Be Our Guest
By Elaine Griffin, Elaine Griffin Interior Design
Product photos by Sarah Spivey, The Darkroom Photography
It’s no secret that summer on the Georgia coast is one of the loveliest places to be on Planet Earth … which means that hordes of friends and family are scheduling trips to visit you right this very minute. And although having dark and dreary guest quarters is a surefire cure for overstay-itis, that’s not the hospitality Southerners are known for! So whether your home is filled with guest rooms galore or you park company in your Pullout Palace that masquerades as a living room/den/home office by day, here are my favorite tips to help you receive your invités with comfort and style.
Go for a test drive. Plan a weekend getaway in your guest room to give you a bird’s eye view of the guest experience chez vous. (Don’t cheat! Really pack a bag and visit!) Is the room too hot? Too cold? Too loud? Does the window need a shade to banish the glare of the morning sun? Is the bedside table lamp easily reached when you’re under the covers? (P.S. Speaking of lamps, always opt for “warm” bulbs for bedrooms, not “cool” ones – that warm, inviting light is an important part of the room’s overall “ahhh” experience.)
Provided by Elaine Griffin
Hide things in plain sight. When a living room, den or home office moonlights as guest quarters, a little advance planning and storage strategizing will help keep the space neat when company calls and your sanity intact during their stay. Oversized baskets, trunks or decorative boxes stationed as “dropboxes” on the lower shelves of a bookcase, étagère or under a console table discreetly corral pillows and bedding during the day. Set out trays and pretty bowls as stylish catch-alls for keys, accessories and pocket detritus. Removable over-the-door hooks add instant extra hanging space for clothes and towels wherever needed. (Trade secret: Nothing beats the chic, elegant combo of a decorative chest with a wall-mounted mirror above for the non-bedroom guest room that plays host to frequent guests – it’s like having a dresser in your living room.)
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Sarah Spivey, The Darkroom Photography
Strategically scatter lovely bowls like this handcrafted white porcelain leaf-inspired dish from Dutchmans so guests can stylishly store accessories in plain sight.
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Sarah Spivey, The Darkroom Photography
When your bedside table is bereft of drawer space, lacquered boxes, like these in black and white from Elizabeth Smith Interiors, are great options for tabletop storages.
For the home-office-cum-guest-lair in particular, know that the space will need to temporarily feel like more of a bedroom with an office instead of an office with a bed in it. So do please declutter and organize your files and tabletop surfaces before folks arrive. Because going to sleep surrounded by mountains of paperwork and files can be demoralizing. Be tidy!
Remember the details! Thoughtfully anticipating your guests’ every need will make you the host with the most. Doing so with flair promises to make you the most memorable. So, dahling, I say why not aim for both!
Make your guest room a true sybarite’s oasis and visitor’s command central: Quench thirst with water, either bottled or in a lovely carafe, that sits on the nightstand and is refreshed daily. Provide for odd-hour munchies with a basket or tray of fruit, granola bars, or wrapped gourmet snacks. Give guests a head start on sightseeing with a touristy book detailing local points of interest. An easy-to-operate alarm clock is a lifesaver for technophobes, as is a bedside empty power strip for just about everyone. Add a couple of books and recent magazines for visiting insomniacs (extra credit for tailoring reading material to each guest’s interests, as Jackie O did with great élan). And of course, fresh or (dust free! please dust!) faux flowers and a scented candle (don’t forget matches for lighting) are as lovely to look at as they are to smell.
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Sarah Spivey, The Darkroom Photography
A well-hydrated guest is a happy guest. Vintage carafes from B&B Design and Consign deliver sustenance with style.
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Sarah Spivey, The Darkroom Photography
Nothing is more awkward than having to raid your hosts’ refrigerator when midnight munchies strike! Guests will love you for supplying a tray of gourmet goodies! (These are courtesy of The Market at Sea Island, tray from B&B Design and Consign.)
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Sarah Spivey, The Darkroom Photography
This printed cotton tote from The Market on Sea Island is as practical as it is pretty – it folds for storage so you can keep several around for guests’ use throughout the season.
If your guests are sofa-surfing, they’ll need a bedside table, no matter how small. Tiny telephone tables, ceramic Chinese garden stools or vintage bamboo stools are just what the decorator ordered to prevent visitors from depositing watches, eyeglasses and phones on the floor, where they are liable to be stepped on in the middle of the night (Trust me, I’m speaking from experience here!).
Book ‘em, Danno. In this era of the smart home, you can’t make a move without having the code or password to something. Create an official Guest Handbook that organizes your home’s need-to-know data under one cover – key contact info, wifi passwords, alarm system codes, remote control, printer and media how-to’s, TV channel guides, local restaurant menus, cultural event calendars and other guest-specific intel (like spa guides for the ladies and golf scoop for the guys).
Sarah Spivey, The Darkroom Photography
You Are Welcome!
A wearable, oversized “O” (yes, as in Oprah) key ring like this one from The Market at Sea Island promises no guest lockouts. Avoid frantic “what’s the code” calls from guests by creating a DIY Guest Handbook, like this photo album from Mimi’s that we doctored with a new tag, that lists all wifi and door access codes and any other guest-helpful instructions.
