PINspirational entertaining: 8 easy thanksgiving guest room updates

Our office/guest room in the Country Townhouse goes through phases:  sometimes, when we know people are coming to stay, it is nice and neat.  Other times, when we aren't planning on having company, it is a hot mess.  Then there's the third situation: when people are coming over on short notice.  Then, you probably shouldn't open the closets.  We rarely use it as our office because I prefer to spread my books and papers out on the kitchen table and Mr. Q prefers working on the couch with his laptop.  In our future dream house, I think our workspace should have a sofa and some of my favorite industrial chairs around a big table instead of two desks and task chairs!

Fall and winter feel like hostessing seasons to me.  I love practicing hospitality and opening my home to friends and family.  It wasn't going to happen with the upstairs room in hot mess mode, so I took a few steps to make the room both more comfortable to guests and more useful to Mr. Q and I as an office- if not a space to work, at least a space where we can quickly and easily locate our work materials.  

Here are the steps we'll take to help make our guest room more ready for visitors.  I posted something similar last year, so consider this "what I've learned in a year" about hosting guests...

One King's Lane:  Ready Your Guest Suite

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1.  New sheets and a warm throw.
I love the fall bedding that we use in our guest room - I snagged it from my mom's house where it was rarely used.  For fall and winter, I like to put flannel sheets on the guest bed because they are so warm and comfy.  Even if a room rarely gets chilly, a throw blanket says COZY and inviting.

House of Ideas

2.  An alarm clock.
There is something so cute about an old-school bell alarm clock.  Even though most people take their cell phones everywhere nowadays and use their alarm functions, a clock by the bed gives a guest room  a hospitable, bed and breakfast feel.

Whiteport Official

3.  Flowers/seasonal flair
Fresh flowers in a guest room really show how considerate one's hosts are - even an inexpensive bunch of peruvian lillies from the grocery store like in the photo above, or some fresh clippings from the garden.  For the fall and winter months, a colorful leafy branch in a unique vase or a bowl of pretty Christmas ornaments would be a thoughtful decorative touch.

Shannon Berrey Design

4.  Jewelry dish/catch-all tray
Since an unpleasant experience with airport luggage handling when I studied abroad in college, I have traveled in mortal fear of losing my jewelry.

5.  A surge protector
People travel with cell phones, Kindles, and more these days, and all of those gadgets need to be charged.  A surge protector in a visible place lets your guests charge all of their devices.

6.  Clean towels, bath products, cups, and a hair dryer in the guest bathroom
Guests feel more welcome the less they have to "bother" you for items.  Especially if your guests may be getting up earlier than you (think jet lag), point out where these items are if they aren't in a visible place.  I believe that every home needs two hair dryers, anyway (since mine died one morning before school) - keep your spare in the guest bathroom.

One King's Lane:  Ready Your Guest Suite

7.  A clean desktop and a few good books (and maybe a few trashy magazines)
Guests traveling out of their own time zones may be up earlier or later than you and looking for ways to occupy themselves that won't disturb you and your family.  If your guest room does double duty as a home office, like ours does, remember that no one wants to look at your piles of receipts and work memos, anyway.

Country Living

8.  Pretty things with personality
If your guests wanted to stay in a sterile, generic space, they'd have checked into a hotel.  Just because a guest room may not be used as much as some of the other rooms in your house doesn't mean it shouldn't reflect your family's lifestyle and interests.  I actually have the magazine clipping featuring the room above tucked away in an inspiration binder because I love the way the homeowners incorporated antiques, personal photos, and farmhouse style.

If you'd like to add any of the images in this post to your Pinterest boards, please click the link below the image and pin from the source so the creator gets the credit they deserve.  Thank you.

Happy Decorating!