How to style a guest bedroom for Christmas, according to interior stylists

Knowing how to style a guest bedroom comes in particularly handy when you have guests coming to stay for Christmas. 

Everyone loves the idea of having luxury guest bedrooms on standby, but the reality is likely to be a little different. Perhaps children are giving up their bedrooms for the night, or maybe you have a spare room that is used as a home office or junk room that is being converted in honour of the impending arrivals. 

Whatever situation you’re dealing with, we have simple tips and tricks on how to style a guest bedroom for Christmas to transform any space on a budget.  

Follow these thoughtful tips to make your bedroom feel like a luxury hotel for your visitors and have your guest room looking chic so you can create an inviting sanctuary for your guests to retire to after a long day of festive celebrations.

How to style a guest bedroom for Christmas hosting

The key to successful guest room styling at Christmas is to make the room look and feel comfortable rather than a festive assault on the senses. 

Think of how you can make the bedroom look expensive and luxurious to ensure the space is a calming haven for your guests to retreat to after a day of celebrations.

1. Declutter the space

The first step for how to style a guest bedroom is the same advice on styling a hallway ready for Christmas, the aim is to get the space thoroughly decluttered.

Decluttering is especially essential if you are organising a small space. If your guest room is a multi-functional space, remove any non-bedroom items that make the space feel cluttered or untidy - there’s nothing relaxing about staying in a store room or office.

To start decluttering a bedroom it's important to ensure there is a clear path around the bed so your guests won’t trip over on the way to the toilet in the night and be sure to give the space a deep clean before the fun starts with the festive styling. 

2. Spend time on thoughtful decorative touches

Styling a bedroom for someone you know is a great opportunity to create a personalised experience as you’ll hopefully know what they like. If they are fans of Christmas decor, you could add some festive decorations around the room, like perhaps even a tiny Christmas tree. 

I recommend sticking to subtle and pared-back festive touches for styling your guest bedroom, like a small bud vase of festive foliage on the bedside table alongside a festive bowl of their favourite chocolates. A few considered details are the first step to making a home look expensive on a budget.

Pippa Jameson, an interior stylist, creative director and author of The Sensory Home, is an expert in mindful decorating, she had this advice for how to style a guest bedroom with thoughtful decor: “Incorporate personalised styling touches such as a book by their favourite author, a piece of art that resonates with them, or a cosy blanket in their preferred colour. Show that you've put thought into styling the space specifically for them.” 

As a guest, there’s nothing nicer than feeling truly relaxed in a comfortable and welcoming home filled with thoughtful decor and personal touches. Pippa had these other great ideas to share with Woman&Home, “Leave a handwritten note on the bedside table with a small gift, like handmade cookies. For an extra touch, consider a specially crafted greeting card. It's a personal gesture that looks super-stylish.” 

As you can see, these tips are all achievable on a tiny budget; it’s not about how much money you spend but rather how much thought you’ve given to the space. 

Pippa Jameson

Pippa Jameson is a renowned London-based interior stylist, creative director, and founder/director of Pippa Jameson Interiors Ltd, a shoot production company specialising in all aspects of styling for both editorial & commercial clients. Pippa has over 25 years of experience in the industry, and her book, The Sensory Home, is the go-to guide for sensory design.

3. Create a sleep oasis

If your guests have a bad night’s sleep, it won’t matter how pretty or festive the room looks, they’ll feel less than their best and will likely be keen to get home for a snooze. Therefore, focusing on comfort is essential in how to style a guest bedroom and I’ve got lots of simple tips on how you can do this. 

Bedrooms can get chilly overnight in the winter, so be sure to provide some extra blankets for your guests – possibly even one of the best electric blankets. Happily, cosy blankets and throws are super easy to style and look great when folded and placed at the end of the bed. For a more relaxed look, you can spread the blankets out loosely, creating snuggly folds that will look cosy and inviting. 

Getting the ideal temperature for sleeping is just one part: cater for all your guest's nighttime needs by providing thoughtful items on the nightstand or bedside table. 

“Create a serene sleep environment by placing an eye mask and a water carafe on the bedside table," suggests Pippa. "This simple touch caters to guests who might want a daytime nap, and an eye mask ensures a tranquil sleep experience, particularly useful when blackout curtains are unavailable or for those who prefer complete darkness. For an extra personal touch, choose an eye mask with their initials.”

4. Add festive tealight houses

I love styling with festive tealight houses; there’s something very nostalgic about them, yet they fit with most interior styles and Christmas themes. If you like simple, Scandi-influenced Christmas decorations, these look great on a simple tray or dressing table with some sprigs of festive foliage and perhaps a cinnamon stick or two. 

Another styling tip is to place these little houses next to a vase of sticks and hang some beautiful baubles from the sticks to add height to your festive display. If you embrace a ‘more is more’ approach to festive styling, then why not stack up a pile of little wrapped boxes and place these little houses on the top? 

We recommend using the best flameless candles like LED tealights rather than naked flames for peace of mind. 

5. Make the bed with fresh linens

If you only do one thing to style your guest bedroom for Christmas guests, my advice is to make sure you put fresh, clean linens on the bed. Getting into a clean bed made up with fresh linens is such a luxurious feeling and helps you relax into a restful sleep. 

