How to Organize a Small Office for Guests (Guest Post)

Receive visitors into your house with relaxing accommodations. Regardless of whether it’s an extra bedroom or perhaps a home office which doubles as a guest room there is steps you can take to always be ready for planned or unplanned visitors.

Some people may be lucky enough to have a room that is used; for the most part, strictly for guests. Many people, however, either have to move one of the kids to a couch or to share a room with someone else, or put the guests up in a room that is also used as a home office.

If you’re one of the someone’s who will be turning the office into a guest friendly space, here are some ideas you might find helpful. Having company in your home, whether it’s family or friends, can certainly be a stressful situation.

It doesn’t matter if they are staying for a day or a week, you will want to be prepared so you can be a good host, make your guests as comfortable as possible, and keep your home-life running without interruption.

Outfitting a Home Office/Guest Room.

When purchasing furniture, keep it functional. Pick furnishings that work in the space you have available.

Sofa Bed:
Sofa beds come in a variety of sizes and comfort levels. Make sure when it’s extended there will be enough comfortable space to move around the bed.

Shelving:
A shelving unit comes in handy not only for your office needs but for holding items like a small TV (with DVD player), movies, music, and books that your company can read, watch, and listen to. Also look for a shelf that has a locking cabinet where you can put your personal papers while there is company in your house.

Desk:
Again, depending on the available space in the room, you don’t want to get an oversized desk that is too large for the room nor one that doesn’t allow enough walking around room when the sofa bed is extended.

There are many styles available, some with drawer space, some without. Some fully enclosed on all sides, and some with just legs, a desktop, and maybe a sliding shelf. If you have a desktop computer you may want to opt for a fully enclosed style desk to hide the computer case and wires.

If you purchase one with drawers, get one that has a locking drawer where the files are kept. It’s not that you don’t trust your guest, but your private information is your private information.

Miscellaneous Furniture:
You may want to purchase some kind of side table with a cubby area and a drawer. This way your guests have a place for cell phones, jewelry, wallets, etc. The cubby area can be a place for you to put blankets so your company has something to cuddle up in while watching a movie.

Hanging decorative hooks on a wall or something over the door are a nice place to hang a towel or a bathrobe.

Preparing for Guests.
Once you have the furniture purchased and the room setup – get organized and be prepared. Get some decorative baskets to keep supplies in and have ready for even the untimely visitor.

Guest Basket:
You can put these together ahead of time and store them on a closet shelf, cover them plastic wrap to keep the dust out. The basket is like a starter package and can contain:

bath towels and wash cloths
unopened soap
toothbrush and toothpaste
shampoo, conditioner, q-tips, and lotions

Keep a note on top letting them know where additional supplies are kept.

Closet Space:
Organizing and making sure you have space in the closet is something you don’t want to forget. Your guests may need a place where they can hang their clothes. Keep floor space available for a suitcase or two, shoes, and miscellaneous items. If your closet has shelves, you should also have one or two empty for your company to keep pants, shirts, socks, and other clothing items.

The Late Night Snacker:
You never know if one of your guests is someone who gets up in the middle of the night to get a snack. Leave a tray out on the counter before you go to bed with a box of cookies, crackers, a drinking glass, a bowl with silverware and a note letting them know where additional items can be found.

Tour the House:
Besides the gesture of having guest baskets available, give your guests a tour of the house. This may not always happen until the day after they arrive because of the initial visiting that is done but it will help to make your visitors more comfortable knowing where everything is kept.

Guest Password for Computer:
Most computers today allow you to have multiple login accounts. Make one for guests where they can have access to the internet but not your personal papers and files.

This is a guest post by Kathy, a housecleaning professional who works for Mrs. Clean USA, a maid service in Seattle, Washington. If you’d like to guest post, please see the guidelines here.

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iDreamOfClean

I’m a wife. I’m a mom. And I don’t like to clean! With a house full of boys, though, cleaning is inevitable. That's why I've made it my mission to find the best organizing and cleaning tips. Hopefully, those tips will help us spend less time cleaning and more time with the ones we love.