There’s a lot to bear in mind when hosting friends and family. Stylish guest bedroom ideas will help set the scene for a dream visit.

A thoughtful guest room not only provides your visitors some private space, but it’s also an opportunity for you to experiment with design. While with personal bedroom ideas you’re after a space you can spend a great deal of time with, this isn’t the case for guest rooms.

As transitory, short-term spaces they’re perfect for getting creative. Aside from decorating, guest rooms have different practical requirements, such as storage, than your master bedroom.

In addition to designing the space, you’ll need to give it a quick refresh before welcoming guests. Start by decluttering any ephemera that has snuck in over the months. Then open the windows and give the room a good clean. Finally, dress the bed with fresh sheets and spritz with a gentle linen spray to satisfy all the senses.

Guest bedroom ideas

No matter how large or small, guest bedroom ideas can make all the difference in your visitors enjoying their stay.

1. Start with the bed

Image credit: Future PLC/Colin Poole

A comfortable bed is a must, especially if your room is often used by guests. If you can’t justify a new frame, invest in a new mattress. Choose a strong classic style that won’t date and position centrally for easy access and maximum impact.

‘If storage is pivotal, pick a divan over a classic bed frame,’ advises Adam Black, Co-founder, Button & Sprung. ‘This will allow you to maximise the storage space available without taking up any additional floor space; which is especially important in small bedrooms. Drawer storage seamlessly blends within the divan base to safely store away any bedroom essentials.’

2. Upgrade your bedding

Image credit: Future PLC/Dominic Blackmore

To make sure your guests are comfortable throughout their stay, dress your bed to perfection.

‘All guest beds should have four standard pillows, so that guests have the option of sleeping with either one or two,’ recommends Jo James, Founder and Creative Director, Bedfolk. ‘If you want to go all out, you could even offer a soft/medium and a medium/firm on each side so guests are able to create their perfect comfort level.’

‘Another absolute must is a pair of square pillows,’ continues Jo. ‘This is both for practical purposes (reading, morning cup of tea) and to make the bed look extra comfortable and plump. A throw adds comfort, texture and a subtle splash of colour. It is also a great extra layer for colder nights and the perfect light layer (partnered with a flat sheet) in the warmer months.’

‘To finish off any guest bed, add towels to the foot of the bed, for the ultimate ‘night away at a hotel’ feel. Warning, they might never want to leave.’

3. Get the lighting right

Image credit: Future PLC/Chris Snook

Layered lighting, ideally dimmable, is a must in any bedroom. Include a pendant or downlighters for overall light, a standard lamp to light a corner, and bedside lights for late-night reading.

‘Wall-mounted bedside lamps provide an elegant tailored feel,’ says Rohan Blacker, Founder, Pooky Lights. ‘As a rule of thumb, they are best positioned so the bottom of the bulb is 45cm above the mattress to avoid any glare.’

4. Work with even the smallest of spaces

Image credit: Future PLC/Dominic Blackmore

Even if you only have the tiniest of box rooms to let your guest bedroom ideas loose on, you still have plenty of space for creativity. In small bedroom ideas, a slim, comfy cabin bed will probably take up much of the floor space, so work everything else around this. Mount reading lights and use wall units to act as somewhere to keep bedtime reading material, or to decorate with some prints.

Storage isn’t of the utmost importance in a room intended for short stays – hooks on the back of the door, or a small bench should suffice. Baskets on a high shelving unit is perfect for storage of items you don’t need on the regular.

5. Include a dressing table

Image credit: Future PLC/Davide Lovatti

A small desk or dressing table is a lovely touch in a guest room. Even a super slimline option will be welcomed.

These spaces provide an area for guests to lay out jewellery, apply makeup, or catch up on work with their laptop. Ensure there is good lighting so every use is catered for, and there’s a plug socket nearby for hair dryers or charging cables.

6. Cater for the kids

Image credit: Future PLC/Dan Duchars

It’s not just adults who need somewhere to stay. If you have the room, a dedicated child’s spare room is a fun addition to a home. Alternatively, make sure your kids room ideas can accommodate cousins or friends when needed.

Keep the floor as empty as possible to allow the maximum space for play, and integrate storage and beds elsewhere. Bunk, trundle and sofa beds are perfect for these spaces, as are under-bed storage and built-in cubbies.

