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Building the Perfect Guest Bedroom

Alright alright! It’s time for the guest bedroom reveal my friends! I apologize for not doing this sooner but hey, I couldn’t give you ALL the surprises at once, right? Where’s the fun in that? If you remember a couple of months back, I put together an inspiration board that pulled together an inviting and comfortable room for our overnight guests.

This post is sponsored by the Better Sleep Council but all opinions are my own. Thank you for your support!

Did you know that May is Better Sleep Month? I’ve partnered with the Better Sleep Council to help with tips on “how to sleep like a kid again.” If you’re like me, when you go in to kiss your kiddos’ goodnight before you head to bed, you may be a little jealous at how easy and well they sleep at night. Maybe they get up once in awhile to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, but then they get right back into bed and pick up where they left off in their dreams.

Henry loves reading this book on his own. Snoozby and the Great Big, Bedtime Battle

Keeping the mantra, “sleep like a kid again” in mind when designing my guest bedroom, I followed tips from the Better Sleep Council to build the perfect bedroom to rest easy in and be as comfortable as possible for any guests we have. So without further ado, below is the process I followed:

Finding the Perfect Color Palette

As much as I love bright colors, I will be the first one to tell you that your bedroom should start with a neutral wall color and then you can add in your pops of color through art and accessories. I decided to carry the wall color from the rest of the basement, Sherwin Williams Agreeable Grey, into the guest bedroom. I added a neutral pin striped bedding to continue the ambiance and then brought in my color pops with the velvet emerald headboard and the abstract artwork.

Comfortable Mattress for the Win!

A beautiful bedroom doesn’t exactly cut it if the bed isn’t comfortable and doesn’t offer a sound sleep. Paul and I love our mattress (he likes a firm mattress and I like a soft mattress) but before purchasing the mattress for the guest bedroom I took this Better Bed Quiz . People, this is a must! It take a couple of minutes and SO helpful to have the results and recommendations in hand when you start your search for a new mattress. The best part is, it has you take the quiz as either yourself, a family member, renter or guest. Ummmm perfect! Once I completed the quiz it allowed me to print off for reference.

Keep it Cool and Dark baby!

We all know we sleep better when we have a dark room. It’s why we painstakingly hang blackout curtains in our kiddos’ rooms praying that naptime will last just a little longer for our sanity or, if we pull the shades for bedtime in the summer, maybe they won’t realize it’s only 7:30pm because sometimes the only day drinking we get as parents is after the kids go to bed. (You know you’ve done it or at least thought it)

When we built the guest room in the basement we opted to wait to do the egress window at a later time because…$$$$ So if you’re looking for the perfect cool and dark bedroom, look no further! This room is amazing for sleep. Actually, I’m slightly afraid to sleep down there because there’s a good chance I may never leave. I’m serious. If you can’t find me in my house look in the guest room first.

Because the ceiling is lower in the bedroom than the rest of the basement, I had to switch out my beautiful, beaded chandelier for a semi flushmount midcentury fixture but I think I actually love it more and in case someone does want a little light in this room, this is the perfect choice.

Similar light here

You're also going to want to sleep your best by having bed linens that aren’t rough but also sleep cool. For instance, I like to layer a bed which means a sheet set, a lighter weight comforter and then add another comforter at the end in case your guest(s) get a little chilly in the middle of the night. Just like winter, it’s better to have layers that you can peel, or in this case, throw off, if you need to sleep a little cooler. And for goodness sake, use ALL the pillows. Don’t let anyone tell you what’s what! Some people like to sleep with two pillows and some like to sleep with one pillow. Give them options people! (Rant over)

Leave The Distractions At the Door

Back in the day, I thought it totally made sense to have a TV in the bedroom. Admittedly before we had kids we would fall asleep to the evening news. But once kids came into the picture, we stopped turning on the tv in our bedroom and opted instead to fall into bed praying for a few hours of uninterrupted sleep. I was originally going to put a tv in the guest room but at the last minute decided to leave it as a sleeping room only. Instead, I brought in a bright vintage cabinet and topped it with flowers. Flowers and bright pops of color add to the zen of a room don’t you think?

And if you have to bring your phone into your room, adding a nightstand with a drawer is the perfect way to have them close but still hidden so it’s not a distraction to you while you’re trying to fall or asleep or when you wake up in the middle of the night and see you have a text notifications. Trust me, all that can wait until the next morning. Out of sight, out of mind.

Create a Room That Has All the Feels

Yep, you heard me. Don’t forget to add in textures, interest and colors. Adding in a colorful and easy to clean rug to this room not only adds a little warmth under feet but it pulls the rest of the room together. The rug, coupled with the vintage upholstered bench, a green tray that mimics the green in the headboard, easy to read books and colorful tassels will make any room feel like home no matter how far away home is for your guests. That’s a guest room done right. Promise.

Boho Luxe Home Tassels

For more information on How to Sleep Like a Kid, check out BetterSleep.org for tips and tricks to getting a great night sleep like your kiddos.

Thank you to the Better Sleep Council for sponsoring this post