How to Make a Guest Bedroom Inviting

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Transforming a guest bedroom into a cozy sanctuary involves a blend of hospitality and good design. By incorporating soothing color palettes, plush bedding, and personal touches, you can create an inviting and cozy space to help your guests feel right at home.

Whether for family, friends, or acquaintances, a well-appointed and comfortable guest bedroom serves as a gracious gesture, promising a restful retreat and a memorable stay.

I’ve been busy renovating each room in our little brick ranch, built in 1965, over the past 2 1/2 years. Next on the list was one of our guest bedrooms. It’s on the small side, 10′ x 11′, so we knew that creating the warm and inviting space we wanted for our guests was going to be a challenge.

When we moved in the room was painted in the same medium gray paint color that was found in the rest of the house. It wasn’t awful but it did make the room feel a little dark and the color tends to look a bit “muddy” in the little bit of natural light that manages to come through the window.

“Muddy” gray was not the look we were going for so new paint was a must.

Preparing the ceiling and walls

Before we pulled out the paint cans we had to do some prep. Actually a lot of prep. Although it’s my least favorite job to do, prep work is always key when redoing any space.

That means that you need to properly fix all the holes in the walls. In our case we had to remove the old baseboard heater, which left a gaping hole in the wall. I also had to remove the old trim and custom cut new trim to match the rest of the room.

The big hole left from the thermostat had to also be fixed with spackle, as well as the holes from an old alarm system unit.

Next I went around the room and caulked the trim, around the door and closet doors and the window (scraping out old caulk where needed). I also caulked all the way around where the walls meet the ceiling. You may not need to do this in your space but ours definitely needed a refresh.

Once all of the prep work was done, we were ready for paint.

Picking the right paint color

I’m all for dark and moody spaces but I wanted this room to be bright and welcoming so I decided to go wiith white. It’s not how I usually roll with paint color but I seem to be gravitating towards different whites in this house.

For this space I went with a bright white flat paint for the ceiling. The trim was painted in Behr Polar Bear mixed in Benjamin Moore Advance satin (the same paint I have used throughout the house). The walls were painted in a matte finish with Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee.

The new paint made a huge difference. I think the white really brightened the whole space up. The new and improved ceiling light fixture also made a big impact.

New DIY Closet Doors

We are lucky in that we have a nice sized closet in this space. It did have a few issues though.

The previous owners built some shelves on one side which are great, but they were hard to access with the bifold doors. Not ideal when your guests need a place to unpack their clothes when they visit.

Speaking of the bifold doors. They were kind of flimsy and not in the best shape, so I decided to try sliding doors. When I started looking at the nicer style doors and saw the price, it didn’t take me long to decide to try to make my own.

They were a bit of work to build but they look great and function just the way I’d hoped they would. Now both sides of the closet are easily accessible. Want to see how I did it? Head over to see my step by step, here.

Furnishing a small guest bedroom

After the painting was done and new closet doors were installed, it was time to add some style and coziness to make this space feel comfortable for our guests.

First up was a new bed. I loved the platform bed that we built for our Chicago house, but it just didn’t fit this space. I really needed a headboard and I couldn’t make one work with the old bed so I found something more suitable.

It’s a simple platform bed frame and headboard with clean lines, and no footboard. Perfect for our small space.

Although the bed is new, the nightstands were thrifted. I found a great piece on Marketplace for $15 and it met all my criteria (it had to be solid wood and offer storage). Of course it needed a makeover but that wasn’t a problem.

As much as I would have loved to have kept the wood, it was in rough shape. A lot of sanding, primer and paint, Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter, and she was as good as new.

I couldn’t find an exact match, I looked for months, but I was able to find another gem on Marketplace. Same brand, same wood and it has the same lines. Matchy, matchy is so 1990’s anyway.

One last minute piece of furniture for this space was a small chair for the corner. We are going for comfort so I thought a chair would be nice so our guests could use it to sit to read or to put their socks on.

Finding something on the small side was no easy task. I looked for months, maybe a year, before I found “The One”. And yes, I found it on Marketplace.

It was in bad shape, someone tried to refurbish it but didn’t do a good job (they painted the fabric on the seat, among other things), so I had to rip it apart and put it back together.

I tightened the legs, glued the wicker and reconstructed the seat. Then I recovered it in a pretty but neutral fabric (that I already had). Not bad for $50 and a bit of elbow grease.

Finishing touches

With all of the big pieces in place, I added a few finishing touches to soften the space and cozy it up.

I rehung the woven shade that I got when we moved in, and also added linen drapes. I’m not big on curtains but I think they really soften this side of the room.

The bed was dressed simply, mostly in white linen. A pretty throw at the foot of the bed and a few throw pillows add some pattern and style.

I also added a vintage Turkish rug, because it’s nice to get out of bed with something soft underfoot. Plus it adds much needed color back into this space.

Next I hung some artwork over the bed and a $10 thrifted vintage mirror on the wall by the chair.

This room took me a few months to complete but I’m really happy with the way it looks. I hope our guests will like it too.