7. Colour drench for impact

Image credit: Future PLC/David Giles

One of the most exciting things about decorating guest bedroom ideas is the option to go all-out. Since visitors tend not to stay for extended periods of time, you can push the boundaries further than you might with your master bedroom ideas.

While a bold colour-drenched bedroom might get tiresome quickly in your everyday space, in a spare room it creates a fun boutique hotel atmosphere.

8. Create a calming oasis

Image credit: Future PLC

If your home has a tendency to get get slightly chaotic and loud, then it’s lovely to create a calm and serene space for guests to retreat to. Take inspiration from Scandi-chic by limiting your bedroom colour schemes to neutrals, decorating with natural woods and adding pops of colour through fresh greenery.

As a bonus, you can co-opt this space when not in use if you need to take a break yourself!

9. Work in easy storage

Image credit: Future PLC/Dominic Blackmore

Your guest room may not have space for a wardrobe. Or, if it has one it’s likely to hide away out of season clothes until they’re needed again. So for your bedroom storage ideas, think about other options.

Guests won’t be bringing much with them, so a bench at the end of the bed, with boxes or baskets underneath provides both somewhere to stash items, and a surface to lay outfits on.

10. Add interest with a feature wall

Image credit: Future PLC/Dominic Blackmore

Add an illustrative feature wall to a guest bedroom with a statement wallpaper. For the most modern interpretation, use the wallpaper on a large panel rather than on a whole way.

This is perfect is you have a random length of wallpaper to hand, or if you want to try out a new design on a wall before committing to it elsewhere.

11. Keep luggage in mind

Image credit: Future PLC/Davide Lovatti

Visitors are sure to bring bags with them, so a thoughtful touch is to ensure they have a surface to place these on. Benches at the end of a bed, or a stylish luggage rack, allow your guests to open up their suitcases to unpack, or easily see what they have.

This way you prevent dirty bags from sitting directly on your linens, or creating chaos on limited floor space.

12. Layer up neutrals

Image credit: Future PLC/Colin Poole

It’s tough to go wrong with neutral bedroom ideas, and this is remains true for guest rooms. They will suit just about any type of visitor, while providing a calming and light retreat.

Introduce depth and texture with chunky throws, rustic woods and tactical rugs.

13. Give yourself more options with a twin layout

Image credit: Future PLC/Jason Ingram

Twin beds are a great option for guest bedroom ideas. To save on space, allow the two beds to share one bedside table. After all, they won’t be keeping too much on here. Provide a water jug, coaster and trinket dish for jewellery. However, do include two lights so each guest can read with ease.

For ultimate flexibility, choose twin beds which can easily come together to form a double when preferred.

14. Upgrade the attic

Image credit: Future PLC/Caroline Barber

Attic bedroom ideas are perfect for creating guest rooms. By their very nature, they tend only to be used occasionally, so sloping ceilings and a confined space is less likely to be an issue for the user.

You may not have any window coverings in these spaces, so ensure you invest in a blind or curtain so your visitors aren’t woken up at the crack of dawn.

15. Pare it back

Image credit: Future PLC/David Woolley

Make a small room feel bigger for your guests by limiting furniture to essential pieces only. You really only need a bed, a bedside table and some form of storage for bits and pieces.

If you can, keep the space under the bed clear in these smaller rooms. These will help open the space up further when not in use, and work as a perfect suitcase-storage spot when guests are over.

16. Decorate with calming shades of grey

Image credit: Future PLC/Polly Wreford

Grey bedroom ideas aren’t going anywhere, so be a people pleaser by using them in your spare room. Stick to warmer toned greys to create a cosy, rather than cool, atmosphere. Crisp white sheets will add a touch of brightness and give off that chic hotel-like feel.

17. Clever storage

Image credit: Ikea

When guests drop by for an overnight or weekend stay, room to hang a change of clothes is invaluable, but a space-encroaching wardrobe isn’t the only way. Instead, look at wall storage.

Buy a ready made option, or create one by hanging a minimalist rod from straps to create a place to hang clothes. Hooks provide extra storage, too.

18. Provide a welcome pack

Image credit: Future PLC/Simon Bevan

Apart from the obvious like towels (make sure you provide one large bath towel, a hand towel and a washcloth per person) it’s worth supplying a small welcome pack for your guests so they feel at home. Include a few luxuries like a scented soap, an unusual cream, a special shampoo and small tube of toothpaste.

