Come & Knock on Our Door: 5 Luxuries for Your Guest Room
Sometimes you must dig real deep in the middle of a pandemic for something that feels out of the ordinary to break up the monotony.
Upon completion of the One Room Challenge, yielding a now fully functional guest bedroom oasis (that is actually much nicer than our main bedroom which remains thoroughly not renovated) – we decided to test the goods for a weekend.
This held a two-fold benefit: pretending we were doing something unique in our routine and checking my work to see if I had forgotten any details that might make guests feel more comfortable in the future.
Here’s my review if I were an unbiased guest:
This room offered style and substance, with the most important needs taken care of and a few details noticeably forgotten. It would have been an honest 4-star review, so I wanted to dig into what I think made the difference getting it that close to a perfect score that we did get right and a few elements we missed that in my opinion would turn this guest bedroom into a 5-star experience.
Comfortable, luxurious bedding
There’s a reason hotel sheets are heralded as a defining element of the hotel experience. I wanted to recreate this luxury for my guests in our guest bedroom with a few characteristics key in replicating this experience; all white linens for that extra clean feeling, the thread-count sweet spot that yields soft and crisp sheets, multiple options for layering weights of blankets and pillow options.
I was recently gifted a set of sheets from West Coast Mercantile, after some investigating about sheet options and found this small business from Whidbey Island, Washington, only a ferry-ride away from my home town. I would consider these “eco-luxury” sheets with a wealth of common-sense features. I liked these sheets so much I took them with me back to the main bedroom after the weekend was over.
I received complimentary product in exchange for my honest review and opinions are 100% my own. Don’t miss the reader-only offer code the end of the review if you love the same things I love in these sheets.
So, let me give you all the details and my take on West Coast Mercantile 6-Piece Classic Stitched Hemmed Sheet Set in White:
Price point: $169.00 for the 6-piece Classic Stitched Hemmed Sheet Set, Queen
Value: You get your classic set of sheets – fitted, flat, two pillow cases and an additional set of pillowcases (for any sets full and larger). Buying an extra set is always way more than I expect, so this scored some major points with me to have them included in both the standard and longer size, so you also have flexibility in your pillow setup. For a guest bedroom, I always keep two extra pillows in the closet like a hotel. Their sheets are organic, constructed using fair trade wages, shipped with carbon offsets and are biodegradable. All these factors provide value for me in the price.
Thread Count: Organic 300-thread count sateen, made from long staple cotton – which until I did my deeper research on sheets I did not understand that the length of the cotton plants individual fibers can make a pretty big impact on quality, strength and softness of sheets. A longer staple can prevent signs of wear like pilling, so I’m interested to see if these hold-up better than previous sets of sheets I’ve purchased. Regarding the age old question of thread-count: beware of high thread-counts that may be misrepresented by manufacturers, there are many production elements that contribute to durability and softness of sheets beyond thread-count and I have been finding a good quality organic cotton sheet makes more of a difference for me.
Utility: When I polled y’all on Instagram there were a few features that were really big hot buttons for you:
Fitted Sheets that don’t fit. Several folks recommended extra deep fitted sheets to make sure they don’t slip off, or the sheets with extra elastic bands but I think the big differentiator here is that you get to choose your mattress depth for the fitted sheet. The sheet fit snug to the mattress with the 13-inch depth option and had no issues with slippage even with two very active bed-hogging dog types. If I wanted to go for that true hotel feel, I would skip the fitted sheet for the typical double flat sheet trick, but seriously this is an area where convenience wins out - especially when I know these are designed specifically for my mattress size.
Pillow case-size and fit. These include both long and standard, with enveloped style to keep your pillow inside.
Tips if you buy these sheets:
Wash twice to get desired first sleep softness, these don’t come pre-washed for pre-worn in feel.
If lighter, breathable cotton is what you’re after: these are your sheets. If you want sheets with significant heft and more weight, they may not be the right fit. I’m always looking for lightweight, breathable organic cotton (especially in Texas) so I was actually pleasantly surprised that these were lighter than I expected. Sateen is usually known for being less breathable vs. Percale – so it’s all based on your personal preference in this arena.
If you gift these sheets, they are packaged in a really lovely canvas pouch.
You don’t need any hints or tips on making the bed, they clearly label the bottom with an embroidered logo at the bottom of the fitted sheet. So you don’t have to play “that” game with the sheets.
Summary of why I love these sheets: They just work for me; breathable, cool, organic-cotton sheets with thoughtfully designed details and intentionally produced by real people. Even in my own home’s guest bedroom, these sheets felt like a vacation. These are not your mass-produced “good-enough” sheets offering the minimum – with an extra set of pillowcases, quality cotton and commitment to balancing environmental sustainability, ethical production and cost as a small business. I like what they stand for, their brand feels intrinsically Northwest, hyper-focused on well-executed utility and sustainability without too much posturing.
