Bedrooms for Christmas guests

At Christmas, we all want to be the perfect host – creating beautiful, spoiling spaces to welcome treasured friends and family. Rooms that feel elegant and spacious, with well thought-out furnishings and accessories, and little touches designed to surprise and delight.

The guest bedroom is no exception. Christmas is a chance to go to town on this often overlooked space – a room which all too often for the rest of the year is a muddled second wardrobe, or used for extra storage.

Creating a spoiling bedroom for your guests to hide away in and relax, away from the festivities, is a treat, and one they’ll remember for years to come. Holloways Interior Designer Annie Blackledge shows you how to turn your spare room into an oasis for your favourite people.

Go big or go home

A sound night’s sleep is essential for your guests to recover from the festivities, and the largest bed you can comfortably fit in the space will be so welcomed – so go big. Upholstered or wooden headboards on a traditional frame, topped with a luxurious mattress and cashmere or wool throws, will invite a much-needed lie in.

Encourage them to make themselves at home by unpacking into a generous wardrobe and chest of drawers, while a beautiful rug and upholstered occasional chair will help tie the scheme together. A bedside table, for a Christmas nightcap, and soft lighting are musts.

Explore bedroom furniture

Surprise and delight

Surprise and delight your Christmas guests with some homespun goodies in their bedroom – a sprig of sleep-inducing lavender, a great novel, their favourite magazine and some homemade treats from the kitchen will make them feel welcome, and instantly at home.

Arrange greenery from the garden in vintage-style glass vases – we have a huge selection in our Gift Shop – to mirror your downstairs decor and create a cohesive scheme throughout the house. Provide a robe and slippers for a boutique hotel feel.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall

A mirror to get ready in – preferably full–length – will take the stress out of getting ready for the big day and frees up the bathroom.

Shop mirrors

Bathroom bliss

A luxurious selection of miniature toiletries and a pile of white towels, beautifully folded with a sprig of garden greenery tied with ribbon on top, brings a boutique hotel touch to your guest room.

Neptune’s botanical bath and body collection comes in fragrances from English Fig to Bluebell & Honeysuckle and Rosemary & Thyme. They’re all available in our Neptune store-in-store with candles and room fragrance in the same scents.

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Drink and be merry

A bottle of chilled Champagne or a vintage decanter filled with homemade sloe gin, paired with pretty glasses, is a luxurious touch and the perfect aperitif or indulgent nightcap.

Fill a jug with fresh water, and leave tumblers next to it in case the festivities make your guests thirstier than usual. Try Neptune’s Mayfair decanter and Greenwich water jug, with matching glasses – available in-store – or a contemporary, hand-thrown pottery piece from our gift shop.

Let there be light

Bedside lights and lamps create a warm and restful glow in your guest bedroom, making it look and feel so much more inviting. 

Richly-scented candles – try the new Holloways Winter Collection of botanical candles and wax melts, inspired by the Worcestershire countryside – create lovely pools of light. You’ll find them in our gift shop, in fragrances including Olive & Fig and Cinnamon, Orange & Clove, plus pretty ceramic burners for long-lasting wax melts.

Shop lighting

Tags, paper, scissors

Wrapping last-minute gifts and those you’ve run out of time to do, is always stressful, particularly when you’re away from home. 

Leaving a basket of stylish wrapping paper, sticky tape, scissors and tags in your guests’ bedroom, making sure there’s a flat surface to wrap on, puts the joy back into the eleventh-hour Christmas preparations, and stops the frantic hunt for scissors when you’re busy pouring the fizz. You’ll find everything from baskets to wrapping paper and ribbon in our Gift Shop.

Children's bedrooms

Even if small humans don't live in your house, there's much you can do to make the little ones feel at home this Christmas. Creating a fun, yet restful space, where little heads can sleep soundly while Father Christmas is doing his thing is essential to keep everyone happy and rested on the big day.

Place a small tree in a pot, with baubles for them to decorate. Tuck a Christmas teddy underneath the covers – we have a huge selection of Jellycat toys in our Gift Shop – and hang a beautifully-made stocking at the end of their bed. Add a chalkboard with the countdown to Christmas, and source vintage toys and books for shelves and surfaces.

INTERIOR DESIGN AT HOLLOWAYS

Struggling for inspiration? Redecorating projects aren't always easy – it's why our interior design service is free. Browse our website or visit our showrooms in the glorious Worcestershire countryside and pick out your favourite pieces, then book an initial design consultation on 01886 884665.

Our talented design team are experienced in contemporary and traditional properties, from whole home remodelling projects to refreshing an existing scheme you still love. They'll walk through your project with you, helping you choose furniture, fabrics, flooring and accessories to make your house a home, creating rooms you'll love one step at a time.

Learn more here.