The guest bedroom..

if you are fortunate enough to have a spare room for guests it can sometimes become the dumping ground for the other stuff that you are not sure where to put so you put it there for now until you figure out what to do with it all.  But then you have guests visit and all of a sudden you have to migrate those items somewhere else and oh my goodness now what?

For those of you that have that problem, me too, it can easily be solved you just need to have patience.  If you do not have a spare room then hey no problems at all right?

We decided when we developed the basement that we wanted a spare room to be devoted only to our guests, as both our families live back in Alberta and obviously when they visit they need a place to stay. Although sometimes not having the space could be a blessing in disquise, especially if they can outstay their welcome.  But I am sure you have never had that problem, nor have I of course (hee hee) but it could happen right?

Okay, the spare room...you need a bed, a night stand with a light and possibly a clock and perhaps a dresser. Not much else really, unless it is also your place to perhaps keep your office or your craft room or even the toy room.  Unless you have guests consistently you can repurpose that "guest bedroom" into something you can use on a regular basis.
My spare room has a queen size bed with 2 night tables and a dresser PLUS my scrapbooking items.  As a side note, I orginally had my main floor office as my scrapping space but I felt like it always had to be neat and tidy and if  you are a scrapbooker you know that is not always possible.  So I moved it downstairs to the extra room/weight room as I finally convinced my husband to sell his weight contraption as he never uses it. Tahdah, my own scrapbooking room...but then we decided to take in an international student so therefore I lost my scrapbooking room. Hence why it is now stored in the guest bedroom.

Back to the guest bedroom, as you do not really need a lot in that room it should be relatively easy to keep organized. I like to have the bed made and towels washed and ready for whenever family arrives. It saves the anxiety of having to do it when you find out family is coming to visit and you are busy with other things to get it done. This way if it is done already no problems.

In my guest bedroom, I also have quite a large closet which is great for storing extra items not needed on an everyday basis like my wedding dress and my husband's motorcycle gear.  Right now it is also storing my scrapbook shelf, that room seems to always be a work in progress and since my husband does not like the way it is set up right now it is still in progress.

So what do you use your guest bedroom for, besides guest?  A home office is a great idea, maybe not a bed but a pull-out couch or futon which allows for room to work. The closet could be outfitted with a shelving unit to store your office supplies and your guests clothes.  If you have room for a dresser it too can be mulitpurposed, if your guests stay only a short while a dresser devoted to them is not entirely necessary as it probably remains empty when they are not there. However, you can store your towels and extra sheets and pillows in the dresser. Perhaps you create a small "welcome to our home" basket with a few essential items they may need.
However you use the spare room is up to you, but keeping it neat and organized is a great way to create a relaxed feel to the room and creates a space your guests can enjoy.