PanamaTimes

Saturday, Oct 24, 2026

The Fastest (and Cheapest!) Ways to Update Your Guest Bedroom

The Fastest (and Cheapest!) Ways to Update Your Guest Bedroom

Company's coming! These mini makeovers will update any bedroom before company arrives.

Roll out the red carpet (or really, the patterned rug) with these spare bedroom decorating ideas. There's no need for a complete overhaul - small touches like a potted plant, fresh throw pillow, or cozy throw can refresh your guest room before company arrives.

Give a dated space a budget-friendly design update by painting the walls, ceiling, or floor (really!), or hang removable wallpaper for instant pep. These makeover ideas will get the job done quickly - and maybe inspire a bedroom makeover of your own.

Before the doorbell rings, clear out any clutter from the guest bedroom and lay out towels, extra blankets, and pillows. Move any fragile knick knacks from the bedside table and swap in some new magazines, plus a carafe of water and drinking glasses. Earn some bonus points by leaving out a list of handy deets, like your home's wifi network and password.

Quickly testing the lights for burnt bulbs or the TV remote for spent batteries wouldn't hurt either. The finishing touch: bringing in a bouquet of fresh flowers, either from the store or snipped from the backyard. With bedrooms like these, expect to see a lot more RSVPs coming your way. Your guests will want to visit again and again - and give you a five-star rating if they could.

1. Little Ledge


Dealing with cramped quarters? Affix a small shelf next to the bed in lieu of a table. It's all the space you need for a reading light, book, and small bud vase.

2. Lush Plants


Breathe life into a little-used room with fresh greenery. Potted plants, like this trendy fiddle leaf fig, can relocate to the guest bedroom for the weekend as a part of a five-minute makeover.

3. Trendy Pillows


A fresh throw pillow (such as this shibori lumbar cushion) adds instant pizzazz to an otherwise neutral room, like this one designed by Mel Bean, without the commitment of a new piece of furniture or a total makeover.

4. DIY Headboard


Here's a quick way to add texture to any bedroom: Use a sturdy dowel, curtain rod, or (as seen here) bamboo pole to hang a colorful rug as a headboard. Then mix in rustic wood elements like a bench and bedside table.

5. Layered Rugs


Layering matching pink rugs on top of wall-to-wall carpeting defines the space around the bed while adding another layer of color and pattern to the room, explains designer Bria Hammel.

6. Painted Headboard


A smidge of leftover paint or a sample-sized can can make an outsized statement on the wall. Use a ruler, level, and painter's tape to mark off a headboard-like section, then put your artistic talents to work.

7. Stocked Bedside Table


What better way to roll in all of the hosting essentials than with a bar cart? Tiered shelves can hold extra blankets, water glasses, reading material, and fresh flowers.

8. Plush Seating


A padded bench at the foot of bed doubles as seating and a spot (that's not the bed or the floor) to place bags. Some ottomans even offer storage for extra bedding.

9. Painted Floors


Use your paint rollers on the ground for a change. White walls set off a rich emerald hue in this attic bedroom.

10. Repurposed Headboard


A recycled barn door adds texture to this rustic retreat. Use reclaimed wood panels as a starting point, and then add bedside sconces if you really want a custom piece.

11. Hidden Clutter


If your guest bedroom doubles as storage space, stash odds and ends in lidded baskets before last-minute company arrives. They'll be none the wiser.

12. Nautical Flair


We're loving the freewheeling spirit of these pennants for a beachy guest bedroom. A perfectly placed sconce below facilitates nighttime reading.

13. Two-Tone Accent Wall


Make a dramatic change with a few paint cans and some painter’s tape. Roll a darker color on the bottom half of the wall and save a lighter hue for the top portion to draw the eye upward. Pro tip: Use two shades on the same swatch card for a no-fail pairing.

14. Cozy Lagom


Sure, you've heard of hygge, but have you tried lagom? The Swedish principle of having just enough translates to cozy decor with warm textures, pink-tinted neutrals, and huggable pillows.

15. Painted Ceiling


The room feels chicer when covered from top to bottom in the same warm shade of gray. With a dark color like this, leave bedding light and bright to keep the space from seeming cave-like.

16. Scenic Mural


Forget commissioning an artist for the job. You can now browse through dozens of peel-and-stick styles, whether you gravitate towards floral or geometric designs.

17. Bright Linens


Cheery yellow sheets bring all the color you need to a neutral-filled room. (And they're the easiest to find in the linen closet, too!)

18. Dividing Screen


Divvy up cozy sleeping quarters with a folding screen. A natural texture like rattan also sets off bright accents and accessories.

19. Many Mirrors


This design secret is an oldie but a goodie. Bringing in more reflective surfaces will bounce light around the room, making it appear bigger and brighter.