Be memorable! It goes without saying that your guests will be so distracted by the sheer delight and anticipation of seeing you that they will inevitably forget something at home. Not to worry – as the World’s Greatest Host, you will have addressed this in advance with a super-stocked guest room. Start with Suspect Numero Uno: Cell phone chargers! Your guests will be infinitely grateful that you keep spares for both iPhone and Android on hand. Kit the bathroom out with full-size (note: recycling those little hotel minis is a Gracious Living no-no!) shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste and soap (liquid and bar), scented room spray, and an under-the-sink basket filled with frequently forgotten toiletries, like unwrapped new toothbrushes, deodorant, feminine hygiene products, disposable razors, a shower cap, a hairdryer, and makeup remover wipes. Add ibuprofen and Tylenol for mornings after your Big Nights Out, and a magnifying mirror for the post-50 set. Stash extra rolls of toilet paper under the sink (thus sparing guests the indelicate task of requesting it) and plug in pretty, not-overly bright nightlights to help visitors navigate unfamiliar hallways after lights-out. If you’re sharing a family bath, set guest wares on an easy-to-find tray in a top dresser drawer or somewhere else equally visible, and make sure there’s an empty hook in your loo for visitors’ towels.
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Sarah Spivey, The Darkroom Photography
Let there be light…stylishly! These cute handcrafted seashell nightlights from Lamp and Shade Collection light your guests’ way along unlit halls or dark bathrooms and avoid the tackiness of a harsh, industrial nightlight.
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Sarah Spivey, The Darkroom Photography
Create a signature scent for your guest room with luxurious scented candles like these by Trapp Fragrances, available exclusively at B&B Design and Consign.
The fabled beaches of the Golden Isles mean that few visitors are likely to deplane sans swimsuit. Beach bags¸ however, can get left behind faster than a fiddler crab racing back to its hole when the tide changes. I’m wild about fabric ones that fold for easy storage because it’s easy to keep a passel of them on hand for guests to tote their seaside paraphernalia with style.
Sarah Spivey, The Darkroom Photography
This printed cotton tote from The Market on Sea Island is as practical as it is pretty – it folds for storage so you can keep several around for guests’ use throughout the season.
Don’t be a pack rat! Using guest room closets and drawers as out-of-season clothing depots is irresistibly tempting, because who isn’t short on storage space?! So here’s a great rule of thumb if you find your sweaters multiplying like bunnies when your back is turned: when super-duper crunched on space, leave at least half of everything clear. Speaking of closets, why not invest in a matched set of hangers just for the room (I’m a fan of the skinny velvet ones from stores like TJ Maxx, which take up a fraction of the space of traditional options), plus several padded ones for ladies’ stretchables. Extra credit: An iron, mini ironing board and can of spray starch in the closet mean guests won’t have to trek to your laundry room to freshen up their O.O.T.D’s. (Because y’all know how we like to look crisp heeyah in Dixie!)
Finally, make it pretty! Our legendary Southern hospitality is bested only by the ancient Greeks, whose xenia, the ritual relationship between host and guest, elevated entertaining to not only an art form, but almost a religion, since Greek mythological gods were known to surreptitiously mingle among mortals at the drop of a hat—or laurel wreath, as the case may be.
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Sarah Spivey, The Darkroom Photography
Lavish your guest loo with love - handwoven Balinese ata reed vessels from Elizabeth Smith Interiors are the pinnacle of coastal chic.
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Sarah Spivey, The Darkroom Photography
The "G" in Guest Room should stand for "gorgeous" - nothing unfabulous allowed! Even your wastepaper basket should be stunning. This woven willow number from Dutchmans sets just the right tone!
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Sarah Spivey, The Darkroom Photography
This summery beige & ivory herringbone weave throw from Dutchmans is a perfect companion for snuggling during a post-beach nap before cocktails.
This means that lavishing your guest quarters with effortless-looking luxury is never a wasted gesture, whether you’re gifted with a supersized suite or a souped-up sofa bed set-up. It’s part of what makes a fabulous trip feel special, and guests will love you for it. You’ll never regret not stinting on gazillion-thread count bed linens (score the best for less at discount retailers), the fluffiest down pillows and duvets, cozy cotton or cashmere throws for guests to snuggle under while they read or nap, and going the extra mile to sleuth out ubër-stylish room accessories. Sugar, let even your wastepaper baskets be gorgeous here. Ban the banal! It’s like whipping out your wedding china for a special occasion. It’s as much fun to set a stunning table as it is to enjoy an awesome meal, and it’s one of the ways we can show the people we love just how much they mean to us. Which, after all, is what having people come to stay with us is all about: Love.
A nationally-recognized tastemaker, the Golden Isles’ own Elaine Griffin, is an interior designer who appears frequently in print and broadcast media, including Elle Decor, Better Homes and Gardens, American Dream Builders, and the Today show. She is the author of “Design Rules” and can be reached via her website elainegriffin.com.
