How to furnish a guest room – the essentials

If you have a spare room in your house and you’re thinking of turning it into a guest room, there are a few different things to think about. Don’t just throw a bed in there and think that it’s all that’s needed, but plan your furniture and decorations for your guest’s ultimate comfort.

The first thing to think about is obviously the bed. How big is the room? Would you go for a single or double bed, or perhaps a sofa bed? If you have a slightly smaller room a day bed is the perfect choice. You can make the bed so that it works as a sofa during day time, and it’s easy to turn into a single or double bed in time for bedtime. This one from the Hemnes collection at IKEA would be my choice as it is pretty and neutral – meaning it would go with most interior styles. The two spacious drawers will also work as a place for extra blankets and pillows.

Your guest will definitely need a bedside table for their belongings. There’s nothing more annoying than having to put fragile items such as glasses or a mobile phone on the floor, plus – a bedside table with drawers is perfect for unpacking clothes in. This pretty white wooden beach house bedside chest can be found at Wren Living. 

Make sure to have a lamp on your guestroom bedside table. Remember that just because you think it’s bedtime, your guest might not agree – and he or she might want to stay awake for a little bit longer reading a book in bed.

 

 Some kind of chair would be good for your guest to put their clothes on.

For the morning when your guest wants to get ready for the day, it’s great to have a dressing table with an accompanying mirror. This particular dressing table with a matching stool is from Dunelm Mill

Swedish Dala horses - old tradition, new design

When moving away from your home country you seem to start loving it even more – even things about it that you didn’t actually care about when you lived there.

So when I found out about a new collection of wooden Dala horses having found its way over from Sweden to England I was delighted. The county Dalarna, which these wooden horses are originally from, is on the completely different side of Sweden to where I am from – but as I said; you just seem to love everything from your home country when you no longer live in it.

It’s the online children’s interior boutique Nubie.co.uk that have introduced these Swedish Dala horses to their collection. They’re hand crafted, and come in a few different colours, and not just the traditional red. I personally really like the baby blue ones, and these would just be perfect for a christening gift, or for just displaying in a child’s bedroom as a charming ornament.

The story of the Dala Horse dates back to the 17th century. Back then, little wooden horses were sold at markets in small towns and villages in Sweden.  100 years later, similar horses were carved by men working in the forests during long winter evenings and were brought back to the village for the children to play with. This historic tale has resulted in the Dala Horse becoming a well-known and treasured object that children and parents alike will admire and cherish.

My shabby chic decorations

We all have a favourite room in our house, don't we?

My favourite room is what I call the "tree room". I'm sure you can figure out why I call it that...

When I moved in to the house I'm in now this room became my little project. It used to be a horrible baby blue, with only a desk and a sofa bed in it. No decorations whatsoever!

I decided to paint it white with one focal wall in olive green. This wasn't quite enough though, so I designed a swirly tree which I painted on the biggest wall in the room. It took me 8 hours, and it was definitely worth it!

The decorations in this room all go in purple, green and white. I've kind of tried to go for a shabby chic style, and the lovely 1920's bureau I found in an antique shop is just the perfect piece of furniture to really add to the shabby chic feeling. I've decorated it with a couple of old fashioned looking pieces, as well as a painting with a life quote that I made last year.

This lovely little shabby chic metal trike with a bunch of dried flowers in a wicker basket is a new addition to my tree room. It was kindly gifted to me by Scented Florat Creations, and consists of gorgeous smelling dried lavender, pods, grass and preserved leaves.

 This large mantle clock in a kind of off-white colour is also a pretty new addition to my collection. It was a Christmas present from my dear boyfriend, and it's from the home range at Next. 

My window piece is a black iron branch with leaves, green drops, and matching green cups for tealights. I bought it a couple of years ago in a little individual interior decoration shop in Leamington Spa, which I unfortunately can't remember the name of.

This window piece is quite pretty as well, don't you think? ;)

My cat is a real photo model, and just wants to be where things are happening all the time.

And that's pretty much it - a closer look at my favourite room in the house.

What do you think?

What's your favourite room in your home and why?

Traditional English luxury gifts

 

Who doesn't love a hot drink and some good quality chocolate?

The lovely people at Mylah Rose kindly sent me some from their luxury collection to try, and I'm in love!

Mylah Rose is all about English elegance, and focuses on high quality, luxury gifts made in England. You can say it's all about tradition, and what you'll find in their collections are typically English - everything from men's grooming and ladies' luxury bath products, to cusions, candles and of course chocolate and tea. 

The lovely gift I was sent consisted of a box of the Union Flag Fine Chocolate Selection (£16.99) and some classic English loose tea. The box of chocolate included 16 pieces of high quality chocolates from the brand Charbonnel et Walker - all different flavours. I devoured the hazelnut praline and it was absolutely divine!

Having had a browse around Mylah Rose's website I must say I'm very impressed. Everything looks so typically old fashioned English, and I'm especially smitten with the adorable little tea sets. 

So if you're stuck for ideas of what present to get someone for that fancy dinner party you're going to - I would definitely recommend this venerable boutique.