A decorating shop in Monkstown, Co Dublin, has a few good tips for doing up the spare bedroom - and keeping it spare.
It's a year since Sarah Gill opened Seagreen in Monkstown, Co Dublin, and in that time the shop's mix of interiors and fashion has established it as a good place to find out-of-the- ordinary items. Gill and her husband live near the shop, in a semidetached house that they extended and renovated. It's not enormous but is personal and interesting, with lovely rooms for entertaining downstairs and four bedrooms upstairs.
"Friends and family from home are always coming to stay," says Gill, who is originally from Co Clare. "We've got three guest bedrooms, and they get maximum use. We sometimes have to check our 'reservations' to make sure we're not overbooked."
It's just as well, then, that Gill, who has also lived in London and the Bahamas, is a master of creating the perfect guest room. "I want people to come and stay but not feel that they're sleeping in an extension of our bedroom. There's got to be certain neutrality to a guest room, but neither should they be as bland as a hotel room. It's important that a guest room not be cluttered with your own things."
Gill's guest rooms are furnished with small luxuries that please visitors. "You've got to put yourself in your guest's position. Because they're away from home, you really want them to feel as if they're on a bit of a holiday." That means little details, such as flowers in tiny vases, a scented candle, a couple of books and plenty of sample-size toiletries."
But these are secondary to the basics. "A good bed is a must, of course, but because these are rooms that aren't really used for more than a couple of nights you don't need to buy a top-of-the-range model. A medium-quality bed can be improved with a heavily padded mattress cover and a good feather duvet and pillows. Pillows are the most important part."
Gill advises against spending a lot on bedlinen. "You can get pretty good-quality bedlinen at a mid-price level. The Linium brand is very good. We stock the neutral bedspreads and linen at Seagreen. Bedlinen in a guest bedroom shouldn't be patterned. Again, it's too personal; you could have a man or woman staying."
Gill had upholstered headboards made for two of the bedrooms. "They're quite tall and give the room a bit of colour. I think a good divan bed and a headboard are a better combination than a bed sitting in a frame. My bedrooms aren't very big, and stand-alone bed frames can be very bulky. These just slot on to the back of a bed. A headboard lets you create your own look, one that can be tied in with your curtains or other furnishings. Plus, everyone reads in bed, and they're so comfortable." At Seagreen, Gill works with an upholsterer who will make similar headboards at prices starting at €300, depending on the fabric.
A guest bedroom always needs a chair - "the truth is we all lay clothes across a chair" - but choose one that's not too large. In one room Gill has used a slightly tulip-shaped red velvet Lola chair from her shop. The same room has Asian-style lamps, bought from Classic Furniture in Galway, which she describes as a great place for feature lamps. "Lamps are the only way to go in a bedroom, but their size depends on the room. Find something that's the right proportion," she says.
Lockers are another vital component. "Smaller is best. Remember, your guests just need a surface next to their bed, not a locker with drawers."
All the floors in the bedrooms are inexpensive pine boards stained a dark glossy finish. "It doesn't mean going to great expense, but they look good and are easy to clean. Visitors like to stay in a room that feels really clean, and carpets can get stained so easily."
Keeping guest rooms free of clutter means resisting the temptation to use them to store household bits and pieces. Have a clear-out rather than keeping items that are never used. "I'm determined not to use the bedrooms as extra storage space - apart from the wardrobes, that is. I can't help using part of those for my own clothes." In one bedroom, mirrored wardrobes were made by a carpenter, Jason Kelly, to fit snugly into a corner to save space. Other items that come in useful for guests are a clothes horse, a small alarm clock and good wooden hangers for the wardrobe.
With every need catered for, it's no wonder Gill's guests never want to leave. See www.seagreen.ie