What should you have in a guest bedroom?

Guest bedrooms should be inviting and welcoming spaces, but you don’t want to start adding in unnecessary items. It will feel cluttered and get dusty easily. You need a bed, of course, and at least one surface. If you’re tight on space a small chest of drawers can double as storage and as a bedside table. If you have the space, wardrobe ideas or at least hooks on the back of the door are useful. Good lighting and at least one mirror are also essential.

What do you do with a guest bedroom when not in use?

One of the great things about guest bedroom ideas is that it doesn’t have to be a visitor-only space. Make yours work as a home office or craft room. They naturally tend to end up as storage spaces, but do so in an orderly fashion so you can clear things up easily when someone comes over.

The post Guest bedroom ideas that will make you the host with the most appeared first on Ideal Home.

Buying a second home to rent out can be a great way to earn some extra income, but if you need to borrow to make the purchase, and are looking for the best mortgage rates, you will need a specific buy-to-let mortgage rather than a standard residential one you may have on your main home.

More than 770,000 families in England own a second home, with some owning multiple additional properties. That’s according to the English Housing Survey 2018-19, the most recent year for which official statistics are available

Of these, almost 40 per cent use their second property as a holiday home for themselves, friends or to let out to holiday makers.

Buy-to-lets can be an excellent investment, generating both a regular income and long term gains should the value of the property increase. The income could help you cover the cost of a mortgage on the property, while leaving you free to enjoy it at other times. Depending on its location and charm, you can earn thousands of pounds each year.

Image credit: Future PLC/Anya Rice

Holiday lets have become more attractive over the last few years too, as a result of the pandemic. With foreign travel difficult, if not impossible, it meant far more holidaymakers have seen the benefits that come from a domestic break. And that increased demand from travellers is in turn prompting more people to look into the potential of buying a holiday home.

What is a buy-to-let mortgage?

If you want to rent out a property, then you need to have a specific buy-to-let mortgage; you can’t rent out a property that has a regular residential mortgage against it.

Buy-to-let mortgages work in much the same way as regular mortgage products, in that you take them out for a specified term ‒ say 25 years ‒ and make monthly repayments. However, there are some important differences to be aware of.

The first is that buy-to-let mortgages are often taken out on an interest-only basis. As the name suggests, this means that the monthly repayments only go towards the interest charged on the mortgage debt, rather than the actual debt itself. While this means lower monthly repayments, it does also mean you need to have a plan in place to repay the rest of the money owed at the end of the mortgage term.

What are the pitfalls of a buy-to-let mortgage?

Interest rates on buy-to-let mortgages also tend to be higher than those charged on regular residential home loans. For example, at the time of writing the lowest rate available on a five-year fixed rate buy-to-let mortgage for a borrower with a 40 per cent deposit is 2.15 per cent. By contrast the lowest rate on the same sort of product for a residential buyer is currently 1.87 per cent, according to data from Moneyfacts.

Buy-to-let mortgages also tend to require higher deposits. While a residential borrower may be able to get onto the housing ladder with a deposit of as little as 5 per cent of the purchase price, landlords often need upwards of 15 per cent in order to secure the funds they need.

How much could I borrow with a buy-to-let mortgage?

The amount that you can borrow is calculated in a different way with a buy-to-let mortgage. With a regular mortgage, a lender will look primarily at your income and expenditure to work out what you can afford to repay. However, with a buy-to-let mortgage that calculation relies far more on what sort of rent the investment property is likely to generate than your own individual income.

Is a buy-to-let mortgage different from a holiday let mortgage?

Lastly, it’s worth noting that there are distinctions between regular buy-to-let mortgages and holiday let mortgages.

A normal buy-to-let mortgage is designed for those who are looking to rent a property out for a long period to a single tenant, while holiday lets are designed for those who rent out a property to a host of different short-stay tenants.

Lenders employ different affordability tests here, to determine what they are willing to lend, based on the typical rents you may enjoy not only in ‘high’ season when the property may be more in demand but also in low season when it’s less likely to be full.

How to make the most of your buy-to-let property

If you fancy making money from your countryside bolthole or city pied- à-terre, here are some helpful tips to get you started.

