Designing a guest room can be quite a stressful undertaking. Even if you’ve already created the coziest and most inviting home away from home, it’s natural to overlook a thing or two – but the best guests won’t find fault with that.
But for those of us who want to spruce up the guest room on the first try, Shea McGee just revealed her secret: Lay out lots of layers of lush linens.
The acclaimed designer recently took to YouTube to showcase her brand new Summit Estate remodel, which includes several stunning guest beds. In the video, she shares her top trick for creating a guest room that visitors will never want to leave—and you don’t have to remodel the entire space. This is Shea’s recommended hack that will improve your hosting skills forever.
How Shea creates relaxing resort-style guest rooms
“This guest suite is probably my favorite guest room in this house,” Shea says, showing off a warm, neutral space in her recent remodel in Park City, Utah. She points to a colorful standing mirror.
“It was supposed to go in the closet because they needed a floor-length mirror. When it arrived, we thought, ‘This needs more presence in the room.’ And then you turn to your right and you’re amazed by this bedroom.”
Shea’s guest room is equipped with every possible type of guest bed. In the entryway to the room, for example, there is a built-in console table above a designated luggage rack: “You can just slide it under there, or you can use it as a desk,” she says. The most notable feature of the room, however, is the color of the walls: Benjamin Moore coriander seedsA “sophisticated brown reminiscent of bold spices,” the shade is an unusual take on a simple neutral.
“When I walk into this room, I think, ‘I can’t believe it was any different. When we designed this, it was just going to be a light, neutral. We pivoted and presented the idea of using this color to our client, and I’m so glad he had faith and was open to it, because it’s amazing. I love it. It’s an unusual color. It’s still neutral. It fits the mountain landscape and really makes the marble on the fireplace pop,” says Shea.
The marble fireplace also contributes to the striking color scheme with its green and purple tones. The natural stone material runs through the entire house and is also featured in the house bar on the ground floor.
While the entire space is well thought out and inviting, Shea’s top tip for guest room design takes the space to the next level. The designer suggests creating a layered, complex bedding arrangement to ensure every guest can sleep well in any situation and at any temperature.
“We design a lot of guest rooms and there are a few things we always keep in mind,” Shea says. That is, ‘Will a king-size bed fit in there?’ and ‘Let’s layer the bedding,’ because we don’t know – we don’t have the ability to ask those people like we do our clients: ‘Is it hot for you? Do you like bedding? What do you want in a bed?'”
“We want everyone to be comfortable here, so we use a lot of layers. You’ll see that the beds in this house are a mix of styles. Sometimes it’s multiple layers of pillows, sometimes just lumbar support,” she continues. In this room, she opted for four simple white pillows and a full-length side pillow. A duvet, quilt and top sheet make up the luxurious layers of the current arrangement, but additional linens are available within reach.
A quilt is an easy way to provide your guests with all the layers they need in bed – it provides extra warmth on a cold day and is an alternative to a duvet when the sun is shining.
Devlin white duvet cover and pillowcase set
A quality duvet cover is a must when designing any bed, and the simple design of these pillowcases only makes it easier to decide on this purchase.
Complement your bedspread with a cozy bedspread. This one has a subtle pattern and a cozy texture.
Shea’s guest room hack is a surefire way to host and doesn’t require a lot of time or money. Let your loved ones stay as long as they want and give them the cozy, hotel-quality bed to match.
