Guest Bedroom Guide UK: Best Beds and Mattresses

Most spare rooms in the UK are not really spare rooms. They are part office, part laundry drying zone, part place where things go when you cannot decide where else to put them. Then someone announces they are staying for the weekend and you have about four days to turn it into somewhere a person would actually want to sleep.

This guide covers the whole thing. Which bed makes sense for a room that gets used ten nights a year, what mattress to pair with it, how to style it without spending a fortune, and the small details guests notice but never mention.

We have been selling beds to UK households for over a decade, and spare rooms come with their own set of problems. Here is how to solve them.

Work Out How Often the Room Gets Used

Be honest about this before you spend anything. Spare rooms fall into three groups, and each one deserves a different budget.

Occasional (under 10 nights a year). Christmas, the odd friend passing through. You need something comfortable and clean, not a showpiece.

Regular (monthly or more). Family who visit often, a partner's children, a lodger. This room needs a proper bed and a proper mattress, because someone sleeps on it enough to feel the difference.

Dual purpose. The room is an office or a gym most of the year and a bedroom occasionally. Here the bed needs to earn its floor space or disappear when not needed.

Spending king size money on a room used four nights a year makes no sense. Spending guest bed money on a room used fifty nights a year makes even less.

Best Beds for a Guest Bedroom

Divan beds with storage

For most spare rooms, a divan bed is the sensible answer. The base is solid, it takes up less visual space than a frame, and the drawers give you somewhere to keep guest bedding, towels and the things that currently live on the spare room floor.

Pick two drawers if the bed sits against a wall, four if you have clearance on both sides. Spare rooms are usually smaller, so check before ordering.

Ottoman storage beds

If the spare room is also your overflow storage, an ottoman storage bed is the strongest option. The whole base lifts on gas struts and gives you one large compartment underneath, enough for suitcases, Christmas decorations and spare duvets.

This matters in a guest room specifically, because it means the room can hold your clutter all year and still look clear when someone stays.

Guest beds and folding options

For rooms that are genuinely an office first, a dedicated guest bed folds away and comes out when needed. You lose some comfort compared to a full divan, but you keep the floor space for 350 days of the year.

Upholstered bed frames

If the spare room doubles as the nice room you show people, an upholstered bed frame with a headboard does more for the look than anything else you can buy. Our Luna, Willow and Olivia frames all come in at around £269.99 with a free 54 inch headboard included.

What Size Bed for a Guest Room?

This is where people overthink it.

 

The honest advice: if couples ever stay, buy a double. Two adults on a single zip-together arrangement or a small double will not sleep well, and they will not tell you. If only individuals ever stay, a single or small double frees up a lot of room.

If you are stuck between sizes, our bed size guide walks through the measurements properly.

For genuinely small spare rooms, we have a separate guide on beds for small bedrooms worth reading first.

Choosing a Guest Room Mattress

Here is the trap. People buy the cheapest mattress available for the spare room, and then every guest spends the night rolling into a dip.

You do not need your best mattress in there. You do need one that works for a body you know nothing about. Your guest might be 9 stone or 18, a side sleeper or a back sleeper, 25 or 75.

Go medium firm. It suits the widest range of sleepers and offends nobody. Avoid very soft, which punishes heavier guests, and avoid very firm, which punishes lighter ones.

Pocket sprung is the safest pick. Each spring moves independently, so it adapts to different body shapes and keeps motion isolated if a couple stays. Our pocket sprung range starts around £249.99 for the 1000 Pocket Pillow Top Reflex.

Orthopaedic works if guests are older. Firmer support suits anyone with back trouble, and older relatives often struggle to get out of a soft low bed. Our orthopaedic mattresses start around £179.99.

Open coil is fine for genuinely occasional use. If the room sees under ten nights a year, an open coil mattress does the job at the lowest cost. Just do not put one in a room someone sleeps in weekly.

One thing worth knowing: a mattress left unused for months can smell musty. Air the room and strip the bed back a day before guests arrive.

Guest Bedroom Styling That Actually Helps

Styling a guest room is less about looking good in photos and more about someone sleeping well in an unfamiliar house.

The things that matter most:

• Blackout curtains or a blind. Your guest does not know where the light falls at 6am.
• A bedside surface with a lamp. Phone, glasses, water. Without this they put everything on the floor.
• A plug socket they can reach. Most people need to charge a phone overnight.
• Somewhere to put a suitcase. A bench, a chair, a clear patch of floor. Living out of a bag on the carpet is miserable.
• Spare pillows in two firmnesses. Pillow preference is intensely personal and you cannot guess it.
• Hooks or hangers. Even two hooks on the back of the door beats nothing.

Colour wise, warm neutrals work best in a guest room. Mushroom, soft greige, warm clay and muted sage all feel welcoming and forgive a mix of bedding. Avoid stark brilliant white, which reads cold and shows every mark.

