Small Guest Bedroom Ideas that Make a Big Impact

We love having guests at the 1987 Fixer Upper and lately we have been hosting lots of fun friends and family.  In an effort to have a comfortable space for everyone, I have been re-thinking the smallest room in the house.  When we did the remodel I opened up what was once a closed off office just off the entryway. (You can catch up on all of the before and after posts here to see the transformation) It’s a beautiful space and I can’t wait to get the built-ins and other necessary things completed to make it truly functional and pretty, but let’s be real…while that will be a great place for the kids to do homework and the computer to sit, I am WAY too messy to use that as my REAL office.  lol!  I am a crafting machine and I need a space that can look like a tornado went through it, without having it be the first thing that any visitors see when they walk through the front door. There is a small room upstairs, tucked away from everyone and everything that I had planned on using exclusively as an office, but now that I am getting a better feel for how we will actually use this house, I have decided to make it a multi-purpose space…serving as an office space for me, and a small guest bedroom with a queen bed.  Just because you have a small guest bedroom, doesn’t mean it can’t make a big impact.  Here are my small guest bedroom ideas that will help make your space functional and beautiful.

The palette of the whole 1987 Fixer Upper is blues, blushes, grays and greens.  So, that gives me a wide variety of colors to choose from when decorating all of these different rooms.  For this small guest bedroom, I decided to work with blues and greens because they are calming.  I want everyone that comes into this space to feel relaxed and welcome.  I have included affiliate links for all of the products mentioned here so you can find them easily.  I started with this headboard.  I love the simplicity of it, the color gives me a good backdrop for fun accessories, and it was SUPER reasonably priced.  YAY!  Seriously…such a good deal!

Here are a few really bad phone pictures of the space…

I always draw EVERYTHING!  I am such a visual person.  I measure over and over again and sketch out the layout of the room with measurements.  When you are buying furniture online without seeing it first, this is a must-do.  You can see that you don’t have to be a great artist…it’s more just about getting the measurements down on paper to make sure everything will fit.

I have a room that is about 9×11 to work with.  it has a large window on one wall and a small walk in closet with a door that swings out into the room, as well as the bedroom door that swings into the room…all of those things kind of dictate where the furniture will sit and how much room I have to work with.  With a 60 inch bed (an average queen is 60 inches across) I have room for this 29.5 inch side table.  I love the crisp white, the open shelves for decor and the height of it.  It’s a bit bigger than most nightstands, but I like a taller side table, and just because you have a small room doesn’t necessarily limit you to all small pieces.  Sometimes, adding a larger piece to a smaller room actually makes the room seem bigger.  Because I am using this small guest bedroom as an office too, I purchased this relatively inexpensive, but beautiful desk.  (TIP: Always look for a coupon online, or sign up for a store’s rewards program.  They usually send you a coupon that you can use right away on a purchase.  I did that with this desk and saved 20%, as well as I opted to pick it up in the store so I saved on shipping charges)  It will be a great place to work when guests are not using this room.  When they are, I can easily move a TV in and use it as more of a console table.  I can throw a couple of baskets with extra pillows and blankets underneath and guest will feel right at home.  If you have a smaller guest bedroom you are working with, you can omit the desk and still have a comfortable space.

The desk is a washed wood, which will work well with beachy accessories like these weathered glass bottles and this black and white print…both nods to our hometown of Orange County.  I love these classic navy stripe pillows paired with this leafy green pillow.  The patterns compliment each other and stick with the overall feel of the room.  I am going to add this rug to the room to bring in some more color, and it will be a pretty compliment to this throw.  I ordered this simple duvet cover and these shams as well.  I always work with white because it gives me a blank slate to mix things up in the future without having to buy all new stuff.  I can easily change out the pillows and rug and have a completely new looking room later down the road.

This simple gold framed mirror will go over the desk to give guests a place to get ready in the morning.  Don’t be afraid to mix metals, even in a small guest bedroom like this one.  I am working with both gold and silver and it will be pretty.  This silver task lamp will be a great addition to the desk, and this white lamp (although they have a blue one and I may actually order that one since the side table it white) will be perfect for the side table.  I love that one is metal and one is ceramic.  All of those little textural changes add interest to a small guest bedroom.  This landscape print will be a pretty addition to the side table as well as this cute magnifying glass which I will place on a stack of antique books I already own.  I might add a shell or two in a small bowl as well.  Some fresh flowers on the desk and you are all set! 🙂

Eventually I will add some drapes and maybe a few more accessories, but for now, these small guest bedroom ideas and decor will help the room be welcoming for guests and functional for me the rest of the year.  I can’t wait to share the finished room with you!  The furniture pieces are on their way and it will all come together soon! 🙂

I hope you are feeling inspired by these small guest bedroom ideas to turn a little space into something that makes a big impact.

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