A few weeks back I wrote about about the makeover I was planning for our guest bedroom. I say “I” rather than “we” as this is a pretty personal makeover. The Bavarian is happy enough that there is a bed for guests to sleep in . I, on the other hand, like to have things set up nicely. If someone is coming to visit us, I prefer for them to feel we’ve put some effort in creating a comfortable space for them to stay in.

What makes this room makeover so personal is the quilt I am more or less using as a mood board.  Back in the mid-nineties I spent months and months working on hand-stitching a quilt for my bed.  Over the years patchwork  may have faded from fashion but I’ve held onto my quilt. It has a lovely homey feel and, being made by teenage me, is irreplaceable and truly unique. The pinks, greens and florals contained in those hexagons and squares  gave me great inspiration for the look I wanted. With white walls and a white bed already in the room, I felt I could mix and match colours and styles without the room seeming chaotic.

Given the history of my quilt, turning to Laura Ashley for the the guest room’s finishing touches was the obvious choice. After a browse through their online shop, I soon had several items chosen which would fit in well with my concept, both in terms of style and our guests’ needs.

Since we simply haven’t the space to have one room given over solely to housing overnight guests, most of the time the room is used for other purposes, predominantly for my art and craft supplies and projects. On a average day you could easily fail to notice the bed in the room, there’s that much fabric, washi tape, paint, and so own scattered about the place. It’s often more an atelier than a guest room. What  the guest room needed was for a few touches to be added to make our guests feel more a home and lee like they are crashing in a creative studio.

On the rare occasions I am away, I love to have a scented candle and a bottle of something fizzy waiting for me on my arrival. I love fresh towels and a well made up bed. In searching out the new additions to the room, I put myself in my guests’ shoes and thought about what I’d appreciate if I was staying there. A mirror was missing for a start as well as adequate space to hang up clothes.

With the patchwork quilt on the bed, against pale pillows and walls, the room looks simple and comfy. My much-loved salvaged coat stand serves as a wardrobe replacement and has been made all the more useful with the addition of a set of pink padded hangers for guests’ clothing. A matching set of towels now adds an extra bit of comfort and ties in nicely with the pale pink hangers. Since there are only skylights in the room, giving it a proper airing isn’t really possible. To avoid the air getting stale, I have left a bottle of room spray in there too. I fell in love with this brass-edged hexagonal mirror. It keeps the room from looking too country cottage plus it adds light by reflecting the natural light from the skylights.

As I mentioned earlier, I love a touch of luxury when I am away somewhere. With that in mind, I have popped a scented candle onto the desk and will endeavour to leave something fizzy, if only mineral water, for my guests on arrival. To be honest, I am considering taking a mini-break to the guest room. Cooped up in there with a bottle of Prosecco and all my craft supplies, I could have a pretty nice time.

[Disclaimer: For the purpose of styling this post and making over my guest bedroom I was provided with some accessories by  the lovely people at Laura Ashley. All photos, words and opinions are my own.]