Be My Guest

Who doesn’t like to be a good host? Whether it’s hosting cocktails at 6 or a dinner party at 8; having guests for the weekend, or just entertaining at a restaurant, I think we all enjoy playing host. One of my favorites (and practically a necessity seeing as my friends and relatives all live in different cities) is having weekend guests. I enjoy the company, making dinner with friends, exploring on a Saturday afternoon, a glass of wine and some nibbly bits, and of course making them feel at home, even if it is only for a couple of days. The biggest part of this is my guest room. I know not all of us have the luxury of a guest room, but I’m a single guy with a two bedroom house, so when guests come, I get to go all out. I don’t get overly fussy mind you, but I do like to create a room where my friends and family can relax, get away from things for a bit, and of course make their way into dreamland.

With a guest room, you don’t have to be fancy – in fact keeping things simple and homey may be your best bet. Make your guests feel like kicking off their shoes and settling in with furniture, art work and accessories (like area rugs) that are not overly fussy and comfortable. Make sure you have storage for your guests (I know I really don’t like to live out of a suitcase) also; use bedding that is luxurious and soft. Provide and extra blanket in the winter. Keep a fan in the room in the summer (maybe year round for white noise). Some reading material and a fresh flower or two are also appreciated. Don’t forget, in this day and age of traveling technology, an iPod dock is always a happy find.

Finally, use your guest room to try out something new, something different, something you may like but may not want to see every day. Try painting the floors (instead of carpet) and putting an interesting area rug down. Use colors that you wouldn’t normally use. Use furniture that isn’t too pricey and maybe has that shabby chic feel to it (this way a few nicks and scratches won’t harm it) Make sure that you put warms and comfy rugs down, toes like something soft and warm in the morning.

Here is one of my favorite rugs lines for guest bedrooms. Momeni has a lot of beautiful area rugs ranging from contemporary rugs to traditional rugs and with great color ways that make decorating easy. Plus right now you can get a free bottle of Rug Renew (at $29.95 value) with any 5x8 or larger rug purchase. So, spruce up your guest room – it is getting to be the time of year when the out of towners seem to drop by – and do it with a new and inexpensive rug from Momeni.