Guest Room 101

Photo Courtesy of Country Living

I love overnight guests.  Sadly, my home doesn't accommodate a houseful.  But, this doesn't stop me from inviting loved ones to stay over.  So how do I make friends and family feel comfortable and welcome in our little Jewel Box® Home for overnight visits?

Photo Courtesy of Country Living

The trick to having 'sleepover' guests is the double duty room.  Those of us who work from home know how precious our office space (or in my case office nook) can be, but I bet you would be willing to share if your best friend came for a sleepover.  Office space can easily double as a guest room with just a few minor adjustments.

Before

Photo Courtesy of Better Home and Gardens

After

Photo Courtesy of Better Home and Gardens

Photo Courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens

With creative details, that can be added over time, the guest room/home office doesn't have to feel like an afterthought.  The use of armoires to hide computers or vintage secretaries to house paperwork and provide a lovely workspace is a perfect way to add form and function without sacrificing beauty.  Another benefit, your guests won't feel as if they are sleeping in a utilitarian office. 

Before

Photo Courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens

After

Photo Courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens

Lighting, draperies, fabrics and accessories...all elements often neglected in a home office due to the focus on functionality, can be added when the space is re-evaluated for its use as a guest room and home office.

Photo Courtesy of Country Living

So you don't have a home office?  I bet you have a "Catchall Room".  That room where all the miscellaneous furniture gets "stored" because you just don't know where it fits into your home.  Treadmills, computer desks, etc.  Like a sad furniture graveyard.  It is time to clean it out so you can open your home to guests!

Photo Courtesy of Country Living

Give it a coat of paint and some brand new sheets and pillowcases!  A small nightstand and clock and a bouquet of flowers and you are ready for your houseguests! 

Photo Courtesy of Country Living

What better way to welcome your guests than with a little gift! Include necessities such as shampoos, lotions and soaps.  Don't forget to leave a fresh stack of fluffy towels on the bed.  Wouldn't it be perfect if you could store a little 4 cup coffee maker in the nightstand?  Plug it in first thing in the morning and your guests feel pampered and loved!

Photo Courtesy of Country Living

I love having guests and with some creativity the small size of my home doesn't hamper my welcoming spirit! 

~Amber

Working Here Today

I have been here all day working away and realized....have you seen my office? I think not!

Here's a bit of a peek.

During our remodel, we dug down four feet under the house to turn our glorified crawl space into living space. We poured a concrete foundation which is now the finished floor. My husband and I sealed it ourselves with a high gloss concrete sealer, just leaving it the same color. I painted the walls Dunn Edwards Whisper White so I would have a clean background for my design work.

My thought for this space was that it would be a work space where I could create any number of things: interior designs, art projects, sewing projects. I also wanted to have the space be appropriate for client meetings. I wanted a professional looking space, but also one that I could really use as a laboratory. So, my plan was to have all of the furniture either be contemporary and white, or antique to provide a neutral backdrop to any project, but to also be interesting and easily changeable. I have this tendency to bring things home from here and there (like the wire lantern in the picture or the branches on top of the shelves) and I like to move things around a lot. An experiment always in progress...like life, no?

The conference table is West Elm. (It may soon become my desk, as I have thoughts on a new conference table.) The chest of drawers is perfect for my drawing storage. It is an antique specimen chest. The antique armoire is originally from Texas...nailed together with old square-headed nails. And I am sure you recognize the ikea Expidit bookcases (of which there are five total down here!) They hold my obsessive magazine collection, design books, samples and catalogs. That's about it for this little peek!

Now that you are all here with me, I am not feeling quite so lonely here by myself today.

OK...now back to work!