Greet Guests with Grace
A great guest room is beautiful but also useful. It provides your guests with a private retreat from the hustle and bustle of your home and is a way to communicate to your loved ones how much you care. Before your summer guests arrive, take some time to clear out the clutter (no one loves sleeping in a storage space) and evaluate the state of your bed linens and towels (anything with holes, stains or an old loofah-like texture should be replaced.) Then add some of these elements of an elegant guest room. Your guests will never want to leave. 
1. Something Calming
Give your guests a little bit of luxury and serenity by placing a special candle in the guest quarters, like the Joya Prism Candle $26 anthropologie.
2. Something to Read
A few magazines are always a considerate addition to a guest room, as are beautifully bound books. I am a fan of a stacking a few Penguin Classics $17 Amazon which are too pretty to put down.
3. Hydration Station
A couple bottles of Fiji feels too hotel. Instead, provide your guests with a reusable, convenient and classic Bedside Carafe and Glass Set $17 Amazon.
4. Let There Be Light
Adequate light is essential in a guest room, so do not forget to provide a bedside table reading light. An adjustable arm gives guests lighting options. Renarp Lamp $40 Ikea.
5. Music Maker
A clock radio is so passé, and the clock part is unnecessary in this age of smart phone alarms. A small speaker that allows guests to play their own music in-room from their phone or iPod is ideal, such as the iFrogz BoostPlus Speaker $60 iFrogz.
6. WiFi Access
The most courteous item you can place in your guest room is your WiFi code and password. Instead of a random Post-It, why not print it out in a cute font and place it in an interesting frame, like the Small Green Filigree Adalyn Frame $13 World Market
7. Something Green
The sweetest touch to a guest room is the addition of some simple flowers or greenery. Pick some blooms from your yard or pick up some grocery store flowers and place in a bud vase. Or you can add an interesting plant as a permanent fixture in your guest room. I love this Deluxe Succulent Garden $30 ProFlowers.
What is YOUR must-have item in an elegant guest room?
