Guests are coming! Turning the spare bed into a little haven

Christmas is just around the corner, and for many of us it brings one thing: guests. The in-laws, your friend from Hamburg, your cousin with the new girlfriend nobody's met yet. And they all need a bed.

Let's be honest: in most homes, the spare bed is the saddest piece of furniture of all. A sofa bed that squeaks, an air mattress with a slow leak, or a bed in the study that spends the rest of the year as a laundry shelf.

My most important tip: test-sleep it

I know, I can't switch off from work, but spend one night in your own guest bed. It's the only way to find out that the mattress has a dip, the street lamp shines straight onto the pillow and the radiator sounds like a goods train at night. Because your guests will never tell you. They'll smile at the breakfast table and say "Slept beautifully!", and that's a lie, every single time.

A little checklist for a guest room people love

1. Fresh bed linen, of course. And an extra blanket within reach. Some people feel the cold more, especially in a strange bed.

2. Two pillows. One flat and one higher, because not everyone sleeps the same way, and nobody wants to roll up their jumper in the middle of the night.

3. A glass and a carafe of water. It sounds trivial, but it's a lifesaver at three in the morning.

4. A small light. Anyone heading to the bathroom at night in an unfamiliar flat will be grateful for a little lamp rather than a close encounter with the door frame.

5. Room in the wardrobe. A few free hangers and an empty chair say "welcome". They also stop the suitcase from exploding in the middle of the room for three days.

6. The Wi-Fi password. On a note by the bed, because it's the first thing every guest asks.

The verdict

A good guest bed is a welcome your guests feel every night. Whoever sleeps well is far more relaxed at the Christmas table the next day.

And if your mother-in-law really does say she slept beautifully: believe her, just this once.