Here we are again – the festive season is fast approaching and Christmas often means opening up your home to friends and family – and sometimes putting them up for a night or two. Whether you’re lucky enough to own a guest room, or can shuffle the family around to fit in a few more, dressing the room correctly can all add to the spirit of Christmas.

Once the room has been given a good clean and stripped of clutter and personal items, the fun of preparing for your guests can commence. Go on, let your hair down – it is Christmas after all!

Colour
Injecting some colour doesn’t mean you have to call in the decorators for a complete redecoration. There are a number of colours that can be associated with the festive season – reds, dark greens, gold, silver and white all help to give a cosy, Christmassy feel to a room. A red Father Christmas sat on the window sill with a matching red throw on the bed would welcome any guest.

Flooring
Bring in a couple of cosy rugs to your colour scheme, which also help to insulate the room to keep that snug feeling. These can be purchased at a reasonable price and packed away with the Christmas decorations when all the festive fun is over. A Christmas door mat placed by the bedroom door will help your guests remember which room is theirs.

Dress the bed
Offering your guests a comfortable night’s sleep is the primary role of the spare bedroom. Help it deliver on this by dressing the bed thoughtfully. With your already chosen colours in mind, begin to layer the bed – fresh crisp linen, topped with knitted or fur throws and finished off with cushions of various shapes, sizes and textures will give your guests that luxury living feel.

Check the lighting
If the spare room is not used regularly, you may not realise when bulbs have gone or lamps are dusty and damaged. Check the lighting is adequate for dressing and bedtime reading. Draping fairy lights around a bed is a great way to keep the festive mood in a spare room.

Hang some decorations
If children make up part of your guestlist, they will be particularly delighted with this detail. A few decorations go a long way and can successfully send the message that this is a home to have fun in at Christmas. If your guest room is too compact for a full-sized wardrobe, hooks or pegs provide useful clothes storage for visitors and can be used to hang decorative items such as Christmas baubles or tinsel.

Leave bathroom basics
Visitors should not have to ask for a clean towel, so put together a set of bathroom basics and leave it in the guest room. Follow your colour scheme with a pile of fluffy towels and face cloths – a few handmade bits are always a nice touch. A small bag made from Christmas themed fabric containing hand knitted washcloths, guest soaps and shampoos will make your visitors feel cared for.