“Having guests to stay is all about providing comfort," says Interior Designer Michelle Shakallis, founder of Michelle Shakallis Interiors. "I would focus on the bed, making sure the bedroom sheets are soft, in good condition and freshly washed. Provide your guests with 1-2 extra blankets in case they get cold and leave more than one pillow for each guest staying in the room.”  Using the softest sheets and styling the bed are guaranteed to make a bedroom cosy. 

For those finishing touches, Michelle suggests, “I visually like a bed throw on the bottom half or quarter of the bed to add visual texture and a cushion that works well with it. I wouldn't have too many cushions as they will need space to put their things.” 

Michelle Shakallis

Michelle Shakallis Interiors specialises in creative and thoughtful interior design, working on both period properties and new build homes in Kent. Offering a highly personalised and friendly service focusing on the clients individual needs to create beautiful spaces.

6. Add festive fragrance

Scent-scaping your home (carefully selecting the fragrance for each room according to how you want people to feel in the space) is popular because creating a more sensory experience builds an emotional connection with your home. 

You can use this approach in your festive guest bedroom styling by incorporating your best scented candles, diffusers and essential oils with seasonal fragrances that are conducive to rest and sleep. 

As an expert in sensory interior design, Pippa Jameson is the person to advise on this point, here are her tips, “Welcome your guests with a calming scent chosen by them, simply ask them in advance what they prefer. Options like cinnamon, pine, or vanilla evoke a warm and festive atmosphere.”

Amy Newton adds, “Think about those gorgeous Christmas scents, whether this is real plants and flowers, scented pine cones or a gorgeous diffuser. Your guests may never want to leave.”

I always spray my faux Christmas wreaths, foliage, or trees for that matter, with Christmas room spray as this can help them feel more authentic to get you feeling festive and make the house smell good.

7. Provide storage solutions

It’s important to provide your guests with somewhere to store their clothes and belongings so they can relax and feel at home. If you are lucky enough to have a wardrobe available, clear a section for them to use. Failing that you might need to reorganise a small closet to fit lots of clothes in to accommodate them.

If possible, provide hanging and drawer storage. If cupboard space is not going to be possible, consider borrowing a freestanding hanging rail for guests to use. Alternatively, you can often pick up freestanding clothes rails cheaply on Facebook marketplace. 

Michelle Shakallis has this top tip to add, “Storage for clothes and a place to hang some clothes is important. If you don't have anywhere to hang clothes in the room then add a hanger to the hook on the back of the door to at least hang a party dress or let them use space in another room.”  

You could add some festive touches to your guestroom storage by placing hanging decorations on door handles or drawer pulls, or twisting a garland or twinkly lights around a freestanding hanging rail. 

8. Don't overlook lighting

Bedrooms need a variety of light sources to suit the needs of your guests. Whilst the ‘big light’ might be practical, as we noted from the latest lighting Trends for 2024, it rarely creates a relaxing ambience and is usually far too bright for guests to relax in the evening. Aim to provide at least one lamp (even if you borrow one from another room). Ignoring layered light sources is a common lighting mistake to make.

A lamp is a bedside essential to ensure your guests can easily navigate their way out of bed at night and also for convenient reading or phone scrolling! Check the bulb works and that you have spares. 

Amy Newton, Interior Designer and founder of Amy Newton Interiors, has these top tips to ensure you nail the lighting for your guest bedroom, “Layering isn’t just for soft furnishings, think about lighting in the same way – layers of light to allow for different ambience, tasks and to accentuate areas of the room.  Think table lamps, fairy lights and battery-powered candles to make them feel in festive heaven.” 

If Christmas has stretched your budget then Amy has these purse-friendly suggestions, “And don’t worry, you don’t have to spend a fortune, you can always shop your own home by moving lighting from one room to another or investing in some budget-friendly festive lights.” 

Amy Newton

Amy Newton in a Residential Interior Designer based in South Manchester. She works collaboratively with clients to transform their homes across Manchester and Cheshire

9. Add fresh flowers of festive foliage

Foraging for festive foliage is a great way to make a festive display for free. You can use festive foliage all around the house, just pay attention to your choice of plants as you don’t want to opt for poisonous berries in places where children or animals could get them. 

In a guest bedroom, you can add festive foliage in a few places including wrapped around mirrors, draped over dressing tables, adorning trays or displayed in vases on the bedside table. 

If you don’t have real foliage, artificial stems are getting more and more realistic, especially when paired with a sprig of the real stuff or a few pine cones which are easy to pick up on a winter walk.  

10. Add flourishes of festive pattern

Don’t panic, we're not advocating you should kit out your room in garish dancing Santa bedding and matching curtains. There are lots of tasteful festive-themed fabrics that give a nod to Christmas whilst working well with your interior style and the room's existing colour palette. 

Some winter patterns are subtle enough to use all year round to ensure you get maximum value. 

If patterned bedding isn’t your thing, pop a patterned cushion or throw it in the room, perhaps on an armchair if you are lucky enough to have space. If the budget won't stretch far, you can pick up patterned ribbon for next to nothing which can be tied into bows (very on-trend for Christmas tree decorating ideas for 2023) and hung around the room.