Although we have been in our home for two years now, we are finally getting to the point where we feel things are “coming together”. Two years may not sound like a long time for a home to feel complete, but as an interior designer, it feels like a decade. Our guest room has been the room that has struggled a bit, which looking back, should’ve been the first one to prioritize considering we host guests often and have combined it with my office. I’ve been attempting to make this room feel warmer and more inviting for guests while keeping it functional for my everyday work environment.
Recently I’ve been introduced to Finally Bulbs, a light bulb created with Tesla Technology™ based in Boston, and an energy efficient bulb made to last without the cringe-worthy blue light that a typical LED bulb emits.
“Finally was founded on the notion that people should not have to sacrifice light quality for energy efficiency.” – Finally Bulbs
This is going to be quite the problem-solver for this designer (pointing at me). I’ve been working on energy efficient lighting for various clients and we can’t seem to find a solution when sourcing LED fixtures. There are either not attractive fixtures or they emit a blue light that will eventually make us all…well, sad. Trust me on this, without getting into the nitty-gritty on this topic, I will say: there are studies being done that blue light is not good for us and can leave us in a depressed state causing more health issues.
That being said, with inefficient bulbs filling our home and my bad habit of leaving all the lights on because I’m scared of the dark, I decided to test out a couple Finally Bulbs in our guest room to see how they compare. When designing a space, obviously I want as much natural light as possible, but when artificial lighting comes into play during the night hours, I want it to be warm and easy on the eyes. Well, I’m happy to report back I think I’ve found my new go-to light bulb. The quality of light is SO good, you guys – whites are whiter and colors are brighter. I’m truly impressed! 
In addition to warm, energy-efficient lighting, here are some other ways you can create an inviting guest room:
1. add plants and/or fresh flowers – this is a quick, cheap, and easy way to make a room feel more welcoming. It’s simply the best accessory a room can have!
2. layer your bedding with options for the guests – everyone likes different temperatures while they sleep. I love our new Seersucker Duvet and shams for the Summer months as it’s lightweight and bright white. We also recently switched our uncomfortable mattress to a Nectar Sleep and we LOVE it! (click the Nectar Sleep link to the left for $125 off & 2 pillows). Now we can rest assured our guests aren’t uncomfortable when they stay at our home.
3. leave fresh water and some snacks – traveling guests might arrive with an empty belly and water is always key. I try to make sure guests don’t have to ask for things like water or where more toilet paper is located by leaving them easily accessible.
4. if you want to go the extra mile, create a little basket filled with towels, samples of bath products, water, snacks, the Wi-Fi password, a couple of magazines/books, any touristy items, and anything else you think they would enjoy! I haven’t done this for our previous guests this year (sorry friends) but I’m going to try to begin doing this again!
I try to keep my work area as organized as possible, but I don’t have a lot of space for my interior design samples and it tends to get chaotic during the week. But when I prepare for guests, I will typically put extra samples and random papers, etc. in a box and put it in our basement. We don’t have much storage in our condo, but there’s a ton downstairs. By the way, I changed the light bulb in this Ikea task light to a Finally Bulb and it’s made an incredible difference when I’m working at night or it’s rainy and dark outside. 
Click here to switch your bulbs to Finally!
The kind team at Finally Bulbs has kindly offered to giveaway a Finally Bulb to 50 of our readers, and it takes just seconds to enter.
Head over to Oh, I Design Blog & Finally Bulbs around 10:30am today for more info!
This post was kindly sponsored by Finally Bulbs, a brand we are very excited about and use in our home every day. All thoughts & opinions in this post are, as always, my own. Thank you for supporting brands that are supporting Oh, I Design Blog!
If you are like me, you probably have a handful of art prints/pictures stashed away that are waiting to be framed or that are in beat-up old frames needing to replaced. I also have slight commitment issues when it comes to wall art. I know, seems silly when I’m able to make those decisions for clients all day long. I guess it’s how that saying goes, “the cobbler’s children have no shoes”. 😉 So, with the help of my friends’ at 
2. SELECTING THE FRAME: 
“In 2016, Jameson & Thompson began a partnership with 
TA DA! What a transformation, right? My favorite part is Stephanie’s idea of adding a double mat but only show a tiny bit of the dark mat to break up the white and add contrast. That tiny detail made all the difference! I can’t thank the entire Jameson & Thompson team enough for giving new life to our art prints!
sources for photos above: one – 
Some velvet decor + furniture I’m loving!
I couldn’t be more excited to share a product that my dear friend and previous studio mate, Kathryn of 
“The print is her Hampton links pattern that covers many 
I love that these photos were taken in our old studio – bringing back great memories of sharing a creative space with Kathryn of 
Guys, I am having the hardest time deciding which color to choose? I keep going back and forth because I love them both.