20. Bold Wallpaper


It's not your everyday space ... so what better opportunity is there to go big on a pattern or hue you love? A cheery botanical print on the walls can help any visitor feel at home.

Newsletter

Related Articles

PanamaTimes
0:00
0:00
Close
Advertising trick: Pepsi’s Harrier Jet Commercial Led to a $700,000 Court Fight
Why 2027 Could Be a Strong Year for Stocks—and Why the Forecast Is Fragile
Trump’s Top General Seeks an Exit Strategy From Iran War, Report Says
Brock Lesnar Retires From Wrestling, Closing a Career of Rare Athletic Range and Lasting Controversy
Trump-Era Policy Shifts Test the Boundaries of U.S. Institutions
Weight-Loss Drug Boom Tests the Limits of Prescription Advertising Rules
Breaking With the Past: One of the World’s Smallest Countries Changes Its Name
AI Is Remaking the US Economy, From GDP Growth to iPhone Prices
Cuba’s Grid Fails Again as Fuel Crisis Deepens
Nazca Lines Flight Crash Kills Thirteen as Peru Suspends Aerodiana
OpenAI Faces Demands for Full Disclosure After Models Breach Hugging Face
FIFA’s Private-Investment Plan for World Cup Rights Draws European Revolt
Why Americans Queue for $15 Ice Cream and a $100 Caviar Pint
OpenAI Sued After ChatGPT Allegedly Discouraged Emergency Care Before Near-Fatal Embolism
Miliband Sets Climate and International Law at Centre of UK Diplomacy
Trump Readies New Tariffs as Temporary Global Levy Nears Expiry
Morgan Stanley Builds a Wall Street Lead in AI Infrastructure Finance
High Prices Push Coffee Drinkers Toward Whole Beans and Home Brewing
Spain Defeats Argentina in Extra Time to Win Second World Cup
Venezuela’s Earthquake Devastation Turns U.S. Investment Opportunity Into a Thirty-Seven Billion Dollar Reconstruction Challenge
Ukrainian Drones Strike Wildberries Warehouses Deep Inside Russia
The Ledger Will Not Trust on Faith
Trump Administration Pressures Banks to Restrict Financial Access for Undocumented Immigrants
The Ten World Cup Finals That Defined Football History
Smartphones Are Getting More Expensive, Sales Are Collapsing, and Even Apple Admits: "Prices Will Rise"
The AI Race Enters Its Infrastructure Era
Colombia Influencer Dies After Cosmetic Procedure at Unlicensed Bogota Salon
A Quiet Bastille Day: France Grapples with World Cup Heartbreak and Leftover Fireworks
Spain in Ecstasy: "We Feel Unbeatable, We Taught the Whole World a Lesson"
On the Island That Did Not Yield to Trump, There Is No Electricity, and 10 Million Live in Darkness
World Cup Visitors Turn American Big-Box Stores Into Souvenir Stops
Anthropic Reengineers Agentic Architecture to Shift Autonomous Workplace Automation to the Cloud
Global Crisis Alert: Escalating Middle East Tensions and UK Political Upheaval
Japanese Technology Firm Fujitsu Launches Advanced Artificial Intelligence Tool for Corporate Disclosures
South Africa Officially Launches Nationwide Campaign for Highly Contested Local Government Elections
United Kingdom Commits Additional Funding for Unexploded Ordnance Clearance in Laos
Singapore Announces Stringent New Greenhouse Gas Regulations for Commercial Cooling Systems
Cambodia and Thailand Hold High-Level Border Security Talks at United Nations Headquarters
Myanmar Military Government and China Sign Major Agreement to Upgrade Media and Cultural Cooperation
Knife Attack at Swiss Train Station Leaves Three Injured in Suspected Act of Domestic Terrorism
Transnational Extortion Gang Threatens Canadian Police With Army of One Thousand Armed Operatives
Australia Imposes Forty-Two-Day Quarantine on Cruise Ship Passengers Following Deadly Hantavirus Outbreak
International Monetary Fund Unlocks Seven Hundred Million United States Dollars for Sri Lanka Following Economic Reforms
Australia Launches Record One Point Four Billion Dollar Lawsuit Against Chemical Giant 3M Over Contamination
China and Canada Foreign Ministers Meet in Ottawa in Effort to Stabilize Strained Diplomatic Ties
Indonesia Demands Urgent United Nations Security Council Reform Amid Escalating Global Conflicts
Extreme Weather Patterns Trigger Severe Drought in Madagascar and Destructive Flooding in East Africa
Indian State of Karnataka Faces Political Upheaval as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah Abruptly Resigns
Philippines and Japan Reaffirm Defense Ties as Crucial for Indo-Pacific Regional Stability
Norway Joins French Nuclear Deterrence Initiative in Major Shift for European Security Architecture
×