I was over at Toscana girl Ulli's house tonight helping set up her guest room for her first European visitor and I realized!! AHHH!!! It's that time of year! My favorite German visitors will be on my door step in less than a 3 weeks. AHHH!! With the birth of my son I converted my guest room into a nursery (whole other topic not for today) and sort of did a dual guest/office room in my office. Honestly, the space is not working for me so I am about to re-vamp the terror that is my guest room/office. Give me strength! I must organize & purge! I have about a gazillion decorating magazines, books, fabrics and paint samples...not too mention actual paperwork too!! It is tucked away, but alway I pull it out and strew it everywhere while I piece together my design plans.
So here I am, taking stock of what "makes" a guest room. I need the space to be special, unique and still budget wise. With much pondering an tonnes of web surfing, and magazine flipping I have decided that the top five Toscana basics are: bedding, lighting, storage, ambiance, and a welcoming touch.
The bedding is always a funny thing with me. The first time I slept over at Toscana girl Ulli's house I was in heaven as I slipped into the sheets. What was so special ? The trillion dollar bedding? The gorgeous toss cushions? The touch me delicious throw? NOPE! She irons her sheets! I discovered that any sheets ironed are fantastic!! The absolute best feeling in the world...but of course I am a mommy of two and already have a pile of ironing that challenges the leaning tower of Pisa! (this is my Tuesday night chore as my friends know I always invite them over with promises of decadent treats, and or strong drinks. I can't understand why they always refuse! Who wouldn't want to watch my crazy ironing binge? So as always I am alone and with iron in hand can be found watching HGTV and that naughty Housewives of Orange County...it's definitely addicting to watch how horrible girls can be; but I digress) So I have learned to cheat! Wash your favorite guest sheets and take them out of the dryer still damp. Pop the fitted sheet damp on the bed and lightly spray or sprinkle with your favorite linen water/H2O mixture. It will dry on the bed as crisp and fresh as an ironed sheet with none of the effort. That only leaves ironing the top sheet and pillow cases. Fold the top sheet in half and iron one side while spraying linen water/H2O mixture. Open and remove ironed crease....you don't have to if you remember to fold the top half over the bottom half not side to side. (did that make sense??) Then proceed to starch and iron the pillowcases. Set all aside and do a quick cheat iron on the top of the duvet cover. Tip: If you use a heavy weight duvet cover the ironing is less. I prefer white sheets always! They just seem to go with every type of toss cushion and duvet that you can throw at them and they are super easy to clean. My favorite places to purchase linens are: Winners, Superstore, Zellers, and Homesense. I love a deal on sheets and duvets. Then I feel that I can always justify the toss cushions to co-ordinate. 
Lighting is key as it helps to energize your guests and also allow them to create a cozy space for "down time" Overhead lighting is for everyday and lamps beside the bed are perfect for reading. If the room has natural light all the better. A night light in the hall or bathroom helps guest find the loo without harming themselves.Try to have some storage for your guests belongings. A dresser is perfect for them to tuck away clothing, and to put personal items on top. Make sure that your closet also has room for them to hang clothes...Subtle way of me saying "don't have it chalked full of your winter wardrobe". Try to put out an extra chair so that your guests have a place to sit other than the bed.
I always need inspiration to begin creating "ambiance" and the pictures I have chosen here will be my starting point. Try something out of the ordinary that you love! Pull out your most colourful bedding and add a triage of colourful pots on top of the dresser. Paint a crazy picture for a headboard. Layer cozy items in the room, cushions, throws and a scented candle. I love to place fresh flowers and mist a little room spray.It is important to me that my guests feel welcome. I do this by providing a tray filled with towels, soap, mini shampoo's and conditioners. (Yes, I do take these from hotel rooms on the rare occasions I am in one. Not too mention I do NOT want to share soap or body scrub with people other than my children and husband...maybe not even the husband ha ha ha!) If they are staying more than one night, I like to add a snack food, water glasses and bottled water for them to have. This let's them know that I like food...no seriously it keeps them from laying there at night thinking....man I am hungry! I could have a little snack but where oh where does she keep them??
So with my top five in hand I will be sitting in my guest room trying to piece it all together. I will need to get extremely creative this time round. The best thing for this constant procrastinator is to just tackle it! The only question is...how long to ironed sheets stay fresh?? ha ha ha.
I picked the pictures because they are random & lovely!! Pictures are from, Serena and Lily, Brocade Home, Anthropologie the store & designer Andrea Schroeder.
