A month or so ago, I posted a picture of my newly decorated guest room! It got lots of positive comments, likes and shares! So! I thought I would post that same picture to my blog and explain how I made it so cosy and welcoming! 

I love to decorate and create a room with a pleasant ambience, I spend time on Pinterest, looking a colour schemes and also, since my house is small, I really like organizational, space saving ideas.

People naturally feel better in a warm bright environment! So make sure your guest room has lots of light. Natural lighting is the best lighting; if your guest room is in the basement you may need some extra artificial lighting. 

Overhead lights- such as chandeliers– may seem like a solution, but they don’t always reach every dark corner of the room. Consider placing lamps near seating areas, where they will benefit people the most.

If you are low on space and need to use the ceiling, recessed lighting is a great choice. The lights can be strategically placed on the ceiling to ensure ample lighting throughout the room.

Whatever lights you choose, be sure to pick the proper type of bulb. Harsh, glaring light is almost as bad as darkness!!! Consider bulbs that provide a bright but soft light instead.

Paint colour is important in your guest room! Wall color has a tremendous impact on the brightness of a room. Plain old white works fine, but if you ask me, it is a little boring! If you want more color in your rooms, which I always like, choose lighter colors in order to better reflect the lighting in the room. Steer clear of dark, heavy colors, as they have the opposite effect and absorb the light rather than reflect it.

I love to include plants in every room… plants create a healthy environment, they are nice to look at and they increase the brightness of the space.

Mirrors are lovely and having at least 1 mirror in the room for your house guest is essential. Mirrors amplify light too and so once again it helps keep the room bright.

Clear out the clutter! Every website I went to, in reference to this blog said this over and over! Stash your excess stuff in lidded boxes or bins, which can be temporarily tucked away. The goal: to give visitors landing spots for shoes, jewelry, etc.. Leave an empty drawer and an accessible space in the centre of the closet. Set out towels and face cloths, and an extra blanket and pillow ahead of time too! Often times, I leave a new packaged tooth brush in the drawer, and a few other toiletry items like a mini tooth paste, shampoo and bar of soap! Your guest will feel so welcome!

Make sure the room is nice and clean, with nice, fresh sheets of course and a bottle of water on the night stand is always a nice touch! If you have a spare hair dryer, you can place that in the room too… the goal is to look after your guests needs before they even know they need anything! A mini night light that can be easily unplugged or switched off is helpful to guests as well… no one wants their guest talking a fall or stubbing toes in the middle of the night!

A couple magazines placed in the room is a nice idea- just whatever you are into; for that guest with insomnia, a bit of light reading might just do the trick!

As you can see, I worked on my guest room till I made it nice and cozy! The picture was taken in the evening so it’s much brighter in the daytime- but with 2 lamps for extra ambience and light in the evenings!

I’m curious what ideas you folks can offer as well! If you do something extra special for your guests or if you have incorporated a nice touch to your guest room, please share! There’s lots of room for comments below!

Thanks for reading! Visit again soon!

sbutt@nfld.net

WWW.SUBDIVISIONS.CA

In the words of Dorothy Gale, “There is no place like home”. She was right! How many of us I wonder, have wished we could just magically click our heels together and be home? Home, cozy in our own beds? Home, relaxing on our own couch? Home, soaking in our own tub? I know in all my years of travelling that I sure have!

What makes a home anyway? An age old quote says: "home is where the heart is." I believe that to be true. For me, it all began with finding the perfect house for me- a little red, salt box style row house... 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom and open concept living and dining rooms! Complete of course, with a big back deck that gets the morning sunshine! I loved it- from the very 1st moment I put my key in the front door! 

What makes a house a home for you? Maybe it's the big master bedroom that gets the morning sun, maybe it's the galley style kitchen, with the all the colourful hanging pots and pans, maybe it's the garden full of fresh veggies and the big oak tree in the corner, with the birdhouse in it that your kids made. All these things can help make a house a home.

Maybe it's the noise- the kids shouting as they play street hockey outside, the creaky floor boards in the upstairs hallway, the drip-drip-drip of the leaky bathroom faucet!!! Or maybe it's the lack of noise! Maybe it's that peaceful silence, where you can only hear the birds singing in the distance when you wake up on a Saturday morning kind of home; maybe it's the quietness of sitting on the back porch, with a glass of wine in hand on a cool, starry night.

For you, maybe home has a smell! The smell of popcorn on family movie night, the smell of freshly baked cookies, warm out of the oven, or the smell of clean bedsheets, fresh from the clothes line in the yard!

Home can consist of many things- the people you share it with may play a large part; the rituals, the flaws, the messy-ness, the comfy-ness, the family heirlooms and the memories you make... all play their part to make a house a home.

When I became a realtor people asked me all the time: "why the change?"; "After 11 years in your former career, what made you do it?" Well, I can't seem to put my finger on exactly what made me do it but I'd like to think it had something to do with connecting individuals (like myself) and families to houses that they could turn into homes. Connecting people to properties that would be the perfect fit for them... to build lives there and make memories there.

I joined a team that is in the business of selling houses that people will turn into homes. I am part of a team of experts, who are passionate and skilled and who will guide and facilitate the process of helping people find that perfect property that they will turn into their own "home sweet home". 

Sherry Butt, B.A, B.COMM

Realtor
RE/MAX Infinity Realty Inc
sbutt@nfld.net
Mobile: 7097718583
Office: 7095790909
Fax: 7095792745
WWW.SUBDIVISIONS.CA