Kick Back vs. Kick-Out: How to Welcome Your Guests or Send Them Packing

Hurricane Sandy arrived two weeks ago, first washing out power and then people from their comfy homes. Certainly Scarsdalians are known for prevailing in the face of any challenge, always generous, even when the going gets rough. “Powerful” friends - those with active electrical currents - became saviors, providing outlets for charging various i-things, TVs for temporary escapes, cold freezers, warm showers and washing machines. But those truly powerful friends provided the almighty Guest Room for a more long-term stay.

Ahh, there’s the rub! That guest room. So little used, but so crucial. We’ve heard all about them: the convention centers of unwanted furniture, the space of secret hoarders, the home gyms with a stray mattress smashed up against the wall, looking like the set of a cheap adult film. Maybe you think, “Well, our friends are desperate, they won’t judge me.” Think again. Pump all the Chardonnay you can into your overnight guests - it won’t make their night any better when faced with sleeping on your old college futon or the 25-year-old leather couch your spouse refuses to lose, crowded by piles and bins and an old bench-press. A guest room should welcome your guests with yum, not yuck!

To do that, know that the most important aspect of any guest room is its comfort. Think “refuge” and “peace” when readying your space. First, clear the clutter. To make your guests feel welcome, give them space to put everything they bring.

STYLE TIP: Stowe your stuff in the bottom drawer of a chest, keeping the rest for your guests things. Then put a pretty tray on top for your guests’ jewelry, watches, wallets and whatnot.

Provide the basics: set out clean towels and extra blankets for them to use. Make sure there are working lightbulbs in the lights, working batteries in the remote, a water bottle or two, extra TP within reach, tissues, and maybe some nice toiletries for the poor folks who have forgotten their own.

STYLE TIP: Provide sets of towels in different colors so that multiple guests can keep track of which are theirs.

Then freshen up your guest room’s look. One easy formula for instant chic is to use simple, white furniture plus accessories in one accent color. Or even easier: revitalize plain walls with a great color.

Headboards add instant style to a bed, and there are endless DIY ideas available online. For instance, fashion a headboard out of undrilled closet doors from the lumber store, stained or painted, and mounted on the wall behind the bed and create a sleek, modern focal point.

Create elegance over a guest bed with cheap wall art finds at a discount home store. Two panels hung together look even better.

Another way to add style to your guest room is to raid your storage closets for lamps, wall art, forgotten furniture pieces - properly edited and put together, the result is “artfully collected.”

STYLE TIP: Hang a collection of inexpensive framed prints or mirrors as a group for a big impact.

If your guest room leads a double life as a home office or studio, a daybed upholstered in a sophisticated furniture fabric and piled with pillows is a good option.

Or if you don’t have a separate space for guests, appoint a corner to be the guest “nook” with a platform daybed, upholstered wall panels, and a wall-mounted light.

Then give thought to the particulars of your guest room. What makes YOU comfortable? Is it fluffy flooring? Good reading lights, a selection of interesting books, and a large pillow for propping? Cozy bedding with both heavy and light blankets? Provide what you would like to have during an overnight. Chances are you guests will want the same.

And remember that no one is demanding perfection. My guest room sports a wall AC and circa 1960 linoleum floors, though partially covered with a hand-me-down oriental rug. But according to both my best friend and my parents, the utter quiet of the room’s location, a TV with fully-loaded cable, mystery books and sumptuous bedding, it’s hard to get them to leave. Even without the Chardonnay.

Jessica Jacobson and Lisa Bradlow are the owners of Jacobson/Bradlow Interior Design, based in Scarsdale, New York. Let them help you redesign your guest room before the next storm. 917-373-3219 or email: lisa@jacobosonbradlow.com or jessica@jacobsonbradlow.com.