Make your guests feel welcome in your home by providing these 11 guest room essentials. Whether you're hosting family at the holidays or friends when they're in town, be prepared with ideas on how to make their stay comfortable.
This is kind of an exercise in putting yourself in your guests shoes and being thoughtful about their needs. From lighting to extra blankets, help your guests feel at home while away from their familiar surroundings. Some items may seem obvious, while other items can make all the difference.
Read all the details on these guest bed essentials in preparation for the next time you host friends or family.
This post may contain affiliate links which we may receive a small commission when some items are purchased at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Read the full disclosure.
When to Prepare a Guest Room
If you have hosted friends or family for a holiday, get-together, or a time when someone happened to be in town, you know it can be challenging if you're not prepared.
At least a few weeks, but as early as a couple months, before guests arrive, take stock of what you have on-hand and the essentials you need to buy. Make a list so you don't forget and then either head out to the store or find the items online.
That said, if you know something is particularly difficult to acquire or will take a while to arrive, order it well in advance so you aren't scrambling for an alternative last minute.
Shop the photo: Luggage rack (similar) | Carry on luggage | Rope knot door stop (similar) | Tufted upholstered bed frame
Remember, a guest bedroom may be the only private space guests can retreat to for alone time, so it should feel like an inviting space to spend time in. Give guests a reason to want to be in their guest quarters and they are certain to return for another stay in the future.
11 Guest Bedroom Essentials You Need
After having family stay with us for a couple months, as well as being guests ourselves at family member's houses over the years, there are a few items that make all the difference for guests to feel at home.
Some of the essentials on this list may seem obvious; however, if you haven't been a guest yourself in someone else's home for some time, you just may not know. And that's okay, because that is what this post aims to help you with.
Shop the photo: Trinket dish/tray | Establishing Home book (top, dust cover removed) | Home Therapy book (bottom)
Starting with larger items, here are essentials to make your guests feel welcome in your home.
Comfortable Bed Frame
I realize this is a piece of furniture, but having a comfortable bed frame is very important to ensure guests get a good night's sleep. Moreover, some people may feel self-conscious if a bed is squeaky, or unwelcome if there is no bed frame at all.
Today, you can find reasonably priced bed frames to suit practically any design style. Make a trip to Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, or Arhaus to see bed frames in person, while stores like Target, Walmart, and Macy's carry a wide assortment of beds online.
Our guest bed is a Queen tufted upholstered bed frame from Pottery Barn. I love the traditional feel with the tufting, the neutral fabric, and lovely wood feet.
You can also check out the curated list of chic queen bed frames on the Mornington Lane Amazon Storefront. The beds in the list are very nice looking, but be sure to review the details, as I don't have experience with any of them so I can't speak to quality.
We made the room over several years ago, which you can read about in the Guest Bedroom Makeover with Traditional Style post.
Clothing and Accessories Storage
Making oneself at home in someone else's home oftentimes means unpacking. Guests may need a place to store their clothes, especially to prevent wrinkles, and other accessories. No one wants to bring out an ironing board while traveling.
Have a dresser or other storage solution, such as an armoire, available in the guest bedroom. I find 6 to 8 empty drawers in a dresser to be the sweet spot.
We purchased a white painted wood 12-drawer dresser at Pottery Barn several years ago for our guest bedroom. Unfortunately, the dresser did not arrive in time for the guests to use it. It now lives in my office, but the above picture is the dresser in the guest room before I moved it.
Get a sturdy dresser made of solid wood if you can. Again, places like Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, and other similar furniture stores usually carry high-quality dressers.
Think about buying second-hand as well by searching Facebook Marketplace, eBay, and local thrift shops. Often you can find older solid wood dressers, which may need a little love, that you can DIY with some time and effort.
While not second-hand, I purchased our primary bedroom nightstands (not shown here) at discount retailer HomeGoods for $200 each. Then, I completed a Stunning DIY Nightstand Makeover with a little Benjamin Moore White Dove paint, new chic hardware, and now they look designer!
Extra storage in nightstands, even a drawer or two, is also recommended for a guest room. Our guest bedroom nightstands are dark, solid wood in a lovely traditional style. They have three drawers for even more storage for smaller items guests may want to store, including tech accessories or socks.
Different Lighting Options
Provide guests with a few lighting options for illuminating their space at different times of day and night. Overhead ceiling lighting may be needed at times, though it may not be used as often.
Table lamps on nightstands are a must. If you can plug both lamps into an outlet connected to the wall light switch, it allows guests to turn them on at the same time instead of each light individually.
In addition to lamps on nightstands, placing a nice lamp on a dresser gives guests another option to light the room, especially in the evening when they may be occupying the space.
If you have ample floor space, put a floor lamp somewhere too. I picture a floor lamp tucked in a corner next to a cozy chair for reading or taking calls.
Adding sconces flanking a dresser or next to wall art would provide lovely ambient lighting, perfect for evenings spent hanging out in the space.
Luggage Rack (or Two)
Even instances where a guest room has ample storage, such as nightstands and a dresser, give guests an easy way to pack/unpack their things.
