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If you’re hosting the festivities this year, KAREN REED shares her tips on the linens and little touches to help you create a guest room that they’ll instantly feel at home in.
A few nights before Christmas, in homes all over the world, little-used spare rooms are transformed into warm and welcoming spaces in which to receive friends and family. This year, REED is on hand to help you make it a space filled with even more comfort and joy, and the world’s most inviting bed linen.
As you’d expect from a long line of linen makers, in the Reed family home Karen pays special attention to the look and feel of the bed, particularly when hosting guests. “I love making a statement with pillows, and like to include four – or even six – in varying shapes, sizes, bed linen styles and colours, for a really plump and sumptuous look. Plenty of pillows will make it easy for guests to prop themselves up in bed with a book or their morning coffee, and it’s a simple but effective way to create that hotel feel that everyone loves.”
“White bed linen is a classic choice, of course, but since a guest room is a space that you and your visitors won’t be spending a huge amount of time in, you can be bolder with your design choices in a guest room,” says Karen. “The winter months are perfect for introducing warmer, richer colours, so consider bed linen in unusual hues such as our intense Ebony sateen and Tan percale fabrics. Or add a flash of colour to white bed linen with satin cording.”
“White bed linen is a classic choice, of course, but since a guest room is a space that you and your visitors won’t be spending a huge amount of time in, you can be bolder with your design choices in a guest room,” says Karen.
When it comes to the perfect amount of linen on a bed, everyone has their own preference, so Karen suggests keeping a few spare flat sheets and a blanket in the room’s trunk or wardrobe so that guests can create their ideal bed linen set-up easily. REED’s quilted bedspreads are a versatile choice all year round, and available in an array of neutral and bright colours and stitching designs to complement your room design.
Bath linen is just as important, says Karen. “If your guests are lucky enough to have their own bathroom, fill it with lovely lotions and items they might have forgotten, whether it’s practical things such as cotton wool and toothpaste, or luxurious such as scented candles or a bottle of cologne. If they’re sharing a bathroom with other guests, hanging a robe on the back of their bedroom door means that they can grab a quick snack or morning coffee without feeling as if they have to get dressed. Everyone is travelling lighter these days, and robes are one of these essential things that they may not have thought to bring with them.”
REED’s cosseting Winter Gowns are available in cotton and linen, and lined with soft terry towelling that’s perfect for throwing on after a shower, and they also make a fabulous Christmas gift.
A generous stack of fluffy white towels is an absolute must, says Karen, and REED’s Princess Grace towels are about as luxurious at they come. “Our Princess Grace towels are extra-large and feel really decadent. When it’s something that guests will be using a lot throughout their stay, it’s worth investing in high-quality towels. Ours are so well made that they really do keep that new-towel softness for years.”
REED supplies linens for some of the world’s best hotels, and Karen borrows a handful of hotel-style details when hosting guests at the family home. “It sounds obvious, but I always leave a pretty glass jug filled with water and a couple of drinking glasses by the bed, and a jar of biscuits on the dressing table is a fun idea – depending on how well they know you, guests might not feel confident rifling around in the pantry late at night for a bite!”
A notecard by the bed with the Wi-Fi password is another small touch that shows you’ve thought about your guests’ every possible need and are well prepared. As Karen notes “It’s the type of thing that guests might be reluctant to ask on arrival, but will really appreciate on that first night, when they’re tucked up in bed after a long journey.”
Bedroom images care of Singita, photographed by Adriaan Louw
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