Everyone always talks about curating the perfect primary bedroom, but the guest bedroom is often a space thats left in the metaphorical (or literal!) dustfunctioning as unadorned sleeping quarters for those once-in-a-blue moon guests. To that we say, no more.Its time guest bedrooms got the respect they deserved, in the form of intentional design that either aligns with the rest of your homes decor direction or goes against the grain. After all, such rooms are tucked-in pockets of square footage that lend themselves especially well to some experimentation.Designer Melissa Lee puts it best: People redecorating a small guest room tend to default to a neutral theme to make it feel bigger, she told ELLE DECOR. That just makes me sad. Small bedrooms are the perfect opportunity to go bold with patterns and colors that make it feel cozy and inviting.Still not sure where to begin while the clock is ticking on that Christmas drop-in from the in-laws? Pretty up the space for them (it always pays off, trust us) with these 14 ideas from our ELLE DECOR archive that show the guest bedroom should be anything but secondary.1Install Contrast LightingWilliam Jess LairdIn Melissa Lees Long Island summer home project, one of the guest bedrooms features a green wall sconce from Soane Britain that serves as the true cherry on top of the space. It contrasts remarkably with the walls and ceilings red floral patterning, and we can only imagine how much more glamorous the sconce gets when its lit up. It turned out to be everyones favorite room, Lee says of the guest chambers. Why are we not surprised?2Add Softness Underfoot Noe DeWittELLE DECOR A-List designer Nick Olsen has succeeded at making the guest room in his recent Hamptons project feel homey and invitingvia spectacular yet classy pops of color, including those provided by the pictured striped wool carpet by ABC Carpet & Home. Let this be your sign to grant your guests something soft to land their feet on each morning, without sacrificing style.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below3Wallpaper It Up!William Jess LairdThe guest room in this breezy Key West abode, courtesy of interior design firm General Assembly, is unabashedly retro. Have a little fun with the space by wallpapering it according to the more is more approach. The wallpaper seen here is Linwoods Bangkok Nights, and its a perfect match for those striped Dedar curtainscreating domestic paradise in a paradisiacal location.4Show Them You CareBjrn WallanderWho doesnt love a personalized stay at someones home that includes touches that signify the host actually cares? This guest room, in a fashion executives home on the Greek island of Patmos, has just these kinds of touches: thanks to a coverlet sourced from a Paris flea market and a goats-wool rug crafted by local women on the island as a traditional wedding gift. Things in a guest bedroom should feel like they arent last-minute, careless additions, and this particular room is nothing if not caring.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below5Create a Canopy Moment Patrick BillerIn a Toronto 1880s row house, designers Tommy Smythe and Colin Baird paired up to create a guest room, among many spirited ones in the abode, that wed honestly take permanent residence in if we could. The secret ingredient? A canopied 19th-century bed decked out in blue and green fabrics, which create a visually interesting place to rest your head.6Go with a ThemeRoger DaviesFashion designers Mark Badgley and James Mischkas horse farm in Kentucky is the definition of elevated equestrian. Every stately room fits the bill, including this second guest room, which nails the theme via a vintage blanket by Ralph Lauren Home, steamer trunks used as a side table of sorts, prints with equestrian motifs, and splashes of brown and dark green throughout. The TL;DR to all this? Choose a theme for your guest bedroom redo and let your imagination run like wild horses.