Overnight guests -- Yay!!   However, some folks might say “well…truthfully…nay…we’re not ready…”  

​Whether you love to entertain guests and provide them with accommodations that mimic a 5-star resort, or just “get through it” to provide a reasonable bed for the night, one thing is for sure: having a nice guest room at the ready goes hand-in-hand with summer. You really do want your guests to have a great night’s rest.  Invite them, they will surely come!
 
Here’s some guest room inspiration for you…our hotel room in Lisbon, Portugal from 2 summers ago.   This suite was a delight, and so generously appointed, especially the bath.  

​You might not have as much space as this hotel room to dedicate to your guest room, but it’s always nice to envision a heavenly place that you have stayed at when you embark on designing a special retreat for your guests. 
 
There were several elements which I really enjoyed in this hotel room. First, the draperies were sumptuous silk, and the many layers of drapery, sheers, and shades made for maximum privacy and light control, including blackout for sleep. Second, the room felt special, very European, and while the color scheme was not my most favorite, it had a cohesive design “point of view.”  When you examine your own guest room and recognize that it’s furnished in non-coordinated cast-offs, maybe it’s time to actually think about improving both the style and functionality of the room. Making these kinds of changes will certainly put smiling faces at your breakfast table each morning when guests stay over.
 
For the ultimate in packing in luxurious function for your guests’ every need in a small space, cruise ship cabins are just the ticket for inspiration.  Here is a photo of our cabin on the Crystal Serenity on our latest European cruise.  I particularly liked the sleek and neutral color scheme and tactile touches…and functional amenities everywhere.    And having a cabin steward was pretty nice, too! 

To help you out with your planning here are 15 Tips for a Terrific Guest Room Experience:

