Guest room design ideas: three top choices

As I’ve mentioned before, the guest room is currently the only room of our house that, three months after moving in, is still completely empty. This is partly due to the fact that we wanted to get the “public” spaces of the house (i.e. the living and dining rooms) taken care of before the bedrooms, and partly due to the fact that I have no idea how to decorate the guest room, and I want to have a general plan before I go out and start buying things.

A few weeks ago, I posted the guest room inspiration photos I’d found on Pinterest. They were a little all over the place, but helpful in narrowing down the look I was after and the key pieces I wanted, since I was able to pick out a few common threads: in almost all of the photos were a neutral base (in terms of either walls or furniture), lots of navy, white and gray; an overall serene, calming feeling; and most of the rooms had something that made them feel little bit eclectic, too, even if it was just a quirky accent or a mix of prints.

This week, I turned those inspiration images into several room mockups, and I’ve narrowed the plans down to the three I like best, and that I think go with the style of the rest of the house so far.

The first one is a very straightforward, black and white room. If you’ve seen my living room, you know I love a graphic black-and-white print, and if it’s striped, or has even vague tribal influences, even better. Since this design is for a bedroom and I want it to be cozy and welcoming, I thought throwing in some gray would soften the contrast, and I picked a soft, upholstered headboard and ottomans, and a plush, Beni Ourain-style rug. I’m thinking I’d either paint the walls a crisp white, or do something in a pale charcoal gray, a few shades lighter than the curtains.

The second room is a little more glam, and even borders on preppy, with the brass sconces, winged headboard, Greek key rug, and tie-back curtains. After taking a first stab at this one, the effect was a little too “pretty” for my liking, so I added the orange throw and vase to spice it up a little. And I gotta say, I love it. Gray, orange, and brass might now be one of my favorite palettes.

Last but not least: this room is more eclectic, mixing pieces with an antique feel (the dresser and nightstand), with more contemporary ones (the table lamp, mirror, and throw pillow). It also incorporated my favorite color, navy, and the stripes and gold accents make it feel vaguely nautical (which I like since our town is on the water). I think this is my favorite….but I’m still not 100% sure.