Your Guest Room-A Memorable Over Night Stay

Heidi and Spencer are staying the night at your place and have sent over a list of their usual requests - a king size massage bed and a roll of quarters, blue M&Ms and purple tootsie pops, two million plus count Egyptian cotton sheets in pink, a tanning bed, a 10’x10’ closet for their over night ‘necessities’, a night light, curling iron, tweezers and an eyelash curler for Spencer, 3 bottles of hair spray for Heidi, a full length mirror with a spot light, …and a sleeping bag along with some cheese whiz and crackers for the camera man that follows them around.

Although I kid around about the homecoming king and queen coming over (they are far too busy getting media attention for, well, being themselves)I am wondering how far out of your way you go when you have guests staying the night at your home.

After writing my blog article below titled ‘Elegant And Easy Headboard’ I started remembering the times that I was an overnight guest in someones home. I can recall guest rooms that allowed me to get a good night sleep, and guest rooms that left me tossing and turning only to wake up with a stiff back. A very memorable overnight stay was at a friend’s apartment in Hoboken, New Jersey back in the 1990’s. She had the teeny tiniest apartment and no guest room; I slept in a pull out bed in the living room. BUT she made sure I had a good stay. The sheets were a high-count cotton and she had extra pillows and towels at the end of the bed. There was a place to put my overnight bag and she presented me with a sweet basket full of essential overnight goodies like a tooth brush, toothpaste, wash cloth, and other things that came in handy.

And in the morning I woke up to coffee brewing and bagels. I was so impressed with her hospitality.

When you have a guest stay over night, in the morning do you ask if he or she had a good sleep? Or do you not care. To me, if you are expecting guests who will stay the night, you should not only think about cleaning up for them and preparing yummy food for them- you should care about their sleep. It doesn’t take a lot of work; just some simple planning that makes all the difference. Maybe I should have titled this article ‘Guest Room Etiquette’ because here is my list of guest room necessities so your over night guests have a very relaxing stay:

1. Check your mattress to see if it is comfortable. Try sleeping on it one night. If it is too firm, try fitting it with a mattress pad.

2. Use soft 100% cotton sheets on the bed.
3. Keep a blanket at the end of the bed in case the comforter or duvet is not warm enough.

4. Have extra pillows available that are firmer or softer than the ones on the guest bed. They will appreciate the choice.

5. Place an ottoman, chair or suitcase rack nearby for your guests overnight bag.

6. If you have a closet in the room, leave some hanging space and a few hangers.

7. Have a travel size toothbrush and toothpaste, a wash cloth, floss, lotion, aspirin, band-aids, tweezers, a bar of soap and a brush on a nice tray or in a basket in the guest room, or in your guest bathroom (you can pick these up at discount stores in advance).

8. Neatly fold large towels and present them to your guests at bedtime so they know they are fresh.

9. Have at least one bedside table with a lamp and alarm clock.

10. Have a variety of shampoos and conditioners in the guest bathroom.

11. ALWAYS have extra toilet paper that is easily accessible in the bathroom.

You can also leave a note for your guests telling them how happy you are that they are here. You can place it in an envelope on the bed with some chocolates. I have been known to leave a framed note in my guest room with funny house rules (my sense of humor is too risqué to give you an example). I also try to include a photo of my guests that I may have kept in another room or that hasn’t been out at all.

Two final tips, always tell your guests where things are located before they retire to bed, and ask if they need anything. And remember to ask if they had a good night sleep in the morning. It is the little details that will make your guests remember their night at your home and smile. Your thoughtfulness will make your guests feel so very special.

Elegant & Easy Home-made Headboard

Guest rooms get the short end of the stick. They are not given the same attention as the other rooms in the home. You can usually find furniture hand-me downs and mismatched bedding in these, all too often, small spaces. But your guests are special and the room you offer them for their stay should be welcoming and comfortable. I recently re-designed a guest room for a client in Allentown, PA. The room was small in size but in the end, big on drama.

For this guest room, I knew immediately the focal point would be the bed. I wanted my clients’ guests to walk in and want to sink into a sea of warmth. I chose a milky neutral paint on the walls and turned to rusty oranges and chocolates for bedding, window treatments, and accent colors. The crème de la crème would be the headboard. It had to have major curb appeal and be comfy. Custom headboards for a full size bed can be expensive and although I think guest rooms should not be left in the 1980-1990 era complete with all the furnishings you had back then, you do not need to spend a lot of money on it either.

To save money on this project I decided to take on the challenge of building one myself. It was actually easy. I found clearance priced cushions that had the look I wanted, and then I simply went to Home Depot where I purchased all my wood and screws. They even cut the wood for me! All I had to do was go home and put it together. I recommend this project to anyone willing to do a little measuring and drilling. If you have any cushions at home, recycle them into a headboard. If you have any fabric (i.e. old window panels) or wallpaper at home, recycle it also! It takes some thinking outside the box, but you will be so proud of yourself for doing it!!

