well as the industry for our commitment to excellence. We are proud to be BrandSource Dealer of the Year for 2014 and Best of Grand Island for Appliances since 2022. We also received Fan Favorite in Grand Island for Mattresses in 2022. Shop local at Ken's Grand Island, NE! We look forward to servicing you and providing the quality products your home needs.
Shop Guest Room Furniture at Ken’s
At Ken’s, we pride ourselves on being more than just a store - we are your total home solution. Having served Grand Island for so many years, it matters to us that we only provide the best products. Shop furniture online or visit us today at Grand Island, NE showroom. Our experts are always available to help you turn your guest room ideas into a reality, whether you call us or use our online text feature. Contact us today!
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