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Is yours a dumping ground for dustySwiss balls and ski kit, or a scentedboudoir for event sex? Perhaps it’s adesign lab where you test out yourdecorative ideas, or the place where youcommune with your Hornby 00 gauge.Designers say a client’s true nature is

revealed in the guest bedroom. As aninterior that’s not in everyday use, itoffers an opportunity for indulgence,which can take the form of amuseum-style curation of weddingphotos or a bracing animal-printwallpaper. Every homeowner mustdecide how heavily to stamp theirpersonality on theirs, while still makingguests feel welcome. So, as you spruce upfor the season, it’s time to ask: what arethe rules of guest-room decor?First, let us note the phenomenon of

the sexy spare. It is a seductive option,especially if you feel you’ve had todownplay frivolity in the rest of thehouse — a confection of silk and lace tocounterbalance the industrial-lookkitchen. Sera Hersham-Loftus, an interiordesigner whose clients include Kate Moss,Courtney Love, Sadie Frost and BarbaraHulanicki, specialises in the look.“I often get asked to do guest boudoirs,”she says. “I call them ‘house jewels’. Inthem, I will create a most romantic haventhat guests never want to leave.”Her boho-style interiors combine

supreme comfort with honeymoon-suitestyling. “The bedding is the softest linentrimmed with lace, and I make tons ofcushions, stuffed with lavender,out of vintage satins and velvets.”Soon, we can all try this at home.

Last month, Hersham-Loftus launchedher Les Folies interiors collection,featuring cushions called Aroused Roseand Shell (from £480, gulp). “The roomshould be heavily perfumed with headyincenses,” she says. “The lighting isfrom low-level table lights, withlampshades made of lingerie lace, and Imake shutters for the windows out ofvintage Indian screens. I hear thatowners sleep in the ‘house jewels’ ontheir ‘special nights’.”The concept of the sexy spare is almost

irresistible — until one reflects that there

isn’t a friend, family member oracquaintance who won’t find itawkward. Teenage daughter’sbest friend? Granny? Parents-in-law? No, no, no. If we arecompiling the rulebook for guestbedrooms, regulation number onemust be: soft-pedal the sexy. Keepthat for the third bedroom. Or thenext house.The designer Jo Berryman, whose

clients are mainly film, music andmedia types, has another perspectiveon the guest bedroom. Sheemphasises the importance ofsoundproofing. Not through fear thather clients’ “special nights” mightdisturb the neighbours, but becausethe spare often serves as what she calls“snorer’s exile”. “The way soundtravels through a house with timberfloors and open-plan living, you can

Visitor attrSpare bedrooms are a space where you can let your

your guests too comfortable — they may neve

The guest bedroom offers a chance to be more adventurous.The interior designer Jo Berryman calls this one, in GaryLineker’s London home, the Explorer’s Room

Fashion-loving guestswill adore the way thisunderstated room hasbeen jazzed up withpillows and a blanket byMissoni. The interior isby Maurizio Pellizzoni

Sera Hersham-Loftus is the queenof the ‘sexy spare’. The cushionsare from her Les Folies collection.seraoflondon.com

Always wanteda valet stand, but nospace in the masterbedroom? Stick it inthe spare. This one isby Jonah Takagi.£1,750;anothercountry.com

Michael Hall; Maxine Paul

15 . 05 . 2016 / 25

W ‘Add a little bravado,’ Anna Burlessays. Mary wallpaper, from Blackpop’sElizabethan range, should fit the bill.

£175 a roll; blackpop.co.uk

hear everything that’s going on. Youneed to think about the acoustics ofany bedroom space, and include carpetor layered rugs on the floor, or evenfabric as cladding on the walls.” Shesums up the reason she pays such closeattention to guest-room acoustics:“Maybe you’ll want to send yourhusband there because he is snoringlike a warthog.”Among Berryman’s favourite spares

was one she designed for Gary Lineker’shome in Barnes, southwest London.She created a guest suite for the Englandfootballer turned presenter at the topof the house, inspired by Pacific Oceanvoyages of discovery. The Explorer’sRoom has tropical colours, vintage-looktextiles and a telescope. “If CaptainJames Cook ever took respite duringhis discovery of the Hawaiian islands,this bedroom would be a fanciful portof call,” she says.Her general advice for the guest room

is: “Crank up the playful and show off alittle. The spare room is where you canbe a bit bolder. Often, it’s an opportunityto try out your craziest wallpaper.” InLineker’s home, she contrasted a

