6 Things That Are Making Your Guest Room Look Cluttered

If your guest room has become a glorified storage unit over the years, you’re not alone. Space is a luxury, and we all have to get creative with our square footage from time to time. 

But it’s easy for things to get out of hand in a room you can keep the door closed to for the majority of the year. When was the last time you observed your guest room with a critical eye? Has it become a graveyard to forgotten hobbies? Are your visitors navigating bins of wrapping paper to reach the bed? 

A cluttered guest room can make a guest feel like an afterthought. It doesn’t matter how comfortable the bed is—nobody wants to spend a night in a room that feels like a junk drawer come to life. 

Even if you think your guest room is tidy and welcoming, you could be overlooking a few of the following things that experts say are making it feel cluttered. 

Exposed Storage  

As tempting as it might be to just toss your boxes of Halloween decorations in your guest room, Victoria Tran, founder of Sorted Professional Organizing in New Orleans, says to avoid using it as a catch-all for out-of-season items or storage bins. Prioritize keeping the space intentionally clear and welcoming for guests.

If you have no other choice than to store things in your guest room, Ashley Murphy, co-founder and CEO of NEAT Method and author of The NEAT Method Organizing Recipe Book, says to at least be discreet about it. Murphy says to avoid the urge to pile boxes and spare equipment in the corners of the room or on open shelving. Instead, utilize the closet and enclosed furniture pieces as much as you can so you can tuck it all behind closed doors. 

Too Many Decorative Pillows 

It’s tempting to go overboard with decorative pillows in a guest bedroom. But remember that people do actually need to sleep in there at some point. Not only are they impractical, but Tran warns that an excess of throw pillows can overwhelm a space. She recommends sticking to two or three pillows in complementary sizes for a polished look.

Keepsakes and Memorabilia

Tonia Tomlin, founder of Sorted Out in Plano, Texas, warns against letting your guest room become a shrine to a parent or family member who has passed away. Memorabilia and other sentimental keepsakes can overrun a guest room, making them feel more like a storage unit than a bedroom.

Oversized Furniture

Guest rooms are the perfect spot for hand-me-down furniture. Even though the price was right on Memaw’s bulky old dresser, it might be too big for the room. Murphy recommends streamlining the layout of the room by only including furniture pieces that fit comfortably in the space. Need to store a queen size bed within a small footprint? Consider a Murphy bed or sleeper sofa.

Excess Decor

Guest rooms are one of the most frequently overlooked spaces in a home when it comes to decorating, which means they often become a dumping ground for random items and mismatched decor. Frames, figurines, vases ,and other decorative pieces can overwhelm a space if done in excess, Murphy says. She recommends allowing some “breathing room” on nightstands, dressers, and desk surfaces to provide balance and allow your guests to use those spaces as their own drop zones. 

Exercise Machines 

Tomlin sees a lot of clients with exercise machines in their guest rooms. These are bulky and take up a large amount of space. Plus, a treadmill doesn’t exactly scream “rest and relaxation.”