So I guess I need to order another set for the guest bedroom now?
West Coast Mercantile is offering 15% off for Mid-century Millennial readers, if you’re interested in making the switch, check out their sheets here and use the code: MCM at checkout.
2. Extra sundries, linens & essentials
Even in a guest bathroom or bedroom it can feel weird to rifle through drawers and cabinets, but with pre-defined guest items you can make guests more comfortable taking what they need without having to ask.
Beyond creating a private space for guests to take a phone call or just take a beat, I wanted to provide clear resources for guests that were subtle but clearly intended to be used as needed in the closet. Here’s what I like to have on-hand:
Toiletries: Tucked away in a vintage suitcase I have a selection of toiletries including travel size shower essentials, toothbrushes and toothpaste, sunscreen and other miscellaneous items that I can easily restock.
Stylish Hospitality Tip: if you want these items available but not on display, put them in something that can be styled like a vintage suitcase or storage basket and add a label encouraging your guests to use as needed.
Linens: I am a two towel shower girl. With a thick-head of hair, there’s no way your bathroom won’t look like a public pool locker room if you leave one sad towel on a bed for me.
Extra of Everything Tip: I find that for two guests staying in a guest bedroom 4 bath towels, 2 hand towels and 2 washcloths is usually plenty. I also always keep an extra set of sheets in the closet in case I have a guest for a longer stay and they want a fresh set at any point.
Entertainment: Whether you’re setting up a room for an Airbnb or a place for your extended family to hole up and quarantine with you, it’s always nice to have some thoughtful vacation entertainment options. Due to the vintage, old-school vibe of the room and my own desire to recreate a world that no longer exists void of smart phones and TVs with access to all the media - I stuck to the classics: deck of cards, magazines, a few records and a small library of paperbacks. I picked vintage classics across genres and left some space for the library to grow and gain character, with books that continue on a guest’s journey or a finished work left behind to free up some room in luggage.
Budget Tip: Half Price Books and Thrift Stores are a great place to build your collection of guest reading material. I prefer vintage mass-market paperbacks because they are usually cool editions and lightweight shelf space-savers. I typically spend $1-3 on these vintage paperbacks.
3. A Welcome Guide
Even though this guest bedroom is supposed to be a relic from the past, my habits when I first arrive on vacation remain unchanged regardless of context: with “What’s the WIFI password” at top of mind. I’ve always scribbled this coveted detail and a list of hurried recommendations like best tacos and where to swim on a piece of paper on-demand when guests arrive.
However as part of this One Room Challenge makeover, I designed my own custom guest guide packed with local ATX recommendations and design elements from the room.
You can recreate this look yourself if you have a program like Procreate or another design software, I also used hand-drawn graphic design elements from Creative Market which is full of options for any style. I found a great artist, Maggie Malloy for the background elements of my card set.
I printed this guide through Artifact Uprising and was extremely happy with the quality of the result. Using their $20 Wood Block + Print set also allows for easy updates by ordering prints when or if these require updates in the future. Check out the full guide in my One Room Challenge room reveal blog.
4. Blackout curtains
This is one of the most important details that I missed in designing this room. Thinking more personally about bedroom needs instead of what a guest might want, I opted for light curtains because I am both a heavy sleeper and appreciate light pouring in to wake me up in the morning.
But even on our staycation, I was pretty irritated when the day started before I was ready.
A vacation is an opportunity to add years back onto your life with extra minutes of uninterrupted sleep. Just like we wanted a layered, customizable option for bedding we missed creating that same option for the large window looming over the guest bed.
An option for maintaining a breezy light curtain and providing a blackout option is to add a lined shade option that fits the vibe of your room and complements your curtains. Stay tuned for this final addition, to keep with the Texas Tiki vibe I am thinking of going for a lined bamboo shade option like the past One Room Challenger, Erin Kestenbaum, executed beautifully below.
via Erin Kestenbaum
5. Charging Stations
This was a simple oversight, but such a peace of mind luxury in a sleepaway situation to have chargers managed and ready. Especially when you have to essentially scoot yourself under the bed to reach the outlet in our case.
My go-to for making this little luxury ready to juice up at sundown: multi-charging cable for most of the major devices bedside using cable clips to keep them in place. I also like to throw a spare charger in the top drawer of the nightstand just in case.
We’re still sadly closed to visitors while COVID works itself through a real rough season but I am excited to have all these details in place for the first real visitor. Did I miss something that is a non-negotiable in for you when you are a guest? Drop it in the comments!