How to Create the Perfect Guest Bedroom: Resort Edition

As a designer, when I’m trying to create the perfect guest bedroom, I think there are two paths you can take: boutique hotel or relaxing spa resort.

Both are great. But for this room, we’re going resort.

Think earthy materials, warm wood tones, creamy neutrals, soft linen, cozy lighting, and those little details that make someone walk into a room and immediately want to put on a robe and cancel their plans.

The good news? Creating that feeling does not mean every piece in the room needs a resort-sized price tag. In fact, some of my favorite finds for this look are surprisingly affordable. The trick is knowing where to save, where to spend a little more, and how to layer everything together.

Here’s exactly how I would do it.

Start With Warm, Natural Furniture

For a resort-inspired bedroom, I like to start with wood. It immediately brings warmth into the room and keeps all of the lighter colors we’re going to add later from feeling too stark.

The SUCSSRICH 62" 9-Drawer Dresser is a great anchor piece for this look. It gives you tons of storage, which is especially nice if your guest room doubles as overflow storage when no one is visiting, but the natural finish keeps it visually light.

And yes, guests actually appreciate having somewhere to unpack. Living out of a suitcase on the floor for four days is decidedly not resort behavior.

Next to the bed, I love the Winston Porter Abbate Nightstands from Wayfair. Here is where we start saving some money: you get two nightstands in the set, and they’re currently around $136, though Wayfair pricing changes frequently.

They have simple lines, hidden storage, and enough room on top for a lamp, phone, book, and glass of water. Basically everything your guest needs without cluttering the room.

Never Underestimate the Rug

If your bedroom feels like it’s missing something, there is a very good chance the answer is a rug.

A rug grounds the bed, softens the room, adds texture, and instantly gives you that cozy, finished feeling. It’s one of those pieces that can take a room from “we put a bed in here” to “oh, you DESIGNED this.”

I love the Nate Berkus Serge Bordered Wool Cozy Rug from Rugs USA for this room. The wool and simple border give it a high-end, tailored look without introducing a busy pattern. Depending on size, pricing varies; Rugs USA currently lists the collection starting around $99, with the runner around $109.

Also, Rugs USA is one of my favorite places to check when you need an affordable rug that still has a beautiful design. They have a huge selection, which makes it much easier to find something that gives you the look without blowing the entire room budget on what is, technically, something everyone will walk on.

Create a Little Place to Escape

If you have the space, one of my favorite additions to a guest bedroom is a lounge chair. It instantly makes the room feel less like “here is your bed” and more like an actual little retreat.

The Charles Lounge Armchair from DAYALANE, currently around $270, is perfect for the resort look we’re creating. The walnut frame brings another warm, earthy material into the room, while the generously padded cushions make it an inviting place to sit, read, have coffee, or throw the decorative pillows your guest inevitably removes from the bed.

I also love the mid-century shape because it adds some personality without visually weighing down the room. The open wood frame lets the space breathe, which is especially helpful in a smaller guest bedroom.

Add a little floor lamp next to it and suddenly you have a reading nook. And by “reading nook,” I obviously mean the place where your guest will sit scrolling on their phone for 45 minutes before bed.

Either way, it looks great.

Layer Your Lighting. Please.

One overhead light in the middle of a bedroom is not a lighting plan.

For this room, we’re layering.

Start overhead with the West Elm Fabric Shade Drum Flush Mount, currently $129. Its fabric shade diffuses the light and gives you a much softer effect than a typical exposed or glass ceiling fixture.

That soft light is exactly what we want in a resort-style room.

Then add bedside lighting. The Zara Home Metal Table Lamp is currently $79.90 and combines a metal stem with a linen shade. The metal introduces a slightly more refined material while the linen keeps everything relaxed.

And finally, add a floor lamp.

The Braxton Arc Floor Lamp is perfect for introducing another layer of light while also adding height and shape to the room. An arc lamp can fill an awkward empty corner and make it feel intentional rather than like the corner where we haven't figured out what to put yet.

Lighting at different heights- ceiling, bedside, and floor—is one of the easiest ways to make a room feel professionally designed.

Give Your Guests a Full-Length Mirror

This sounds obvious, but somehow guest bedrooms are constantly missing one.

Add a full-length wood-framed mirror, like the 71" x 31" Latitude Run option from Wayfair. It gives guests somewhere to actually see an entire outfit before leaving the room, while the wood frame ties back into the natural materials we’re using throughout the space.

It’s currently around $243 on Wayfair, though it has been moving between sale prices.

A large mirror also reflects light around the room, which can help a smaller guest bedroom feel brighter and more open.

Practical and pretty. My favorite category.

Now Add the Tiny Luxury

Once the larger pieces are handled, this is where the room starts becoming memorable.

And this is also where I’m going to contradict all my affordable shopping advice for approximately one candle.

The Diptyque Baies Candle is around $90.

Is that expensive for a candle?

Yes.

Do I still understand it?

Also yes.

This is absolutely on the pricier side, but if you are trying to elevate the feeling of a space, this is one of those small luxuries that will do it. Baies combines rose with blackcurrant notes, giving the room a fresh, sophisticated scent rather than something overly sweet.

Put it on the dresser, add a little tray, maybe a small vase or a few books, and suddenly the room feels much more considered.

You definitely don't need a $90 candle to make a beautiful guest bedroom. But this is a great example of my favorite design strategy: save on some of the bigger pieces so you have room for one or two special details.

Two affordable nightstands + fancy French candle? I support the math.

The Designer Formula

The real secret to this room isn't any individual product. It's the combination. We have warm wood from the dresser and nightstands. Natural texture from the wool rug. Soft fabric from the linen and fabric light shades. Layered lighting instead of one harsh overhead source. A large mirror bouncing light around the room. And finally, scent and small luxuries that make the bedroom feel like someone thought about the experience of staying there.

That is what creates the resort feeling.

You don't need everything to match, and you definitely don't need everything to be expensive. In fact, I think rooms become much more interesting when you mix affordable finds with a few elevated pieces.

The goal isn't for your guest to walk in and think, “Wow, that nightstand must have been expensive.”The goal is for them to walk in and think:“Wait… can I live here?”And then maybe stay slightly longer than you intended.

Consider yourself warned.

Love the look? We’ve gathered all of our guest bedroom picks in one place so you can easily recreate the space at home.

Click here to shop all of the pieces from this guide →