'Comfort and luxury are essential': Everything you need to know about designing a guest bedroom

Last week on The Block, the contestants battled their way through a style-to-sell challenge and the mammoth guest bedroom week. Bianca and Carla took out the win with a room judge Neale Whitaker called “modern, luxurious and glamorous”.

When it came to designing the perfect bedroom for guests, the couples were keen to ensure that the rooms were supremely comfortable and equipped with everything a guest might require during their stay.

“A beautiful guestroom should have all the comfort of a hotel with the intimacy and charm of home,” says designer Caroline Choker from ACME. “If you design the guest room with the same care as you would your own personal bedroom, guests will feel relaxed and familiar within your space and it will be a memorable stay for them.”

For many homeowners, the guest room is usually a multi-functioning space, and often doubles as a storage room.

“Having the guest room feel like a second storage room for the home is a common mistake,” says Choker. “If the wardrobes are full and the room is cluttered with leftover mismatched furniture, it won’t feel welcoming or like a sanctuary.”

Designer Mardi Doherty from Doherty Design Studio agrees. “A memorable visit is one that provides guests with all the home comfort they require. Sometimes people feel uneasy about staying at someone else’s home, so a well-considered guest room with a few choice elements can make them feel really wanted and comfortable.”

For contestants on The Block, incorporating luxurious elements into their guest room designs was equally as important as comfort – be it premium bed linen, the perfect artwork, ample storage or clever use of colour and texture. Runners-up Hans and Courtney were praised by the judges for their beautifully made bed.

“Comfort and luxury are both essential,” says Choker. “Everybody wants a good night’s rest. Start with a great bed with a very comfortable yet firm mattress dressed in beautiful linens or high thread-count sheets, plush duvet and additional throws for texture and warmth. Then add both firm and soft, cosy feather-filled pillows for ultimate comfort.”

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Well-considered lighting is not only practical but provides the room with real ambience and warmth. Despite their purchase of an Alexa to turn the lights on and off, the judges criticised Jess and Norm’s room for not having light switches close to the bed.

“Bedside tables and floor lamps are essential for creating a welcoming atmosphere,” says Choker. “Be sure to include bedside lamps or a floor lamp in the corner of the room to impart a welcoming and relaxing light. A lounge or armchair for reading with a textural rug beneath creates a lounge-like atmosphere akin to that of a hotel room.”

Stock up on everything you think your guest might need during their stay. “Each item should remind your guest of being in their own home, and will reinforce that sense of comfort and belonging,” says Doherty.

“Provide basic items like travel-sized toiletries, an empty closet with a set of matching hangers, extra toilet paper and beautiful bath linen, and make sure there is a decent, floor-length mirror installed,” says Choker.

Once your guests are settled, it’s time to enjoy their company and ensure their stay is one you will both always remember.

“Comfort is important, but I think it’s good to note that sometimes you don’t want a guest’s room to be too comfortable,” says Doherty. “A friend told me once that having someone to stay is like bread. It’s good for the first three days then it starts to go a bit stale!”