(Image credit: Ishka Designs Inc, 50 1stdibs)

Guest rooms come with the added predicament that they are typically unused and the smaller room in the home. 'A guest bedroom is often the unloved room in the house where more mundane tasks take place, like sorting the washing,' points out Brooke Aitken of Brooke Aitken Design. 'It is the poor cousin of the master bedroom, lonely and used sparingly unless utilized as the now ubiquitous home office.

However, a guest bedroom should be a gracious host to a traveling visitor,' Brooke says. To help you plan a guest bedroom to be proud of, we've spoken to the designers to find out their top hosting tips.

A guest bedroom isn't like any other room in the house, and designing the space is all about putting yourself in the mindset of a visitor. Instead of getting tempted to fill it with your favorite things, you need to think about what your guest wants, and how to make it a calming retreat, fitting for all who use the space overnight. It's about creating a little oasis of calm away from hosts and ensuring they are as cozy and comfortable as possible.

What should be in a guest room? 8 essential additions | Livingetc

https://www.livingetc.com/author/oonagh-turner

Tsar Carpets based in Melbourne, Australia and Brooke Aitken Design founder debuts Passage, a wool and Tencel collection celebrating the passing of time and shifting of light.

People who appreciate handmade ceramics understand the process takes time, passion, love and commitment. Handmade ceramics are unique, no two pieces will ever be the same. Different clays shrink at different rates from approximately 10- 20% depending on the type of clay.

The clays that are used are all stoneware or porcelain and have been chosen for the results that can be achieved with the glazes that are mixed.

The glazes are chosen so that we can achieve specific colours or finishes and sometimes applying two glazes to get different effects. These glazes are not commercially available and take a lot of testing to achieve the results that we want to attain.

Stoneware ceramics are usually fired twice. The first firing is called a bisque fire and usually the kiln temperature will be between 900 and 1000 C. The second firing is a glaze firing to vitrify the piece and the temperature is raised to about 1250 to 1280 C (depending on the glazes and the clay).

Any exposed pieces where there is no glaze will have a liquid quartz applied to them to create an invisible, long lasting, protective barrier against moisture, food juices, & other contaminants. Stoneware is dishwasher, microwave, and oven safe. Most pieces can go from the oven to the table to the dishwasher.

Arrows are suddenly everywhere, and the look is on point. Along with providing geometric interest, dart motifs supply a dash of graphic drama that won’t disrupt a clean-lined interior scheme. From hand-tufted rugs to textured wallcoverings, Business of Home presents six of-the-moment finds that offer a fresh spin on the pointed pattern.

Rill+Stone showcased our Night Blue rug and samples at the Subzero showroom in Sydney. Tsar Carpets and Rill+Stone joined a large gathering of Sydney designers and listened to a talk by Belle / H&G editor Tanya Buchanan.

Thanks to the Subzero Wolf team for putting together such a wonderful event that was catered perfectly. Thanks also to Michelle from Tsar Carpets joining us in showcasing one of our Passage rugs.

Nexus is a sensory experience showcasing sculpturally crafted rugs that are both functional and aesthetic - A tale of nature and connection told through the medium of design.

Nexus showcases in-house Tsar designs alongside collaborations with leading architects and designers including Brooke Aitken - Rill and Stone.