Below I have listed everything I used to build this headboard and a step by step guide.

For this project I needed:
1/2” thick piece of plywood cut to width of full size bed.
3 pieces of 2x4 wood cut a bit smaller than my plywood

1 ¼” drywall screws
3” drywall screws
2 27” square cushions
54”x37” piece of wallpaper
fabric trim
Power drill
Hot glue gun

fishing wire and sewing needle
buttons found around the house

My costs included:
$30 for both cushions
FREE wallpaper remnant
$11 for ½” plywood
$2.60 for 2 2x4s
$8 for all screws
$12 for fabric trim
= $63.60


Caution should be used when operating a power drill, screws, and hot glue gun. Never leave these items unattended with children around.

STEP BY STEP GUIDE:

1. This is what my headboard is made out of: cut plywood the width of the bed, 2 yummy cushions, & textured wallpaper.

2. I wrapped the textured wallpaper around my plywood board and hot glued the edges down pulling tightly on the backside.

3. This is what it looks like so far.

4. Using 3 screws, I drilled two pieces of 2x4 wood, one 5 inches from the top and one 5 inche from the bottom of my plywood that will be used to hang the finished headboard on the wall later. I made sure the 2x4s were level. When I finish the headboard I will screw an identical piece of 2x4 wood into my wall, again, keeping it level (make sure you locate your studs), then simply hang my headboard right on top of the 2x4 in the wall. This hanging method is called a cleat.

5. I measured where all the button holes were on the cushions and made an identical grid on headboard itself using a pencil. I drilled small holes into the headboard where the buttons were located.

6. I placed the headboard on a sawhorse topside up with the cushions on it. I threaded a sewing needle with thin fishing wire and on the backside of my headboard, pushed the needle through the holes I drilled, and then through the cushion button hole and back again making a stitch, then pulling the fishing wire tight, I tied it tight around a button. I did this for each of the drilled holes.

7. Once the cushions were attached I hot glued fabric trim all around the edges of my headboard.

Ta Da! Took two hours to complete this headboard.

The Land of Pottery Barn

We live in the land of Pottery Barn. We drink our Starbucks Coffee and watch our reality TV in rooms designed by PB (Pottery Barn). Every American home is only complete when there is a PB catalog lying on the counter or hangin’ in the powder room. Even those who can’t afford to purchase anything, still hold on to the magazine as inspiration for decorating their rooms. How did this happen? What does this say about our individual style? And, as asked by a friend of mine, what is PB style any way?

This smart home furnishings chain creates their popularity by giving out free catalogs of glossy colored pages filled with trendy carefully designed rooms. These catalogs are read cover to cover. I applaud a well thought out room full of pieces that anyone can easily get. It reminds me of what popular fashion designers like Isaac Mizrahi, Stella McCartney and Vera Wang have done for the average person with short purse strings. They have been successful bringing their designs to chains such as Kohl’s, H&M and Target at affordable prices.

But there are pitfalls to this idea; be prepared to have at least three other girls show up in the same dress as you at the next party – ouch! And the same will happen with your home design. When you order furnishings from a brand that boasts its ‘rooms in a box’ you are bound to have house guests pointing to something in your home and commenting “is that Pottery Barn?” or “I have the same thing at my house.” ‘Special’ is no longer a word used to describe your décor style. And so the PB revolution goes on.

I do believe that PB has sparked an interest in less traditional, more liberated decorating styles, and applaud them for that. They create interesting spaces by mixing up designs, adding pops of color, and creative detail. They have brought sophistication into our homes. I do worry that individual style and artistic angle is being lost after staring at enough of the catalog pages. I question whether PB sells the trends, or creates the trends.

So what is PB’s style? My first thought is transitional, made up of a mix of contemporary and antique lines. What ever it is, they have become a major influence in American decorating. So I think there should be a new style called Pottery Barn style – the ‘PB Style’. And anyone can get the PB look including a single family home in the Lehigh Valley, an apartment in New York City, a townhouse in San Francisco, a condo in Florida, and a co-op in Chicago.

With every issue in every season of the year, PB gives us ideas, shows us what colors to use, and instructs us on how to mimic their every move. And so many follow their lead; they dictate what is ‘in’ and sell more and more. The PB Style! But who wants to be like everyone else? Or is this the trend? What do you think?

Vote For Us at Lehigh Valley Magazine

Do you live in the Lehigh Valley? Did you vote for your fave professional and show support for him/her? No? Oh my! It is your duty to complete the survey by Lehigh Valley Magazine and vote for your favorite professionals in our area including best restaurant, local band, healthcare provider, and of course, interior designer (hint hint..vote for me please) for 2009. Time is running out. It will only take a few minutes and is fun. It will be much appreciated. So right now follow this link and click on the red talk bubble to vote!

http://www.lehighvalleymagazine.com/page.php?page=simply_the_best

Remember just click on the red talk bubble!

Thank you,

Shoshana Gosselin

Interior Decorator