Skip the decorative cushion mountain. Your guest has to put them somewhere at midnight and will quietly resent you.

The Small Details Guests Notice

• Fresh bedding, obviously, but also a mattress protector that has actually been washed
• A spare blanket at the foot of the bed, since people run hot and cold differently
• A bin in the room
• A clear surface, not one covered with your things
• Wifi password written down somewhere visible
• A couple of towels left on the bed rather than making them ask

None of these cost much. Together they are the difference between a room someone tolerates and a room someone enjoys.

Setting Up a Dual Purpose Room

If the spare room is mostly an office, a few things help:

• Choose a bed with storage so your work things can disappear into it
• Keep the desk clear of permanent clutter so it can become a dressing table
• A folding or guest bed keeps the floor usable year round
• Store guest bedding in the bed itself rather than a separate cupboard

The goal is a room that converts in twenty minutes, not two hours.

Guest Room on a Budget

You can put together a decent spare room for under £500 if you prioritise properly:

1. Bed base with storage takes most of the budget
2. Medium firm mattress, pocket sprung if it stretches
3. Blackout curtain or blind
4. Bedside table and lamp
5. Bedding, pillows, spare blanket

Everything after that is decoration and can wait.

Ready to Sort Your Spare Room?

Everything we sell is handcrafted in the UK, and our two person team delivers to the room of your choice within 3 to 10 working days. We also offer assembly and old bed recycling if you are replacing what is already in there.

With 908 reviews averaging 4.57 stars and over a decade of trading as a family business, we know what works in a spare room and what does not.

Not sure which size or mattress to pick? Call us on 01484 260436, email info@divanfactoryoutlet.co.uk or message us on WhatsApp. Tell us the room dimensions and who stays, and we will point you at the right option.

Browse divan bed sets or see the full mattress range.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What size bed is best for a guest bedroom in the UK? 

A double at 4ft 6 is the standard choice because it works for couples and individuals alike. If only one person ever stays, a single at 3ft or small double at 4ft frees up useful floor space. Buy the double if couples visit at all, since two adults on a small double sleep badly and rarely say anything about it. Measure the room first and allow 60cm of walking space on any side you need to use.

2. What type of mattress should I buy for a spare room?

Medium firm pocket sprung is the safest choice because it adapts to different body weights and sleeping positions, which matters when you do not know who is staying. Orthopaedic suits rooms used by older relatives who need firmer support and a higher sitting edge. Open coil is acceptable only if the room genuinely sees under ten nights a year.

3. How much should I spend on a guest bed?

Match the spend to the use. Under ten nights a year justifies a basic divan and open coil mattress for around £300 total. A room used monthly deserves a proper pocket sprung mattress and a storage base, closer to £500 to £700. Rooms with a lodger or frequent long stays should be treated like a main bedroom.

4. Is an ottoman bed a good idea for a guest room?

Yes, particularly if the spare room doubles as storage. The gas lift base gives you one large compartment for suitcases, seasonal bedding and clutter, which means the room can hold your things all year and still look clear when guests arrive. Check ceiling height above the bed before ordering, since the base lifts to around 1.5 to 2 metres.

5. How do I make a small spare room feel comfortable?

Keep the bed as small as your guests allow, choose storage built into the base rather than extra furniture, and use warm neutral colours rather than brilliant white. A wall mounted light instead of a bedside lamp frees up surface space. Leaving a clear patch of floor for a suitcase matters more than most people realise.

6. What should every guest bedroom have?

Blackout curtains, a bedside surface with a lamp, a reachable plug socket, somewhere to put a suitcase, two pillows of different firmness and a spare blanket. Add a bin, a few hooks for clothes and the wifi password written down. These cost very little and make more difference than any decorative touch.

7. Can I use a guest bed as a permanent bed?

Folding guest beds are built for occasional use and are not comfortable enough for every night. If someone sleeps in the room more than a couple of nights a week, buy a proper divan or upholstered frame with a real mattress. Guest beds work best in rooms that are an office or gym most of the year.

8. How do I stop a spare room mattress smelling musty?

Air the room regularly rather than keeping the door shut for months, and strip the bed back a day before guests arrive so the mattress can breathe. A washable mattress protector helps, provided you actually wash it between stays. If the room suffers from damp, avoid sealing bedding inside a storage base without ventilation.

9. Should a guest room bed have a headboard?

Yes, for two practical reasons. A headboard stops pillows sliding down behind the bed and protects the wall from marks, which matters more in a room with different people using it. It also makes the room look finished rather than temporary. Many of our upholstered frames include a 54 inch headboard at no extra cost.

10. How quickly can I get a guest bed delivered?

Our delivery runs 3 to 10 working days across the UK with a two person team who bring it to the room of your choice. If you have guests arriving soon, order sooner rather than later and consider adding assembly so the bed is ready to use on the day it arrives. Old bed recycling can be booked at the same time.