I can’t take the credit for this idea that is LITERALLY sweet! Michael and I drove to my designer’s home in northern Virginia during our rebrand process we were treated like royalty! Jen and Aaron Olmstead are the BEST hosts. Despite all of the work we needed to do and the fact that they have a new baby, they pulled out all of the stops to make sure we felt welcomed and at home! The more Michael and I travel and stay with friends, the more I realize that there are SO many little ways that people make us feel welcomed!
You can make your guests feel welcome is so many simple, inexpensive ways. They don’t need a full bed set that perfectly matches the wall color or a guest suite with it’s own bathroom… they just need to feel loved and cared for! Now, I LOVE creating pretty spaces and so those are ideas that I dream about but they aren’t necessary.
Jen showed us to our room and after we set our bags down and admired her gorgeous, minimalist style. Her guest room looks like it’s straight out of a West Elm catalog!! It’s stunning! And then I saw her genius and oh-so-personal touch. Two of her favorite (and recent) magazines were sitting on the dresser with a bar of dark chocolate!!! It took me a second and then I realized they were for US! How SWEET! LITERALLY!!!!
So now we have adopted that concept! When we have out of town guests coming into town, Michael changes the sheets and I make sure we have two fresh magazines and two bars of our favorite chocolate! It’s a fun, welcoming touch that doesn’t break the bank but looks adorable and welcoming!
I buy our magazines and chocolate from Target because we’re ALWAYS in there for some reason. It’s important to implement hosting ideas that fit into your normal life habits so that it’s not more work for you!! I hope if some of you guys are looking for little ways to make your guests feel extra welcome on a budget, this was helpful!!
** Ps. Some people have asked “Do the guests TAKE the magazines?!” and to be honest, some do and some don’t and that’s totally fine with us!
Thanks for reading!
— Katelyn
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