1. Room for guest clothes in the closet and hangers of all types.    It’s nice if your guest can actually unpack and hang up their clothes.  We all know living out of a suitcase is less than ideal, and some prefer to hang their clothes up from the git-go.  If you have room in the closet, also stow a folding luggage rack (just like the hotels) and also a portable clothes drying rack.  Your guests might want to dry their bathing suits or things they hand-wash, and it’s awkward for them to hang those things in the hallway bath. Of course, if your guest suite has its own bath, then put the drying rack in the bathroom.
2. Bedside lighting for reading, and a clock on the nightstand.   Please provide at least one nightstand for your guests, even in a small space.  No one likes to have to stow their phone or glasses on the floor.  In addition to tissues, place a small tray on the nightstand to corral earrings, rings, and other small items that could be easily lost. 
3. Easy-to-access outlet for recharging the phone, laptop, and camera.   Have you noticed that nowadays all the hotels are using lamps outfitted with outlets?  If you need to purchase a new reading lamp for your guest room, this would be a feature to look for. Otherwise, perhaps you could put a power strip on the nightstand or on the desk for charging phones and cameras.  You can never have too many outlets in a guest bedroom.   And thinking through electrical access for your guests is a gracious thing…do you really want them hunting behind the bed on their hands and knees?
4. Wifi name and password.  For those homes with Wifi, it’s a kind thing to post the name and password somewhere in the room. Maybe on a piece of artwork with a label affixed to the glass in a lower corner, or a special “welcome” sign you make up in a small standing photo frame on the desk. 
5. Set of towels for each guest and verbal guidance.   If your guests won’t have a dedicated bathroom, then it’s probably best to provide lots of towels and washcloths in a basket in the guest bedroom so they know they are theirs to use.  And, please, kindly tell your guests where you would like them to place their wet items after they take a shower—towel rack, washer, elsewhere? Case in point…I recall early in my marriage we moved to a new house and I didn’t have that conversation with my in-laws who were visiting…three days after their arrival I finally went into our laundry room two floors below and found a heap of once-wet towels that were on their way to being a science experiment…  In hindsight and many, many guests later, I realize I should have communicated better at the start, paid better attention to their needs, and not just relied on the situation I created with having plenty of towels in the guest bath linen closet.  Now I pay more attention (discreetly), say more upfront to my guests, provide better racks and hooks, and wash all towels in the house every afternoon when we have guests.
6. Good mattress, blanket(s), assorted pillows of varying firmness, and nice sheets.  Of course these elements are the standard requirements for a good sleep, and accommodating guests’ individual preferences is the goal.  You should always have an extra blanket in the closet.  I particularly like the Velux blankets which are lightweight but warm, and I also provide a heavier quilted blanket which can be washed.  I would also recommend putting an extra set of sheets in a drawer or closet in the room.  Messes do happen sometimes, and guests appreciate the option of taking care of situations themselves.  Then there’s always the guest who wants to strip the bed and change sheets at the end of a stay, so if there are already sheets in the room, they can do their thing despite your protests. 
7. A place to set a suitcase.  With kids and younger folks, setting suitcases on the floor is okay, I guess.  But anyone college-age and older will appreciate a suitcase rack, bench, trunk, or some other surface to put their suitcase on.  Furthermore, most guests are leery of putting dirty suitcases (from air travel) on a clean duvet or bedspread, so think this scenario through if your guest room has very light colored upholstery and linens.
8. Handy desk items.  An ideal situation is having enough space in the guest bedroom for a desk where you can have a chair, lamp, power strip, and a basket with paper, pens, sticky notes, calendar, envelopes, stamps, tape, and scissors.  Having these things out in plain view makes a guest feel that those items are theirs to use. In situations where you normally employ the guest bedroom as a home office, pay particular attention to your guests not wanting to invade your privacy by rifling through your desk to find a pen…just saying….  Also note that some guest rooms are outfitted with two twin beds with a desk in between, and this desk serves as a nightstand.  This is a nice solution to a small room, provided your guests are okay with twin beds.
9. Nightlights.  Plug a nightlight (that has an actual switch, not just a sensor) into an outlet near the door of the guest bedroom.  Guests can decide if they need the nightlight or not. 
10. TV in the Guest Bedroom.  Not a requirement, but a nice-to-have. Same with providing flowers, bottled water, a coffee maker and snacks and treats. These are all lovely amenities, and you know your regular guests well enough to decide if these items should be incorporated into the design of your guest bedroom.  I personally would stop at installing a fridge and mini-bar, however!   
11. Dresser or desk with drawers.  For visits of longer than 2 days, it’s nice for guests to have at least two drawers to unpack into.  The less cluttered the surfaces are in the room, the more serene they will feel.  Living out of a suitcase is sometimes hard on the senses, and clearing the clutter is necessary for some to truly unwind (and actually feel like they are on vacation).  Line the drawers with fresh white paper for each new guest.
12. Mirror.  A full-length mirror on the inside of a closet is an easy addition that will be appreciated.
13. Books (fiction and non-fiction), current magazines, and local area guidebooks and maps.  A small selection of reading material is delightful for guests. I also like to put a basket of local area guidebooks, maps (yes! the old fashioned kind) and attraction brochures in my guest room - it’s sometimes helpful for a guest to be able to do some research on their own rather than the host bearing all the work of determining the amusement options and itinerary.
14. Chair for reading and relaxing, with a reading lamp nearby.  There’s a reason why an idyllic vacation spot is often called a “retreat.”  Let your guests be able to “retreat” from the hustle and bustle of your house and relax in their room for a bit.  And if there is nowhere to sit other than the bed, that would be hard to do. 
15. Good blackout shades for light control and privacy.  Last, but certainly not least, it’s ideal to provide room-darkening shades, just like a hotel.  In Massachusetts, the sun rises at 5am in June, and I surely don’t want the sun waking up my guests before they are ready. The best bet for no-fuss operation for guests are cordless cellular room darkening shades, like the Lafayette Parasol cellular shades shown in the photo below. These are “Top Down/Bottom Up” or TDBU shades, so when they are down providing privacy, you can still get some light in at the top to peek at the weather or get some ambient light. Cordless operation is the easiest for guests to work…and you can tuck these shades under pretty cornices, valances, sheers, or drapery panels.  

​Of course most of these suggestions are really common sense and adhere to a golden rule of sorts, “Provide for your guests as you would like to be treated as a guest.”  In fact, I often recommend to my clients who are embarking on a guest bedroom renovation that they sleep in their guest bedroom for a night and solely use the guest bath.  There is nothing like walking in your guests’ shoes (or bedroom slippers) to clearly assess your guest accommodations and plan ways to improve their experience in your home. I hope this blog has given you some food-for-thought and impetus to make your home more friendly for your guests.
 