ractionsimagination run riot. Just don’t makeer leave. By Katrina Burroughs

sunshine-yellow headboard with Farrow& Ball Stiffkey Blue wall paint, andadded a knockout wall covering with asharkskin print, La Peau de Chagrin,by Shagreen Art.“It’s a room the clients don’t live

with every day, and which really packsa punch on occasions when the door isopened to welcome guests,” saysAnna Burles, who has designedinteriors for celebrities including thesinger-songwriter Ellie Goulding.She describes her spare bedrooms as“a bit wilder” than the rest of the house.“Adding a little bravado gives a hintabout the clients’ creative alter ego.”Burles advises creating drama with

dark, stormy colours such as Tempest,by Fired Earth. “Not just on walls,but keeping the skirtings andmouldings — and sometimes theceilings — dark, too. We’ve used neonlight installations to ‘rock’n’roll’ asubterranean guest room.”That rocking basement sounds rather

fabulous, but what if your guests aremore Classic FM? If your main concernis for the comfort of visitors, doesn’tthe spare bedroom need to be designedwith the aim of being “taste-neutral”?The decorators are unanimous in sayingno. It seems there’s no need to expungeyour character from the room to makevisitors feel welcome. Your hospitalitycan show itself through the thoughtfulprovision of all the comforts.“I think one of the most important

elements of designing a guest bedroomis not to scrimp on anything,” saysFrancis Sultana, whose first client wasthe singer Annie Lennox. He workswith art collectors and philanthropists,including Yana Peel, of IntelligenceSquared. “You want your guests to feelthat they are being loved and cherishedwhen they stay with you.”According to Sultana, the key area on

which to lavish your budget is the bed:“You want to get a good-sized one —the biggest and best you can afford —with the same quality of sheets that youwould expect on your own. Also, be sureto offer a selection of pillows — firm andsoft — and throws, in case your guestsare sensitive to temperature.”He goes on to address the hot-button

issue of storage. “It’s important not tounderestimate this. When people cometo stay, they often overcompensate ontheir packing. So don’t give them justa couple of drawers and a cupboard halffilled with your own stored-awayclothes.” That said, in many households,finding even an empty drawer is strikinggold. Realistically, it’s not practical for“plentiful empty storage” to feature inour guest-room rulebook.In any case, there are benefits to

keeping storage provision sketchy,according to Mark Riese, the ownerand creative director of Urban LivingInteriors. His studio is on Great PortlandStreet, in central London, adjacent toBroadcasting House, and he recallshow one of his BBC clients made himrethink his approach to guest rooms.“She was fed up with her partner’svisiting relatives,” he says. “As a busycareer woman with a demandingprogramme and celebrity events, shewanted to return home to the peaceand quiet of her own space, and notfind that another overseas guest hadlanded — or not yet departed.”Riese told the harassed woman to

use storage as a subtle signal thatvisitors should keep their stay to onenight only. “A guest bedroom should bean opportunity for some exuberance,fun and exotica — but not so comfortablethat guests stay for ever.”

Simply the guestDOnUse the spare room to unleashyour creativity. This is the place forthe Moroccan riad-themed decorthat your other half banned from themaster bedroom.

nMake your guests feel spoilt withhotel-style goodies – break out thescented candles and luxury soaps yougot for Christmas.

n Invest in bed linen that’s as good asyour own. The same goes for towels.Some sleepers need extra warmth, solay on a store of throws.

nClear some storage space forclothes… but not too much.

DON’T

nMake your guest sleep in a singlebed, unless space is really tight. Buythe biggest bed you can fit.

n Force visitors to dwell on your, er,“special nights”. Boudoir-style decoris acceptable, up to a point, but don’toverdo it.

n Expunge all evidence of the room’severyday life. It probably has a day jobas a library/home office/hobby room.A stack of books is always welcome,and visitors will find a small deskuseful. Some guests will also enjoyyour train set.

n Impose niche hobbies. You might havedeveloped an all-consuming passionfor roadkill taxidermy, but your sister-in-law may have a phobia of badgers.

”Crank up the playful andshow off a little. The spareroom is where you can bea bit bolder”

Never skimp on spare-room linen.Maurizio Pellizzoni has injectedthe glamour of the silver screeninto this guest bedroom. Thefinishing touch is luxuriousbedding from Ralph Lauren Home

Wow factor on a roll: House of Hackney’sPampas wallpaper, in tangerine/azalea,is not for shrinking violets.£128 a roll; houseofhackney.com