Offer a sturdy luggage rack (similar), or two, for guests to elevate their luggage off the floor when packing/unpacking. We have purchased two similar luggage racks for our home and two for my sister's house. You can easily fold it up to store it away in a closet when not in use.
Closet Hangers
Speaking of closets, providing empty hangers in a closet for guests to hang their clothes can't be overstated.
Maybe your guest room doesn't have space for a dresser or other large form of storage, but it does have a closet. In that case, provide plenty of empty hangers to help guests store clothes with ease.
I prefer this type of wood hangers, but you could also use these slim velvet hangers if you prefer.
A Fan
A ceiling fan is great, but if your guest bedroom does not have one, provide some sort of fan for guests to use. Even a standing fan is better than no fan at all. Everyone sleeps well at different temperatures, which means a fan helps guests keep cool when needed.
Our guest room has a ceiling fan so it's easy for guests to turn it on/off whenever they need to.
I know, you're probably thinking about the aesthetics of fans and how difficult it can be to find something that looks like decor. Well, we have you covered.
Here are several different types of nice looking fans, at varying price points, you can leave out for guests to use:
- Black & Decker pedestal fan
- Copper digital stand fan
- Vornado white pedestal fan
- Tower fan comes in different colors
- Retro table top fan
Extra Blankets and Bed Pillows
Along the same lines as a fan, put some thought into what will be comfortable for guest bedding. Extra blankets tucked away in a closet or dresser drawer allows guests to help themselves anytime, day or night.
The same goes for bed pillows. If storage space allows, offer guests bed pillows in a mix of down, alternative down, and different levels of firmness.
For our guest bed, I stack different types of bed pillows behind decorative throw pillows to enable guests to choose whatever pillow works for them. I also have extra pillows in our primary closet just in case.
Seating
I love a little seating moment in a guest room! Guest bedrooms are typically on the smaller side, but hopefully you can find somewhere to place furniture for guests to sit down.
Either place a bench or settee at the end of the bed, or create a sitting area in the room with a couple chairs for guests to relax away from others when need be. Seating also offers a place to put shoes on, store throw pillows when preparing the bed for sleeping at the end of the day, and maybe take a call or read a good book.
We placed an end of the bed bench in a lovely stripe fabric at the foot of our guest bed. While it is no longer sold, I found a few alternatives that look nice and may work for your home:
- Fabric storage bench comes in many colors
- Rattan storage bench
- Double-up two of these cube ottomans in a lovely blue pinstripe fabric
Placing two chairs at the end of the bed, or somewhere in the room, is even better in my opinion, than just an end of the bed bench. You can also have both a bench and sitting area if space allows.
Wall or Full Length Mirror
A mirror on the wall or, better yet, a full length mirror is nice to have for a guest room. Guests would like to be able to fully see themselves to check out how an outfit looks or for any given reason, really.
As far as decor goes, mirrors are fairly inexpensive. Sure, you can find very expensive mirrors, but head over to HomeGoods, Target, Walmart, or Amazon and you can easily find reasonably priced full length mirrors.
We hung a mirror above the dresser, however there is also a mirror over the vanity in the attached bathroom as well.
Whatever your design style, here are a few full length mirror ideas that may work for your guest bedroom:
- Rattan full length mirror comes in other sizes
- Arched full length mirror available in three finishes
- Over the door mirror comes in multiple sizes and finishes
Hang a mirror on the back of a door when no other alternative works for the space.
Trinket Dish
Like many of us, guests wear jewelry or other accessories that have to be taken off before bed. A trinket dish, such as a pretty marble dish (alternative), placed on a nightstand shows you've thought about how guests will use the space throughout the day.
Shop the photo: Alarm clock (similar) | A Home to Share book | The Kinfolk Table book | Marble bowl (alternative)
One of my favorite purveyors of stationary also carries desk items, including this lovely rose floral block print trinket tray. The tray also comes in several other designs.
I have it on a dresser in my office, but I styled it on a couple books in the guest room to take this picture and I love how the colors look together!
I love trays that are made of natural materials, such as marble, alabaster, rattan, and wood. A stunning Italian oval white alabaster trinket tray takes pride of place on my nightstand for my rings and a silk hair binder for sleeping.
Laundry Hamper
For guests who are staying at your home for more than a few days, provide a hamper or large basket with a lid for them to store dirty laundry.
Tuck a hamper away in a closet or in a corner of the room. If you don't have a place to conceal the hamper, leave it out in the room as decor. This tall lidded basket (similar) could also pass as a laundry hamper, while looking so pretty sitting out.
You will find nice looking hampers at many home decor stores. I also rounded up a few pretty hampers that would look nice as decor and may work for you:
- Water hyacinth laundry hamper
- Large laundry hamper comes in different colors
- Bamboo laundry hamper
Bonus: Water Carafe
Some people may need a glass of water in the middle of the night. Leave a pretty beside water carafe on a nightstand so guests can choose to use it or not. That way, guests don't have to go in search of water around a somewhat unfamiliar place in the dark of night.
All in all, the goal is to make your guests feel comfortable by providing the essentials they may need. What do you consider essentials for a guest bedroom? Drop a comment below!
Leave a Reply