It’s summer, and I know lots of you are headed out on vacation.  Safe and happy travels to you all!  And if you are home and doing the “staycation” thing, I wish you fair weather and a minimum of road construction delays for all your outings and get-togethers.   See you next week on the Center Stage blog! 

During my local travels to find accessories and artwork for my Boston area clients, I came across a shop in Waltham, MA, which I recommend highly as a “must visit” for my readers in New England: 
                  May’s Gallery at 1377 Main St (Route 117) in Waltham, MA

May imports porcelain vases, jars, bowls, and sculptures directly from the current-day porcelain studios and kilns in Jingdezhen, China.  The selection is spectacular, quality is tops, and each piece is a work of art. Here’s a photo of May Lynch, the owner of May’s Gallery (whose family is from Jingdezhen, China) standing in front of some of her beautiful wares.    

From a decorative aspect, you will notice blue and white porcelains everywhere in interior design, especially since the color navy and the desire for “clean and crisp” interiors is so popular today.  In my Feb 2018 blog post “The Color Navy - Both Trend and a Classic,” I showcased interiors with blue and white porcelains as accessories. So I guess that it’s high time that I gave you some tips on where to shop for these accessories, especially one-of-a-kind pieces of the fine quality offered by May’s Gallery.  

I interviewed May and Kevin Lynch about their business and what makes Jingdezhen porcelains so unique.  They explained that Jingdezhen, in the Jiangxi Province by the Yangtze River, is the place where the art of porcelain began in China, thanks to local sources of kaolin clay and petuntse (china stone). These “secret ingredients” were combined and fired at temperatures as high as 1,300 ˚C (2,375 ˚F) in local kilns, producing an incredibly strong material that could hold up in even the thinnest of vessels.   The colors aren’t limited to blue and white, with celadon green, reds, grays, and other colors being produced and perfected through the centuries by the artisans in Jingdezhen.  

May’s offers a large selection of porcelain in traditional Blue and White and reds, celadon, and multi-colored items.  I was particularly amazed at the variety of their offerings, especially large items which would be near impossible to have shipped from on-line sources.  You just have to see these authentic pieces to appreciate the artwork and fine craftsmanship - and the prices are very fair and reasonable.  May’s also offers contemporary designs from the artists of Jingdezhen to complement the traditional styles that make Jingdezhen Porcelain internationally renowned.  ​

On their website, May explains her selection of porcelains:
 
“Why Jingdezhen Porcelain?

• China is a large country with resources for ceramics production spread out over many different regions. Early ceramics have been discovered that are thought to have been created as early as 9,000 BC. The early products were made of earthenware. Over centuries ceramic production evolved in terms of the materials used, production techniques, and colors and glazes. This process resulted in the production of porcelain.  Starting in the mid-1300’s the Ming Dynasty Emperor decided to designate Jingdezhen (jing-de-jen) as the official site for manufacturing Imperial porcelain. Through the following centuries emperors commissioned thousands of pieces from the kilns at Jingdezhen for use in the Imperial household as well as for gifts of state. American and European merchants in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries exported Jingdezhen porcelains to their home countries for discriminating customers - the "China Trade." Chinese porcelain was prized throughout the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East for its beauty and usefulness. Jingdezhen has set the standard for making porcelain objects known and imitated throughout the world. It is still known as “Porcelain City.” Jingdezhen porcelain is found in many museum collections, attesting to its history and beauty and the skill of the artisans who created it.    We travel to Jingdezhen to purchase our porcelain and import it into the U.S. We carefully select each piece individually, evaluating it for design, quality, craftsmanship, style, and value. We reject many fine pieces that fail to meet our standards.”

 
“Where is Jingdezhen?

• Jingdezhen is a city of over 1.5 million people located in northeast Jiangxi Province, China. It is about 734 miles (1,128 km) south of Beijing. The city dates back over 2,000 years and has produced porcelain for over 1,700 years. It is located near Chang and Le'an rivers -tributaries of Poyang Lake - and near the eastern bank of the Yangtse River. These were important waterways for the transportation of clays for ceramic production and wood for the kilns in the early days of the region’s history. They also provided an avenue for the export of porcelain to Europe and America. Jingdezhen was known to produce high quality ceramics as early as the Tang Dynasty (618-907).”

