06/01/2001

By LISA MARTIN / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News

Related content • Top tips for a gracious guest room

A glorious guest room, one that captures the best in comfort, style and hospitality, is quite possibly the greatest gift a weary traveler could receive. Think about fluffy pillows, lush linens and undisturbed sleep in an inviting space.

Whether you have a dedicated guest room or carve one out of a corner or put up visitors in a child's room, the guest's area should be a welcoming environment. With a few additions, you can transform this afterthought of a room into charming and comfortable quarters.

Evan Caglage / DMN A small seating arrangement of chairs, table and lamp provides a reading area and a spot for guests to place wallets, keys and other necessities.

"It's a compliment to your guests to give them a nice place to stay," says Richard Trimble, a Dallas designer who has decorated a number of spectacular guest rooms. "Your efforts will undoubtedly be appreciated."

Marian McEvoy, editor-in-chief of House Beautiful, professes to spending many sleepless nights in marginal guest rooms. "You have to invest more than $10 in a mattress," she says. "The most essential thing is to give your guests a mattress they can get a good sleep on, whether the bed be large or small."

If the room's sole function is to house guests and if space permits, invest in either a queen bed or a pair of twin beds.

"We traded in our queen-sized bed for two twins after a friend suggested it, and we've found it to be much more practical," says author, decorator and TV personality Chris Casson Madden. "That way if two friends come to stay, as opposed to a couple, they can 'room' together very comfortably."

Dallas designer Jacklyn Butler loves decorating two single beds in a guest room but says her clients more often opt for a queen. Recently, she modeled a luxurious guest room in an Italian-themed house to resemble accommodations in an upscale hotel.

"The walls are neutral and we had a headboard made out of fabric in a swirly design," she explains. "We added two chairs and a huge terra cotta lamp, and we hung two plush Turkish cotton bathrobes in the closet along with slippers."

Evan Caglage / DMN Make visitors feel welcome with plush bathrobes, slippers and a vase of fresh flowers.

In this room, curtains help block the light – a must in a guest room since sleeping patterns can vary so widely. Moreover, Ms. Butler also positioned a lovely 19th-century American table to one side of the bed.

While incorporating a fine antique into the room may be an extra, having some sort of bedside table is essential.

"You need to have some flat surface where people can put their wallets, jewelry, handbags, etc., on," Ms. McEvoy explains. "You also need to provide people a lamp by which they can read and a little carafe of water with a glass."

Another necessity: a mirror, which can be any size from full length to a small, magnifying mirror.

"That's especially critical when guests have to share a bathroom," Ms. McEvoy contends. "Guests feel uncomfortable taking the time to put on full makeup in a shared bathroom, so a decent mirror in the room solves that problem right there."

An alarm clock and an assortment of books and magazines are also quite thoughtful. Optional, but often appreciated, are a small TV and a telephone.

Other guestroom "do's": if the room boasts a closet, clear out some space and provide at least a half-dozen hangers.

Comfort without reservations • Guest room decorating • Extra content index

"If you don't have a closet in the bedroom, have a coat tree, one large enough to handle at least three outfits," Ms. McEvoy says. "Or put up four or five hooks on a wall or the back of a door."

Likewise, most guests appreciate an empty drawer for their skivvies or toiletries. And somewhere in the room, stack a few extra blankets, throws or quilts, in case your guest gets chilly.

"We also have a little desk in between the beds in our guest room that we've stocked with stationery and a pen," says Ms. Madden, whose book Bedrooms, to be published in October, includes a full chapter on guest rooms. "On top of that, we've put a small CD player with a stack of CDs, which range from jazz to classical, which is a nice touch."

Finally, a small vase of fresh flowers always makes visitors feel especially welcome in your home.

Niceties perhaps count even more if you must put your guest in an office or the corner of a common room, as does New Yorker Nancy Soriano, apartment dweller and editor-in-chief of Country Living magazine.

"You still need to create an environment that's relaxing so your guests can feel at home even if they're sleeping on a pull-out sofa," Ms. Soriano explains. "Guests don't like to feel like they're causing trouble, but most do, especially if they think they're in the way or displacing someone."

Ms. Soriano suggests emptying some space out of a nearby closet or drawers. She also recommends giving the guest most of the amenities found in the dedicated guest room, especially the reading lamp, the extra pillows and blankets, the water glass and the fresh flowers.

In children's rooms, "where they have a lot of stuff that isn't necessarily organized," Ms. Soriano suggests tossing extra toys and clutter into baskets or boxes for the duration of the visitor's stay.

The bathroom, whether attached to a guest room or down the hall from a makeshift sleeping spot, should be stocked with items a guest might forget to pack.

"A well-appointed guest bathroom should start with a beautiful, wonderfully fragrant, creamy bar of soap," says Barbara Sallick, creative director of Waterworks, an upscale chain of luxury bath stores with one outlet in Dallas and another opening here this spring. "That alone shows that someone has really thought about the fact that a guest is coming."

Evan Caglage / DMN Fine furniture, opulent bed linens and thick draperies capable of blocking sunlight lend the atmosphere of a luxurious hotel.

On the vanity or in a basket near the sink, the host should provide an array of lotions and potions such as shampoo, conditioner, hair gel, toothpaste, mouthwash and hand creams. Also appropriate: a hair dryer, nail file, water glass, razor, comb and sleep mask.

According to Ms. McEvoy, "you don't have to offer a full artillery of beauty products such as deodorant or suntan lotion, but you might want to include a little bottle of aspirin or Tylenol so your guests don't need to bug you if they have a headache."

Prior to the guest's arrival, check out the shower to make sure the system works well.

And don't forget to give the entire area a good cleaning, eliminating any mildew on the shower liner.

"Of course you also need incredibly fabulous towels, which don't have to be white but can be a neutral like ice water or pumice," Mrs. Sallick says. "You'll also need a place for guests to throw the towel when they're done, preferably some type of hamper."

Implementing even a few of these ideas will no doubt make you a superlative host in the eyes of your guest.

"Think of your guest room as really a great gift for your friends," says Ms. Madden. "The more effort you put into making it wonderful, the happier and more comfortable people will feel in your home."

Lisa Martin is an Arlington free-lance writer