We have guests regularly, but for about 18 months after we moved in, our guest room/office/magazine storage facility was in really bad shape (white walls, hardwood floors, unpacked moving boxes as a bedside table, roller shades that fell down if you tugged too hard). Finally this winter, after my stepmom had put up with our spartan accomodations more than she probably wanted, she suggested sincerely — maybe you could get a reading lamp? Really, she assured us, that’s all the room needs.
Fast forward, and although it is still not the ideal space, we’re a little bit closer to creating a cozy spot for guests to relax, store their stuff and catch some zzz’s (warm walls with art, rug, proper bedside table, functional and pretty curtains from previous post). So when I came across this great checklist from the May issue of House Beautiul, I did a quick scan to be sure I was covering all the bases:
Guest Room Essentials (from Tom Scheerer, Interior Designer)
- Bath and hand towels, washcloths
- Fresh soap
- Shampoo
- Bath oil or foam (hmm…I’d replace this suggestion with a tube of 30 spf sunscreen)
- A unisex XL terry robe
- A hair dryer
- A refillable water vessel and glass
- A pad and pencil
- An alarm clock
- A range of magazines (!)
- A range of hangers
- Luggage rack
- Bedside nosegay or single blossom
- An orange or apple
I love this list because it seems so, well, normal. I’ve seen lists like this before that include suggestions for city maps, a list of telephone numbers for services (dry cleaner, taxi), extra toothbrushes and other items that make it feel like we should be running one-room hotels rather than providing the essentials that make a guest feel at home.
Of course, there’s one thing missing from Mr. Scheerer’s list: a reading lamp.
For Tom’s list and 15 other expert checklists of “The Essentials,” ranging from Kitchen to Barware to Fashion, visit House Beautiful or pick up the May issue (or both!).
Image credit: Women’s Lightweight Calf-length Terry Robe at Lands’ End
Last summer I was poking around a bookstore in Vermont and came across Mice, Morals & Monkey Business, an incredible children’s book filled with gorgeous block prints by artist Christopher Wormell. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to have it – not for our kids’ library, but for my kitchen wall.
I really wish we had a mudroom, but since we don’t, we relegate our shoes, coats, and the seven-or-so bags that arrive home with our little family every evening to a 30-inch “mudspace” right inside the entrance of our home. To help define the space and give our two kiddos a little more room to walk in, stretch out and take off their shoes, we purchased Pottery Barn’s Diamond Outdoor Rug made out of polypropolene (yes, it’s plastic!). This hip, neutral rug is supersoft underfoot and fit perfectly with our décor, our budget, and the total lack of time we have to devote to cleaning – it can be hosed down outside and still look fabulous.
The Mudroom 