It’s hard to believe that a few short months ago it was actually illegal in the UK to go inside someone else’s house if you didn’t already live together. This made having house guests impossible of course. But now that things have opened up again and the restrictions have been relaxed, we are free to have friends and family round to spend the night.

Just in case we have all forgotten the etiquette of having house guests and how to be a good host, we have put together some handy tips and advice for transforming your living room into an inviting guest room. This is particularly aimed at those of us who don’t have the luxury of a spare room. However, most of these points can also be applied to actual guest rooms as well.

⦁ Paper Meadow Window Film by Hannah Nunn
⦁ Bird Wallpaper in Shadow, Abigail Edwards
⦁ Get Plastered Emulsion and Eggshell Paint, Dowsing & Reynolds
⦁ Open Wardrobe, Gallery Direct
⦁ 600 GSM Opulence Zero Twist Soft Extra Plush Towels, British Wholesales
⦁ Kerri Wall Mirror, Premier Housewares
⦁ Verona Sofa Bed, Honeypot Furniture
⦁ Allure mink seat gold finish bench, Premier Housewares
⦁ Rogano Table Lamp, Premier Housewares
⦁ The Coastal Meadows Dried Baked Blossom Bunch, The Happy Blossoms
⦁ Mia Gold Metal Set of 2 Nest End Tables, CIMC Home
⦁ Gigi Pink Rug, Think Rugs / Flair Rugs

Provide a Comfortable Bed
This one really is quite obvious, but in order to be a great host it is very important to provide a comfortable experience that makes your guests feel welcome and well catered for. This won’t happen if they are expected to sleep on a standard sofa in a sleeping bag.

A sofa bed is the best option and one like the Verona, shown here, is not only easy to set up but provides a very comfortable night’s sleep thanks to its sturdy frame, high-quality fabric and foam-filled cushions.

It’s always nice to go above and beyond to make your guests happy so consider trying to replicate that hotel experience with your bedding. Opt for good quality pillows, duvet and if possible crisp, white cotton bed linen.

It’s also a nice touch to make sure you provide extra blankets as it is always difficult to know how warm your guests would like to be. You don’t want anyone having a bad night’s sleep as they were too cold in your home.

Create Privacy
Sleeping in someone else’s living room isn’t always easy. After all, living rooms are rarely set up to be used as a bedroom. It helps to imagine yourself sleeping in your living room and asking what would be most important to enable you to have a comfortable experience.

Privacy is high on the list for most people which can be tricky in a shared space. You can start by making sure that the windows are well dressed so that your guests can block out any unwanted attention. Curtains or blinds are a must and window film can be a nice touch for providing privacy when the curtains and blinds are open.

Clear out Clutter
When you have guests coming to stay in your home, things are going to feel a little more cramped than usual so you would do well to have a bit of a clear out before they come. Try to declutter the room that they will be staying in, so it feels less personal and more inviting.

Your guests will be bringing their own belongings with them so they will need the room to store those things. Consider clearing all your surfaces and leaving out trays or bowls where they can keep their keys, wallets and phones for easy access.

Focus on Storage
Following on from our last point about your guests bringing their own belongings, it’s always nice if they can actually unpack those belongings. If possible, consider providing a hanging rail or an open wardrobe so that they can empty their overnight bags and hang their clothes to prevent them getting wrinkled.

If you have furniture that is suitable in your living room, such as an armoire, perhaps empty out a few of the drawers or cupboards so that your guests can make use of those.

It’s also nice if you can provide somewhere for your guests to place their suitcase or bags such as a small bench seat which can also be used as extra seating if necessary.

Ponder the Practicalities
There are lots of things we take for granted in our bedrooms because we have designed them to meet our needs. This is not so when guests stay in our living rooms. We need to think about what they may need during their stay and prepare for this.

Having a side table near the bed where guests can place a drink is very helpful. This can also be used to place a lamp. Your guests will appreciate having a small lamp beside the bed so that they don’t have to turn on the main ceiling light if they want to read or need to get out of bed for whatever reason.

During the day, when your guests are getting ready, it stands to reason that they may require a mirror so make sure you plan for this. At the very least a wall mirror is helpful, but better still is a full-length mirror.

In years gone by, we would probably have suggested making sure that you put an alarm clock in the room for your guests in case they need to wake up at a certain time. However, most people use their phones for this these days. So, we need to make sure that we have freed up some plug sockets so that guests can easily charge their devices. And make sure you tell them where the sockets are located

Lavish them with Luxuries
When guests come to stay overnight, we want them to feel special and appreciated so it’s nice to go the extra mile and provide some little luxuries. Think about what you find in a hotel. A nice bunch flowers is a lovely touch and perhaps a small box of chocolates that you can leave on the bed. If you won’t be using your living room while your guests are staying, perhaps provide a tray of tea and coffee making supplies and a spare kettle so that they can help themselves to drinks independently.

You might consider putting together a little bath bundle containing high quality towels and some nice shampoo and soap for your guests to use so that they don’t need to think about bringing those things with them.

So those are our six top tips for transforming your living room into an inviting guest room. If you have used one of our sofa beds to create a welcoming experience for your guests, we’d love to see a photo. Please share on Instagram and tag us with @honeypotfurniture and use our hashtag #JoinTheHive so we can see.