Choosing your property and location

When it comes to holiday lets, you can’t really go wrong with picturesque destinations which appeal to holidaymakers all year round. Good examples here are the Peak and Lake Districts, as well as the Cotswolds. According to Luxurycottages.com, North Wales and the Welsh Borders are also sought-after locations.

An important consideration will be how easy it is to get to your property using different transport links as well as the property’s proximity to attractions or the coast.

For example, you can charge more ‒ and will likely see higher demand ‒ if the property is located near a beach or within easy walking distance to tourist hotspots.

Image credit: Brent Darby

Personal touches and premium customers

If you want to charge higher rents and attract quality guests, then you may need to go the extra mile. Get it right and you can enjoy much higher revenues; holiday homes positioned as premium getaways can generate up to 2.5 times the income of a standard property.

A personal touch can make all the difference here. Little extras like a hamper of local produce or a bottle of wine can really help set the tone for a holiday.

If you want to take things a step further, then think about the added luxuries that most people won’t have at home, such as a hot tub, sauna or log burner. These all add to the appeal of the property, and boost your chances of attracting higher-paying guests.

Image credit: Cottages In Northumberland

Setting your rates

It’s a good idea to speak to local letting agents to find out the going rate for properties like yours. Ask how long the booking season lasts and what rates you can charge in high and low seasons. How much you can charge, however, will partly depend on the quality of your online reviews.

During your first year, before you have any reviews, you may want to offer your property at a discount so you can attract holiday makers and build up positive feedback.

Your property may not always be let, especially outside the holiday season. So if you have a mortgage on the home that you’re expecting to repay from the income from lettings, factor some empty periods into your calculations.

Harry Robert, managing director of My Favourite Cottages, says that with the cost of purchasing property in the most highly sought after holiday towns rising sharply, you need to “get creative” to find ways to justify increased rent or booking rates.

‘This may mean investing in desirable features, such as hot tubs and pools, or simply making your property child and pet friendly to widen your target market.

‘Doing things like partnering with local businesses to gift your customers discounted offers on restaurants and activities is a nice touch that can help wow guests and encourage them to return. Plus, they’re much more likely to leave you a good review or spread the word about your rental to their friends and family.’

Advertising your holiday home

Airbnb is one of the most popular platforms used by holiday homeowners. You pay around per cent per booking to use the website. You have to manage your own bookings and respond to guest queries. Similar websites include Booking.com, Cottages.com and VRBO.com, formerly known as HomeAway.

An alternative is to pay a property agent to market your property, manage guest admin and maximise lettings for you. Agents tend to charge between 15% and 20% of every booking.

‘To secure bookings and get your property maximum exposure, you need to advertise your property the right way. While you can market your property on your own, building website visibility and maintaining social media channels can be costly, take time and require additional skillsets that you might not have,’ adds Harry from My Favourite Cottages.

Tax treatment

Income you earn from letting out your holiday home is taxable. You will need to declare it on your annual tax return. You’ll then pay income tax at 20 per cent, 40 per cent or 45 per cent, depending on whether you’re a basic-, higher- or additional-rate taxpayer.

More happily, you can qualify for a host of tax perks on your holiday home if it meets the Furnished Holiday Let rules. The main rules to remember are that it must be available to let for at least 210 days a year and let to paying guests for 105 days a year.
If you meet the requirements, you can deduct expenses from your earnings before tax such as:

• Mortgage interest costs
• Advertising or property management fees
• Cleaning and maintenance
• Utility bills
• Welcome pack items
• Insurance premiums

You’re also entitled to tax relief on items such as furniture, fittings and equipment bought to enhance the value of your holiday home.

Setting up your holiday home in the first year can be expensive. Don’t worry though, you can carry any losses forward into the next tax year for tax purposes.
Here’s some more tax advantages:

1. Small business rates relief – holiday let owners must register for business rates rather than council tax. However, you may be entitled to small business rates relief which means you pay nothing at all. Call your local council to find out if you’re exempt.
2. Wear & Tear Allowance – you can claim tax relief on domestic items you’ve replaced because they’re no longer usable.
3. Pension contributions – profits you earn from your holiday home are eligible for a tax top up from the government when paid into your pension pot.
4. Capital Gains Tax – when you sell your property you may be eligible for entrepreneur’s relief, rollover relief or hold-over relief.

It’s advisable to speak to an accountant for tax advice.

With thanks to Emma Lunn and John Fitzsimons for their contributions to this article.

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