Basement Guest Retreat

They thought their cluttered storage room would be the perfect retreat for out-of-town visitors (including Jen's girlfriends who come each year for a "gal's weekend extravaganza"), but they had no idea how to transform the cold, dark space. So, I got set to clear out the chaos and create a luxurious and stylish guest room that will make visitors--and family--feel right at home.

The big thing to consider when designing a guest room is that guests (hopefully) don't stay forever. So you need to create a room that will work well for your family, in addition to accommodating your visitors. With this in mind, I decided this room would walk the line between a luxurious family getaway and a five-star, boutique hotel suite.

The small room needed some more space, so I kicked off the redesign by knocking down a wall adjacent to the laundry room and stealing two extra feet. I removed the center support post, split in into two and then concealed the posts in rich, dark wood cladding. I also blocked out the room's old doorway and added a grander entrance via two gorgeous French doors. I then painted the whole room a light, neutral color and put down some prefinished dark wood laminate flooring so the room has a warm, uniform look.

Even with the extra room, I still had to maximize every square foot of space, so I designed three small areas that could each do double duty for family and guests: a lounging/sleeping area, a display/storage area and an office/vanity area.

In the lounging/sleeping area, I put in two luxuriously upholstered beds that are nestled into wooden nooks on opposite sides of the room. By day, they are the perfect chic loungers, and by night, they transform into the coziest of beds.

For the closet/storage space, I installed multifunctional dark wood cabinets for general display, in addition to two large closets for guest or family use.

I then installed a small desk that can be used by the family as an everyday office space and then turn into an elegant vanity area where guests can primp and preen.

Once the basics were place, I got to work on the luxury that would really transform this room. I decided on a rich color palette of taupe, plum and terra cotta for pillows, drapes and other accents. I also chose a variety of lavish, textured materials such as organza and velvet. For added glamour, I turned the area behind one of the beds into a feature wall with embroidered panels that make it look like a high-end work of art.

There were only two lighting sources in the room, a small window and a fluorescent light fixture. I took things further by installing recessed lighting throughout the room, moody accent lights in the back of the beds and adjustable silver reading lamps.

After a few final accents--sculptures, vases, pillows and pictures--this guest-room retreat was complete. By using dark wood, dramatic lighting and luxurious finishes, this boring basement storage room got an elegant conversion and is now ready for family, guests--and Jen's divine girlfriends!

(Interior decorator Candice Olson is host of Home & Garden Television's Divine Design. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.)