Make room at your inn

Previously published in the Retford Times - 5th December 2013

As we all get ready to welcome guests over the festive period, interior designer Jamie Hempsall gives advice on providing temporary “room at the inn”

We are shortly approaching the period when our homes will be stretched to capacity as friends and family are welcomed across the threshold with many staying over as festive cheer kicks in.

The key to a successful visit is ensuring guests enjoy a good night’s sleep without encountering uncomfortable floors or lumpy sofas.  This can pay dividends for the host as you stand a greater chance of guests waking up bright and early to help with all the clearing up (or at least the prospect of tea and toast being made for you as you finish).

I think one of the most useful temporary bed options is the inflatable mattress (with an integrated electric pump – ensuring that you can put them up quickly and without risk of a hernia).  The airbed has come along way since people used to sleep on summer lilos, many are sophisticated products with features such as “no roll together” zones and strengthened edges.   Some models are now even available the same height as a normal bed, which is particularly helpful for elderly or less abled users.

The key advantage of this solution is they usually fold up to the size of a medium size duffle bag for easy storage in a loft or cupboard, but provide sleeping room equivalent to a full-size bed.  There are a number of options available from the likes of Tesco and Bestway.  My personal favourite is the range from Aerobed, although these are on the pricier side (£139.99 for a full height double - www.aerobed.co.uk).

The traditional z-bed seems to be coming back into prominence as homeowners realise how comfortable they are.  Indeed, the more expensive models feature mattresses that would rival a normal bed.  A single bed size can fit easily in a cupboard or under another bed.  Whilst a double bed size can be more difficult to store, if you have easy access to an attic area (or a good space at the end of a bed with a cover hiding the z-bed underneath) then these are a serious option (£229 for a Jaybe double bed with slatted base and headboard from www.houseofbath.co.uk - 0871 230 0867).

Chair beds are especially practical in a child’s or teenager’s bedroom where they are likely to have plenty of use throughout the year as you find yourself welcoming over a few more school friends.  You can also guarantee that they will add an element of adult allure to the room, allowing the occupant the luxury of their own comfy chair on a daily basis.

Up until recently chair beds were definitely the poor relation of the sofa bed.  Most were only available in brightly coloured foam block forms, aimed firmly at the child market.  However, in the last couple of years more innovative products have reacted the market, foam block models are now available in more sophisticated colours (consider the Chocolate Single Chair Bed Sofa from Argos, £39.99).  In addition, you can find stylish examples such as the Leader Lifestyle Rita Faux Leather Chair Bed that would make a good occasional chair in any location (£224; www.furniturecountrywide.co.uk - 0845 6 777008).

The option of sleeping on sofas need not be a bad one, provided you have invested in a good quality sofa bed. The key to choosing the right sofa bed is comfort on a number of levels.   Firstly, consider the depth of the mattress as some are really too thin and you might as well sleep on the floor.

Secondly, check the width of the actual bed area as frames have to fit inside the sofa.  A two-seater sofa is unlikely to result in a full double bed so opt for at least a two and half seater, if budget and space allow.

Above all, test your sofa-bed for suitability the way you would any settee to ensure you avoid buying an option that does not satisfy sleep and seating requirements perfectly.

The sofa bed is now an integral part of many manufacturers’ ranges so you can find styles from the traditional, such as the Stella from Sofa.com (from £995) to the ultra modern House by John Lewis Napa Sofa Bed (£299; www.johnlewis.com).  

The only disadvantage for the guest is that sofa beds take up a considerable amount of space.  Therefore, they are likely to be somewhere such as the Sitting Room which is right in the middle of all the action at Christmas.

Whatever sleep solution you decide upon, send your guests off to bed with toastie hot water bottles to ensure you give them cosy festive night to remember for all the right reasons.

Jamie Hempsall, BIID, SBID is a multi-award winning interior designer.

www.jamiehempsall.com

Be our guest

INTERIORS

Ensuring your visitors feel at home can be a tricky business. Interior designer Jamie Hempsall offers some ideas.

It can be a bit of a luxury, but I know that many of us like to keep a bedroom as a guest room. I find the problem with many such spaces is they never lose the tag of spare room and get treated more as an after-thought.

For your guest room to be an attractive feature in your home, consider it an extension of your family’s living area. View it as somewhere you may want to sleep and you will come up with a considerably different design perspective.

A successfully-designed guest room should create a space where visitors feel instantly embraced by your home, but also have a sense of privacy. Think of a relaxing hotel feel, comfortable and neat, but with some more personal touches and you will not be far off the mark when creating the perfect guest space.

Start by mentally assigning your room its proper function and treat it as that at all times – work on the basis that someone could be staying at a moment’s notice and you will quickly overcome the “box room” concept.

The biggest rule is that your guest room must not become a dumping ground. If you need to store things make sure that you provide enough discrete storage and drawer space so that things can be hidden away, avoiding piles of clutter on the floor. Divan bed drawers are brilliant for this and the inclusion of a chest of drawers is always useful.

When designating the storage space, spare a thought for your guests’ needs and ensure that they have provision of the following:

* Drawers for underwear and tops
* Hanging space for coats, jackets and dresses
* A flat surface for toiletries and make-up
* Somewhere to store their overnight bag

This will ensure that they can unpack and relax without dealing with crumpled clothes or falling over luggage.

When it comes to beds and bedding do not skimp, but treat this as you would any other room in the house and budget for new additions, rather than depositing “hand me downs”.

The average life of a mattress should be 10 years with regular use; bear that in mind if you are “assigning” an old bed. If you would not be happy sleeping on it, should your guests be? Investing in a proper bed is vital, it need not cost the earth, but should at least be comfortable to inhabit for a few nights.

The size of bed should reflect the profile of your guests for the next three to five years. If the majority are single or children then two single beds make perfect sense and add extra flexibility. However, if they are more likely to be couples, then a double bed is the obvious choice. If your room can cope with it invest in a king size which will give your guests an extra six inches of sleeping space (still only equivalent to two standard single beds) as this is now the generally accepted minimum size for two adults to inhabit.

You should regularly invest in new duvets and pillows. Purchase good quality washable pillows and duvets so that your bedding not only looks inviting, but also is hygienic. The general rule of thumb on a pillow is it should be replaced after two years. You can extend the life of your bedding by investing in pillow and mattress protectors which can be easily washed on a regular basis.

I would always advise ensuring that your sheets, pillow cases and duvet covers are 100 per cent cotton – exactly as you would have on your own bed – with a thread count of 200 or more, to avoid allergic reactions. Again, design these into your scheme and do not hand down old bedding to your guests. Keep to plain colours, rather than patterns to avoid limiting any future redecoration and introduce interest into your scheme in the form of cushions and throws.

When it comes to bed dressing try not to overdo it. A plethora of cushions and bedcovers may look magazine-perfect, but can be a nightmare to get into and often have to be deposited all over the floor to allow your guest access to the bed. It also gives them the additional challenge of recreating your display when they get up in the morning. As a rule of thumb three cushions is a maximum on a double bed and one throw is sufficient.

For the finishing touches ensure your guests have access to a mirror (ideally full length), a clock, a reading light each and bath robes (to avoid an awkward streak to the bathroom).

Finally, do not forget to give them somewhere to hang wet towels to avoid damp bedding or damaged walls (as often happens when they are draped over radiators).

Applying these guidelines will ensure you make your guests feel perfectly welcome, how you get them to leave is up to you!

* Jamie Hempsall, BIID is an award winning interior designer. Visit www.jamiehempsall.com or contact 0800 032 1180.