It’s that time of the year again folks. The journey into the holiday season has begun, which can only mean one thing: guests and visitors. For those of us hosting family, friends, family friends, acquaintances, boyfriends, girlfriends, in-laws, pets, etc, now is the absolute ideal time to get the home ready to go.
And because you’re literally our favourite people, we’re here to help. Below you’ll find all the essentials to spruce up the guest bedroom and guest bathroom, as well as some fun bits and pieces to jazz up your entertaining setup. We come bearing cushions, cutlery, glasses, portable lamps, bath towels, and oh-so-much more to impress even those most eagle-eyed and scrutinous visitors. You’ll also find yourselves a quick stress-free checklist to have your home guest-ready in a jiff.
Guest Bathroom
The guest bathroom has the potential to seriously wow – but it has to be done right. Blow minds by checking out our edit of bathroom designs and accessories below, and fill your space with gorgeous timber hooks, fragrant hand lotions and soaps, and the softest, fluffiest towels known to mankind.
Guest Bedroom
At the end of a busy day exploring and catching up, your exhausted guests need a place to crash – and that place is (obviously) the guest bedroom. Make sure yours is set up with the homeliest and designeriest of decor, like the lamps, pillows, decor, and throws below.
Guest Entertaining
You better believe your guests want to be wined and dined – and here’s your opportunity to really impress. Let the design do the talking, with our favourite serving pieces and bar tools. You’ll find a combination of glasses, cutlery, carafes, and heaps more, guaranteed to jazz up even the most simplest of meals.
The Checklist
With guests on the way, there’s so much to do to make sure you’re ready for their arrival. In fact, there’s too much. So, we’ve tried to cover some of the basics below with this 8 point checklist. There’s likely more we didn’t cover (so sorry), but perhaps there’s one or two things we’ve included that you may have overlooked…
1. Get cracking on the basics and the essentials. That means it’s time to upgrade the old guest towels (yeah, those ones you sometimes use to dry the dog) to something worthy of your incoming visitors. Go with something that’s a different colour to your own towels, so everyone knows whos is whos. It also means sorting out your storage situation. Do you have hooks and hangers ready for coats and bags? Is there enough space on your shoe-rack for an extra few sets? Are the cupboards somewhat empty and looking spacious?
2. Here’s a fun little test. Spend a night in your guest bedroom and see how it’s all functioning. Are there extra doonas or throws at the ready if the evening weather takes a turn? Is the A/C making a funny noise or is the fan spitting out dust bunnies? Take note of everything that’s not working and get those sorted quick smart.
3. Make sure the bed has been stripped, and all bedding washed well in advance. There’s nothing worse than presenting your in-laws with damp sheets that were washed last minute and haven’t had time to dry. Yikes.
4. Mini toiletries are never a bad idea and a pleasant surprise to those who don’t travel with their entire bathroom kit… or left them at home even though they were prepared and had it on a to-pack checklist or their significant other had reminded them 7 times not to forget it. At the very least provide a fresh bottle of hand soap.
5. Sort out the dang guest bathroom. If there’s a weird pink rim forming around the sink’s drain, the heating light has blown, or there’s a dead-looking toothbrush resting on the counter, then dedicate a good hour or two to get the room up to scratch. And whilst you’re in here tidying things up, double check you’re stocked up on loo-roll. There’s nothing more embarrassing for your guests than them find themselves having to yell out from the bathroom, “Could somebody please grab me some toilet paper?”
6. GET A SPARE KEY! This is, of course, assuming you fully trust your guests and are happy for them to carry access to your abode.
7. Write down the Wi-Fi password so you don’t have to rack your brain to remember the 82nd iteration of your go-to password. Was it seven dollar signs, or eight?
8. And finally, the homely touches. You want your guests to feel at home, right? Then invest in a some unexpected, but comforting pieces to make your space feel more welcoming. It might be a portable lamp, a carafe and glass on the bedside, or a few sticks of your favourite incense at the ready.