 
Here is a link to the website for May’s Gallery if you want to read and see more:  http://maysgallery.net/index.html

While doing research for this blog, I found out some interesting things about Blue and White porcelain and the whole “China Trade” of Porcelain. I know, I’m such a history nerd - but it all makes sense to understand why Chinese porcelains became so popular in the Western World (including Europe and America) back in the 1,700’s, and why these fine ceramics have had a place in practically every decorating style across the last 300 years.  In a nutshell, the West had to import from China because, until the early 1,700’s, western potters had not discovered the secret ingredients and techniques to make hard shell porcelains.  If you would like to know more about this topic, please see the article “History of Chinese Porcelain In America and Europe” by Bruce Richardson: 
          https://www.bostonteapartyship.com/tea-blog/history-of-chinese-porcelain-america-europe
​

​I always say that you need to showcase any accent color in your home in at least three places in a room, and those accent colors (like red) can be done easily in ceramics.  Here’s a particularly beautiful green and white vase I had my eye on for my own dining room in Sudbury which is decorated in shades of green and teal and features many treasures we have picked up from our international travels.  As you know, we recently returned from an amazing trip to Japan, Korea, and China, but we were unable to bring back breakable items like ceramics. The scene on this vase is so peaceful to me, and reminiscent of our lovely and peaceful trip.  

​So, if you are looking for that special accessory for your home, please do yourself a favor and visit May and Kevin at May’s Gallery. I’m so glad I found May’s Gallery as a unique and top-quality local resource, and I hope you’ll visit there soon.

​If you were wondering why I didn’t write a blog post last weekend – well I was in Florida on my bi-monthly visit with my Mother. This visit was especially important since during it we celebrated her latest birthday! Yea Mom!! While I was visiting my Mother I got to thinking that I should write a blog about how your age impacts the design of your house. So here it is.
 
You may have heard the term “Aging in Place,” meaning you design or renovate your home to accommodate future physical mobility and strength issues to enable you to remain in your home as long as possible in old age. An added plus to implementing “Aging in Place” measures during your healthy years is that you’ll make your home safer now and thereby prevent potential accidents and falls (which are the root cause of many senior mobility issues in the first place!).

​You might be wondering what specific knowledge and expertise I have in this area. Well, I studied all these ADA and Universal Design guidelines in design school, and have had a few clients over the years where we made deliberate changes to accommodate mobility issues. But it all came into practice in a huge way helping my mother reconfigure her apartment after a major fall more than 2 years ago. Talk about “up close and personal and immediate!”  After a long stay in the hospital and a rehabilitation facility, she came home with permanent balance issues which require her to use a walker, wheelchair or scooter. She gets around great with her walker, wheelchair and scooter, and she continues to live life independently, but boy have life and previously simple tasks changed for her. Here we are at her place just last week when I visited for her birthday—we had a lovely time!  She is such a treasure, and it was nice to see her feeling well and happy.

This getting older is truly a bummer…but that’s the reality of it.   I’m sure many of you have older and/or disabled relatives and friends whom you worry about and look after.  It’s amazing how once a relative’s physical infirmity impacts you, you see your home and all its “danger zones and hazards” in an entirely new light.
 
So, what can we do when we’re healthy and contemplating a remodeling project to make good design choices that could enhance safety and livability later -- WAY down the road?

Here are 6 Simple Remodeling Choices to Make NOW That Will Benefit You Aging in Place LATER

