Irwin: Welcome to Design 2 Share Q&A. I am Irwin.

Nicola: And I am Nicola. How can we make our guest feel welcome in our home?

Irwin: Well of course, there are many ways. Most importantly is to have a great guestroom. So, send your kids off to boarding school or to college and turn their room into a guestroom as soon as possible. If you recall the best hotels that you stayed-in, why not make your guestroom like that? I mean it could be just a charming little attic bedroom that you stayed-in in Paris on your honeymoon. Why not just do that?

Nicola: All right, a luxury suite and I think also those is little touches that a hotel would offer such as, you know, the flappy robes and good quality linens and maybe little chocolate on the pillow; just a little thought behind--

Irwin: And a selection of pillows is great. I mean, I think people have difficulty sleeping and so, having different pillows works well. I mean just to keep different kinds, you know, some people allergic to down for example and some people are not.

Nicola: There is nothing worse than staying, you know, in somebody’s house and all they offer you is this very lengthy pillow and there is nothing else and you have to wakeup with a sore neck the next morning.

Irwin: Even spaces usually have to be great asset in the room. And one of the nice things about a guest bedroom is to make it look kind of special. Make it look just like some sort of fantasy perhaps even. Why not? The guest are not going to stay there too long like, you know, you are not living there, just make it look a little different.

Nicola: And I think with the décor, you can also be a little bit more experimental. You can add different colors that probably you would not normally that if you are going to sleep in a room daily, you know, night after night.

Irwin: Right. It could be quite theme actually. A quite theme are related either when we are sitting in has a beautiful French to all view or it could be any kind of theme that something you might collect. One great thing that I found is terrific sheets that do not wrinkle. There is a website called innstyle.com. I-N-N like a country inn and they have sheets that are great and I think it is too--

Nicola: I think Bed Bath & Beyond, they also have no-wrinkle sheets so you do not have to spend days ironing them for them to look good.

Irwin: Absolutely.

Nicola: And my pet hate actually is not having a flat sheet if you are staying if you are staying at somebody’s house because very often you know you will stay somewhere and they just have the comforter and you do not know how often it has been laundered so, my pet hate actually is not having a flat sheet. So, I think that is always something to consider.

Irwin: I think that people like to feel that their bedroom is a refuge because especially when you are staying with somebody. Just to have a space for a downtime, you know, so that there should be something to read, a comfortable chair to sit in, perhaps a television and people should feel, you know, that it is like a haven for themselves.

Nicola: Yes. Maybe they do not always want to impose on the homeowner’s and they want like you say little downtime, a little quite time where they can read.

Irwin: All right. A little refrigerator is actually quite nice like a hotel.

Nicola: That is a very nice touch.

Irwin: Absolutely. It is like a dorm room refrigerator. It is not expensive and just to know that somebody is well taken cared of.

Nicola: Yes, in taking their time and think of these things.

Irwin: Now, the downside, of course, I must tell you is that if your guest feel that it is comfortable and they want to stay too long; I had a client and she had a great idea; she had a fax machine in the bedroom, in the guest room. What she would do is she would call the fax machine like at 9 o’clock in the morning to wake the guest up.

Nicola: That is awful.

Irwin: When she did not want them to sleep--sleep the whole night. And if you need to stay there too long that fax machine was going on a regular basis. Day one was like it just rang once. Day two, it like kept ringing, you know. So, I think that you always kind of control you guest to see that they do not stay too long.

Nicola: Yes, and also talking about drapery, it is nice to consider blackout shades or blackout lining on a drapery. In that way, the room is very dark in the morning and you know just to a thought towards your guest and to make them more comfortable.

Irwin: And it should be quiet.

Nicola: Yes.

Irwin: Absolutely. It does not have to be, you know, with a great view. It could even be a room that is in the basement that is converted and just got the correct ventilation. And it is charming enough it is actually to no reason why it cannot be a room that is separate and it does not have to be too large. I did a guest room for a client which was so tiny. It was a former maid’s room actually in an apartment and in order to accommodate two people, I made it with two bunk beds and the bunk beds, it was designed in so that the style of a train.

Nicola: Yes.

Irwin: Yes, it was very charming and sort of a whimsy color and quirky, why not? And it should have a great tense of charm to it.

Nicola: And one other point also is think about how you are going to use the room and your guests are not living there.

Irwin: That is very good idea.

Nicola: So, some people they might want to incorporate their home office in a guest bedroom.

Irwin: Absolutely, and save new storage, out of season clothing. Then you know better be staying at someone’s guest room. When you open up the closet and it is full of someone’s out of season clothing.

Nicola: Right. It is always nice to have a little drawer space and nice hangers and be considered in that way. So, I think in summary I would just like to say keep it welcoming, comfortable I think is a keyword there, and a little thought to your guest; keeping them comfortable.

Irwin: And inviting. It should be inviting and special and somewhat memorable. So, that is what nice about design is that you can create a space that is very memorable. I think that the reminiscent of hotel rooms that people stayed-in.

Nicola: Yes.

Irwin: I am Irwin.

Nicola: And I am Nicola. Thank you for watching Design 2 Share Q&A.


wine 2 share

Treat your houseguest to a special toast in your home and break out the fun memorable bottle of wine. Our Wine 2 Share for this occasion is Big House White. The 2005 California White Wine blend of Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Albarino, Viognier, Muskat and Pinot Gris everything but the kitchen sink. This great guest wine is named after the Big House, old prison near the Santa Cruz Winery. We like this wine’s crisp and fragrant blend and it is after taste will chase you like an escaped convict with strong notes of citrus flowers and peach.