The experts provided some simple rules-and some suggestions to make overnight guests feel at ease during challenging times.

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During holidays or any other time of the year, when friends and family with suitcases come to your door, it is best to have a warm place to put them away from the hustle and bustle of daily life.

Sean Anderson, an interior designer in Memphis, said: “Traveling can be a stressful experience, so it’s good to provide your guests with a place to relax and recharge.” “It’s about paying attention to you. Who the guests are and their lifestyle, so when they live in your home, they will feel calm and peaceful."

This is how well-designed rooms-if you are lucky enough to have this space-can make a big difference.

Since guest rooms are used less frequently than other rooms, they may end up as dumping grounds for unwanted furniture or storage boxes. But when you are expecting visitors, it's time to clean up the clutter and add some thoughtful elements.

As Mr. Anderson said, "The real impact is the details."

To help create a guest room that visitors never want to leave (be careful: this is a blessing and a curse), we asked the interior designer for advice.

When designing guest rooms, there are two schools of thought. Because this is a room that doesn't usually get much use, some designers recommend going all out to use colors and patterns to make an important statement—similar to the way they treat powder rooms.

"For me, the guest room is a place where you can have a little fun, and maybe do some unexpected things," said Seattle-based designer Heidi Caillier. "I find that people are more open to wallpapers or prints to make them interesting," she added, "instead of the master bedroom, where they want to be more relaxed."

In the bedroom of a house she designed in Connecticut, Ms. Caillier covered the walls with Morris & Co.'s Fruit wallpaper, which features vivid patterns of leaves, flowers, pomegranates, peaches, and citrus fruits.

Other designers prefer to keep it simple. Mel Bean, a designer in Tulsa, Oklahoma, said: “I want its personality and style to be connected with the aesthetics of the rest of the house, but not so extreme or specific that someone Love it, some people hate it.".

Ms. Bean suggests choosing colors and patterns that may have universal appeal. "This should be where everyone wants to sleep," she said. "This may result in neutral colors, or it may result in a lot of colors, but it's not too busy or too irritating."

The choice is a personal choice, depending on who you envision using the space-such as your fashion friends, or your conservative grandparents-and what you want to convey about your sense of style.

The guest room should not be a warehouse for storing old lumpy mattresses that are best left on the side of the road. Roman Alonso, head of Commune, a Los Angeles design company, said that at the very least, it should provide the basic conditions for a decent hotel room. In other words: "a very comfortable mattress and high-end bedding", as well as bedside tables, reading lights and carpets (if the room has hardwood, stone or ceramic floors).

Although storage may not be the most important thing, every overnight guest will have luggage, so you also need to accommodate luggage. "When I check into a hotel or somebody's house as a guest, I am one of them and have to open everything," Mr. Anderson said.

Therefore, when designing the guest room, he said, “I want to have a place to put luggage, whether on a shelf or in a closet”, and provide a dressing table, wardrobe, or wardrobe with hangers, where people can Store their things properly there.

Even if you use cheap furniture, you can use textiles to give the room a luxurious feel. Start by focusing on the bed.

Fresh, clean sheets are essential. But most importantly, Nicole Fisher, the founder of BNR Interiors in Hudson, New York, said that consider offering several different warming options: “Some people will be hot and some will be cold, so you never know what they will do. Want sleep."

When Ms. Fisher prepared the guest room, she said, “There will always be quilts, duvets and blankets” so that people can adjust their levels.

Pillow preference is another unknown, so it would be helpful to provide multiple sleeping pillows with different hardnesses — Ms. Caillier usually makes a bed with four — and pillows that can be used as a backrest to sit on the bed.

Ms. Fisher said that no matter whether the bathroom is an attached bathroom or under the hall, clean towels and towels should be provided. If the bathroom is shared, guests should have designated towel rails, shelves or hooks to separate their bath towels-especially during a pandemic when there is a high level of concern about bacteria.

Finally, make sure your room has suitable curtains. Mr. Alonso said that in the morning sunny rooms should have hoods or curtains, and perhaps a second layer of transparent curtains, so that guests can control the light. In a room not exposed to sunlight or street lights, a universal filter lampshade is sufficient.

Even the most sociable guests will eventually want some time for themselves. In order to give them a place to go, if there is enough space, please try to set up a seating area in the guest room.

It can be as simple as placing a recliner, small side table and floor lamp in the corner of the room. "I often put them by the window so you can experience the feeling of sitting in the sun," Ms. Bean said. At other times, if space permits, she will put a small sofa at the foot of the bed.

Also consider whether there is room to squeeze into the desk. Ms. Caillier said: “Since Covid, we will definitely receive more such requests now,” because the pandemic has made it possible for many people to work remotely. "People want to provide a work space for their guests or themselves in that room."

It does not have to be large. Compact free-standing desks, or even wall-mounted desks, with chairs that can be set aside, are usually enough to work on a laptop.

Adding some thoughtful decorations can make the room feel special. Mr. Alonso and Ms. Bean like to have coffee and tea stations and bottled water in the rooms.

"I like to put a bar cart in the closet with an espresso machine and glass bottles of water," Ms. Bean said. "You can even put a mini fridge in the closet, it depends on the size."

If you don’t have space for small appliances, you can put a glass carafe with a lid on the bedside table so that guests don’t have to go to the kitchen to drink water in the middle of the night.

You should also provide some reading materials, Ms. Bean said, including coffee table books and magazines that reflect your interests: "This is a way to share your personality."

For the decorative exclamation mark, Ms. Fisher likes to add a bottle of flowers. For olfactory appeal, Mr. Anderson sometimes provides scented candles and matches.

You can also consider offering pandemic new constants-hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes-hidden in the drawer or basket of the bedside table. "These are not glamorous things," Ms. Bean said, "but it can add a layer of psychological security."

In the end, the goal is to make the guest’s visit feel “similar to staying in a luxury hotel,” Ms. Bean said, “where you are considering and predicting their needs.”

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