Comfort, creativity factors in creating perfect guest room

By Marla Caceres, Tribune Content Agency

When licensed interior designer Helene Brown recently changed the mattress in her home’s guest room, the reaction she received from her guests was not one she was expecting.

“They stayed three days longer,” said Brown, who works for Baer’s Furniture, a collection of fine furniture stores with 15 locations throughout Florida. “I said, ‘You guys are too comfortable.’”

Brown and other designers agree that choosing a good mattress is the first step to putting together a comfortable guest room.

“Nothing leaves a more lasting negative impression than a terrible mattress guests have tossed and turned on all night,” says Wendy Rossi, a Baer’s interior designer based in Boca Raton. “You need a comfortable mattress, the most comfortable you can feasibly afford.”

Here are more designer tips to help you create a guest room that is the perfect home away from home.

Comfort is key

A good mattress isn’t the only thing that can make a guestroom wonderfully comfortable. Bedding, too, is important.

“Don’t just buy the cheapest sheets you can find,” Rossi says. “You can find high thread count sheets and good pillows at a good price. It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money to make the room seem luxurious.”

And, when picking out furniture, don’t just stop at a bed and dresser.

“I like to put some kind of small chair or bench at the end of the bed if there’s room,” Rossi says. “It’s nice to have a place to sit, where someone can sit and put their shoes on.”

Keep it a little bit consistent

The design of your guest room doesn’t have to match the rest of your home. But, if you want a little bit of consistency, you can create a through-line by bringing your home’s color scheme into the guest room while experimenting with a different style of furniture and decor.

“You want to have some fun with a guest bedroom and use some style,” says Janet Graham, an interior designer for Baer’s Furniture. “Maybe you want to go for a Tommy Bahama feel and go coastal, that makes it a little fun. You can keep the color scheme the same as the rest of your house, but change the style.”

If you would like to be a little bit adventurous with your design, the guest room is the perfect place to experiment with color.

“In your main area of your home you might be a little more timid to try those brighter colors, or you might like a certain color but you don’t want to carry that color through the whole house,” Rossi says. “A guest room is a great place to try it out and have a little more fun with the room.”

When experimenting with color, designers suggest keeping most of the elements of the room neutral, but looking to accent pieces — pillows, for example — for boldness. This approach can allow you to play with several different color options throughout the years.

“If you ever want to change the colors it’s easy to do,” Brown says. “You can even create an accent wall behind the bed.”

It’s the details that count

Smaller details, like a luggage rack in the closet, thicker curtains that block out light for jet-lagged guests, and a television set on the dresser can make a big impact when it comes to convenience and comfort.

The guest bathroom, too, is a good place to include these details — think items like high quality towels, an extra hair dryer and toiletries.

“You just have to think, ‘What would I need if I was traveling?’” Rossi says. “Put yourself in their position.”