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below7Work Within Space ConstraintsPablo ZamoraIf your guest bedroom isnt lofty, dont fret: Your overnight visitors will be happy with anything more than a couch. That being said, approach a small secondary bedroom space creatively, which is what Iigo Aragn and Pablo Lpez Navarro, cofounders of the design studio Casa Josephine, did in their own Madrid apartment. The bedroom here can only accommodate a twin bed, yes, but its a carved late-18th-century walnut onecatapulted into contemporaneity by its bright cushions and linens. You heard it here first: The best things come in small packages!8Envelope the RoomSimon UptonWant to ensure your guests feel like theyre wrapped in your embrace the whole time theyre staying over? Literally envelop them in a cocoon of color and patternexactly what interior designer Emma Jane Pilkington did in a Fifth Avenue guest bedroom she created for her mother. The walls, bedspread, and lampshades are all dolled up in a Fermoie splatter print. After spending a few nights in sleeping chambers like these, theyll be seeing purple for daysss (and penning a thank-you card after).Advertisement - Continue Reading Below9Go the Two-Bed RouteRoger DaviesIf you frequently host couples (or else people who wouldnt mind sharing a room with each other while they crash at your place), maximize the space with a two-bed situation. In the Ojai, California, vacation home of ELLE DECOR A-List designers Eric Hughes and Nathan Turner, the couple made sure to bypass dormitory vibes through side-by-side beds that are as fun-loving as they are upscale: boasting headboards in a Colefax and Fowler check and similarly checkered bedspreads by Schoolhouse. Are the beds matchy-matchy? Maybe, but in an ultimately endearing way tich were eager to replicate ASAP.10Add Airy and Modern TouchesTrevor TondroThanks to the help of interior designer Jake Alexander Arnold, actress Sophia Bush renovated her midcentury Hollywood home to tip-top levels: A fact thats clearly proven by this guest bedroom, which benefits from a certain kind of California-cool aesthetic. Want to achieve similar results? Take a page from Arnold's inclusion of those vintage stools at the foot of the bed (from County Ltd.), pendants that sub in for bedside lamps (the one you see is by Gubi), and a sunny color palette.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below11Try Some TextilesDan ArnoldOf course Pat McGanna prominent L.A.-based furniture and textiles dealerwould curate a textured paradise in the guest room of her 1930s Spanish-style home in the Hollywood Hills. On the daybed (another space-saving hack for such spaces, btw), Pat McGann Workshop pillows in an Indian block print and a Guatemalan blanket come together to provide a pitch-perfect global look. That early-20th-century Mahal rug from Iran, however, is the real zinger.12Give Em Space (with an Armoire)Simon WatsonEvery guest, especially if theyre the kind to stay long-term, wants space at some point (from you, for their clothes, etc.). Give them just that in the form of an armoire flanking the bed, like the pictured one in the guest bedroom of this Veere Grenneydesigned London townhouse. It comes in a pair and holds a secretits got scooped-out cubbies that function as a nightstand! Absolutely genius.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below13Dont Forget the GreeneryWilliam WaldronIn late author Julia Reeds New Orleans dwelling, the guest room was clearly a spot her beagle, Henry, favored a lot. Wed favor it, too, if we got to hang out amid that sourced-from-Afghanistan suzani, sophisticated furniture, and mood-boosting walls (in Benjamin Moores Elephant Tusk, for the curious). What elevates the room to new heights, however, is the sculptural, voluminous plant arrangement on the bedside table. All this is to say: Dont forget the flowers (or the branches!) when your guests move in.14Play with the HeadboardKelly MarshallThough this is technically not a guest room but the kids room in what was once ELLE DECORs Manhattan penthouse (designed by ELLE DECOR A-List firm Fox Nahem Associates), we chose to include it in this roundup for that headboard alone. Yes, the plush one in four distinct colorsmade by Savoir and upholstered in Dedar velvet. Its certainly bright, working in tandem with the rooms equally eye-catching nightstands, contemporary artworks, and blue-trimmed bed linens. Go ahead, upholster the guest rooms headboard in your own home. Your visitors will soon be telling everyone that youre the best DIY designer, and friend, theyve ever known.Stacia DatskovskaAssistant Digital EditorStacia Datskovska is the assistant digital editor at ELLE DECOR, where she covers news, trends, and ideas in the world of design. She also writes product reviews (like roundups of the top firepits or sheet sets)infusing them with authority and wit. As an e-commerce intern at Mashable, Stacia wrote data-driven reviews of everything from e-readers to stationary bikes to robot vacuums. Stacias culture and lifestyle bylines have appeared in outlets like USA Today, Boston Globe, Teen Vogue, Food & Wine, and Brooklyn Magazine.