1. Rocker switches on lights
   1. They are much easier for frail hands (or those using a walker or wheelchair) to operate
2. Door handles (lever type), not round door knobs
   1. To increase the ease of opening doors
3. Flat thresholds between rooms and walk-in shower design
   1. To avoid tripping and falling
4. 36” wide doorways and more generous bathroom size
   1. Large enough or a wheelchair to get in, close the door, pivot, and wheel up to a sink.
      1. Consider if the door should swing in or out (or a pocket door) to enable adequate wheelchair maneuvering space in a bathroom
5. Reinforce any new wall construction now with horizontal planking between studs at the right height to facilitate secure installation of grab bars at a future date.
   1. Grab bars in a bathroom are a must for a person who is handicapped or has balance issues, and you are no doubt used to seeing grab bars in public restrooms and commercial buildings.
   2. In residential construction, with wood or metal studs, it’s not always a “simple” addition to mount grab bars on a finished sheet-rocked wall unless there is adequate support structure underneath.  After all, the grab bar has to bear a lot of weight if a person uses it to prevent a fall, so it’s best if your home’s wall structure is properly designed.
      1. This is a simple and low-cost idea during the framing stage…think of it during your next remodel!  ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) literature has guidelines for height, length, and placement of grab bars for virtually any space, but one must also take into account the height of the eventual user in a residential setting. 
         1. A petite woman and very tall man might have different height needs with respect to the exact placement of a grab bar.  
6. Look at the safety of your shower or tub while in the planning stages. 
   1. We all know how expensive it is to put in a new shower…why not add a few extra strong horizontal (or vertical or diagonal) handles or bars to enhance current safety and plan for the future. 
   2. Also, it’s not uncommon that you will have older relatives or friends staying over that might need a larger shower area, and you don’t want them to use your cramped “kids’ shower.”  Slips in the shower are all too common…a few strategically placed bars during your bath redo are very wise.  And you can hang your wet washcloths on them too, just sayin…

​So, a little dose of practicality in today’s blog, just some things to think about if you are doing a remodeling project and want to use some good design principles.  Actually, “Aging in Place” principles go hand-in-hand with “Universal Design,” the idea that products and buildings should be both aesthetically appealing and inherently usable to the widest possible audience, including people with disabilities and mobility issues.  And if you sell your home and buyers are attracted by the fact that your home is already conducive to handle a visitor with special needs, perfect!

Above is a photo of my mother’s shower area in one of the two bathrooms in her apartment.  You can see the rocker switch on the wall and the extra vertical grab bars we had installed inside and outside the shower to enable her to safely step over the threshold.  It was a simple matter to install a hand-held shower head to her original wall-mounted shower head and add the plastic shower seat.   It might not look so pretty with all that silver hardware, but the bathroom was designed large enough she could maneuver with her wheelchair to access the toilet, sink and shower, so the changes were straightforward and low-cost.   We didn’t have to move any walls or do any major construction in her apartment remodel, thank goodness. We just had to add the grab bars, improve the lighting (so important), rearrange things to lower cabinets for accessibility, install low (commercial style) carpeting to allow for easier wheelchair use, move the washer/dryer, and basically “rethink” every task and unsteady step she would need to take. The occupational therapists were superb and helped us in planning for this new reality.  

In addition to all my other efforts I am currently working as the “On-Site Designer” with One Wingate Way in Needham, MA (http://onewingateway.com/), an independent living community very similar to my mother’s.  It’s a great concept, and as a family member, a living arrangement I highly endorse for safety, peace of mind, and enjoyment.  At One Wingate Way, I provide new residents with any interior design services they may need to make their well-appointed luxury apartments their own.  It’s certainly a pleasure to partner with One Wingate Way and get to know their residents!  Above is a photo of the showroom I have set up in one of the apartments at One Wingate Way:

For more information on Aging-in-place, I encourage you to visit the following website from the National Council on Aging Care and check back on my blog for future posts. Next time we’re in this category I’ll cover super-helpful gadgets.  Who doesn’t love a gadget in this day and age?  Here are some great tips on making sound decisions for your bedroom redesign:
http://www.aginginplace.org/aging-in-place-important-updates-and-modifications-for-the-bedroom

If you would like to read the detailed report prepared by Marianne Cusato, HomeAdvisor’s Housing Expert and a Professor of the Practice at the University of Notre Dame’s School of Architecture, you can find it here:
https://www.homeadvisor.com/r/?p=16834&preview=true#.WATG1ZMrJBw

In addition, here’s a terrific article from Jon Gorey published in the Boston Globe on Nov 25, 2016 “Don’t wait until it’s too late to make your home accessible”:  https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2016/11/25/how-build-your-home-now-accessible-for-all/HzVhDRFlKQy6naihhQGaFJ/story.html

That’s all for now.  If this “Aging in Place” subject is of interest to you, write to me and tell me what issues and questions you have, and I’ll address them in future posts.

Until next weekend - be safe and happy!