Get Inspired to Prepare the Guest Room

The last space in your home that could probably use some attention is the room that’s only occupied a few nights out of the year. Throughout the year, I’ve offered monthly organizing tips to help you get everything in its proper place, which makes it easier to add functionality to the space your guests will use during the holidays.

This month get inspired to prepare the guest room.

Prepare the Guest Room

If the extra room in your home is usually used for extra stuff, you might have a bit of work to do before welcoming holiday guests. There’s a strong chance the holidays are one of only two or three times a year the room is used for sleeping and housing additional family members, so think of it as a multipurpose room and put that space to work for you.

For example, an overnight guest (or even a week-long guest) doesn’t need or expect to have an empty dresser and closet at their disposal. Use the dresser to store extra blankets, linens, and towels. The closet meanwhile, could be redesigned to accommodate gift wrap, photos, photo albums, winter coats, or summer clothes. If your guest room is near the kitchen, you might even consider storing seldom-used appliances or serving pieces in the closet.

In order to make the closet multifunctional, you’ll probably have to redesign the space. Change the single-bar, single-shelf configuration to something that allows you to store and separate your items. Don’t worry about what your guests might think, they’re only in the space for a short while. The same is true for utilizing the space under the bed.

Lastly, don’t feel compelled to do a deep clean right before your holiday guests arrive. That adds stress to an already jam-packed schedule. Instead, set aside time to power sort and organize the room. Give your guests enough space to feel comfortable, without moving everything out of the room and creating another organizing challenge.

Inspired Action

It’s tempting to try and overhaul the guest room in time for your guests to enjoy it, but all they need is enough space for their stay. Instead of committing to a huge organizing project clear out enough closet space to hang a few clothes or coats and create enough space in the room to comfortably open a suitcase. You might also consider adding an over-the-door rack to help organize bath towels or other items your guests will use frequently.

Inspired Thought

There are enough distractions during the holidays without adding to it. Your guests plan to spend time with you, not sitting in the guest room making notes about its storage and functionality. Make the space comfortable and then focus on time spent together.