Creating a Cozy Guest Room

This post explores some suggestions for making overnight or longer stay guests feel welcome.

We have recently had visitors, and this was a wonderful opportunity to prepare our guest bedroom and make it feel a little more cozy. We have also been away quite often in the last month and experienced other people's hospitality. I explored some posts on Pinterest for inspiration and here is my list of some guest room comforts:

• Comfortable bed linen and pillows
• Spare blankets
• Fresh towels and facecloths
• Small collection of toiletries (soap, shampoo, body lotion, tissues)
• Plug point with adapter for mobile phone charging
• Bedside lights
• Luggage stand
• Hanging space with hangers and also shelf space for clothes and other items
• Water glasses and carafe
• Mirror
• Fresh flowers
• Sweet Treat
• Hair drier
• Waste bin

I think it is also helpful to show guests where the tea/coffee making facilities are located and to invite them to make their own as needed.  I also usually plan for meals, drinks and snacks a little more carefully so that guests are not left feeling hungry if they are not comfortable in helping themselves.  We also make sure the guest room and bathroom is extra clean before guests arrive. I feel that being well prepared and having things ready for guests before they arrive makes them feel welcomed!

What are your guest room necessities? If you have been a guest, what has made you feel particularly welcome?

Resting is “Doing Something”

In our busy lives I think we are driven to constantly do more and multi-task everything. What we forget is that resting is “doing something”. It is at least replenishing our energy levels, and at best feeding our souls.

I think we need to give ourselves permission to spend a bit of time just “doing nothing” without feeling guilty or judging ourselves as “lazy”.  Perhaps on our regular “To Do” list one of the items that can feature this week is “resting”? 

It is a simple concept but it is surprisingly hard to take a break and just relax from time to time. I think if we actually value rest as a worthwhile “activity” we would actually be able to do more and be more productive, rather than living in a state of exhaustion trying to get on top of the long list of things that we think need to be done. I am definitely guilty of this need to be “doing” rather than “being”. 

Perhaps the best way to make time for rest is to cut back on screen time? It is amazing how checking up on social media platforms and the stream of messages and e-mails that appear throughout the day demand attention and detract from rest. I often read about ways to curb screen time for kids, but the truth is that possibly I need some limits on my screen time too! Although it seems like a leisure activity at times, perhaps spending too much time on screens is actually detracting from doing more meaningful things?

Photo by Benjamin Combs

So off I go now, to rest a little bit and switch off from the screen for a while.

Will you be putting “rest” on your list of things to do this week? What suggestions do you have for limiting screen time?