How long do your guests stay? Do they have kids?

I'd like a radio tuned to a local station that gives weather and maybe traffic reports. And a comfortable chair with a good reading lamp and a throw blanket. Some hanging space in a closet that I felt free to use, ie not crammed in with my host's out of season clothes.

I would at least like to see a door between the two rooms. You would want to furnish it as you would any living space. Without knowing the dimensions it's difficult to suggest furniture. A small room might contain two chairs and ottomans sharing a nice table between them, with a lamp on the table tall enough so that both people can read; a flat surface like a small table or desk with an un upholstered chair for writing, doing puzzles, etc., a TV or an iPad and/or kindle for entertainment.

Like crl_ said, a lot depends on the guests. Whether they're family or friends, young or older.

We're empty-nesters who turned the bedroom adjacent to the guest room into a TV room and it works perfectly for us. Our DS & his family live overseas so their visits aren't frequent but they tend to be long - a couple weeks or more.

I actually like that the rooms are separate. Someone can be sleeping in while an early-riser can go to the next room and check emails or catch morning news & weather. Works well in reverse if the household turns in earlier & a guest wants to watch a late night talk show.

If you host guests with kids consider having an ottoman with storage so you can stash toys and games.

Agree w/kswl that a door connecting the two rooms is a good idea. I think it's a great idea to have separate relaxing space for guests so that you don't have them under foot and in your space constantly and so they don't feel like they have to be. A sitting room is a great idea. A TV, comfortable seating, maybe a sofa and a recliner for reading, music, a vanity perhaps?

A door is a brilliant idea. Makes it feel more like a room, gives more privacy then having to go into the hall way, but doesn't reduce the BR count for resale.

I generally think people would want comfy armchairs and an ottoman, a small desk, TV, and maybe a place to make coffee with a small fridge. Think hotel suite.

I would like a small console table with a straight chair to act as a desk in addition to a comfortable place to lounge and watch television or read. I also would like excellent wifi reception.

use by one guest/couple or married couple and their child/ren.
We have a similar set up which is now being used by our son and his son since our son's divorce. Seeing it from that point of view, I see no reason to have a door between the two bedrooms as one can easily walk down the hall to get to the other room. A door connecting the two would only, in my opinion, make each room more limited in how one could arrange the furniture in each of them.

Leaving them as they are, again in my opinion, would also make it easier to have guests that would rather have a little privacy. Either two adults, two (or multiple children/teens) or parents and their children. If you don't need the space to use when you do not have guests, you could make it two bedrooms, though If it were our home, I'd want the smaller room to function as a den for when I only have guests in the larger room so they could use it as a living room. Therefore I'd furnish it with a comfortable sleeper sofa of some sort, TV and small desk for their computer. You could leave a note with a guest password for your wireless router.

Thank you so much everyone for your help. Don't think I will create a door, but loved all the ideas regarding furniture. I'm looking forward to the project!

I'd make a sitting area with a tv, table for magazines etc, comfy seating.

I would want a few easy chairs for reading or conversing and I'd want a desk with a lamp so I could sort papers or work on the computer or stuff like that. As a guest, if I couldn't have both, I'd prefer the TV in the bedroom. If you can fit the daybed that might be nice if you have "overflow" guests...Mom and Dad in guest room, child in the auxiliary... Or like they do in the suites hotels, they have a sofa and a chair but the sofa converts to a bed if needed.

We have two spare bedrooms. One has a queen size bed with a large bedside table, as well as a large armoire, a cedar chest and a chair. There's not room for much else. And in this small house the closet in that room is actually MY closet, so the armoire is where guests can hang clothes. It also houses blankets/quilts and some extra/different pillows.

The other bedroom is very small and also serves as my office. I decided to add a daybed to this room so that if someone is traveling with a child, no one is stuck on the couch. It also works well for two visitors who don't need to/want to share a bed (i.e., DH's dad and uncle). One can be in the true guest room and the other in the little room.

One of my projects for this weekend is to straighten out this dang office. It has become a dumping ground for things that need to be filed, DH's workout clothes, my music stuff. December through February I was studying for the bar and after the exam I just dumped everything and have ignored it. I need to straighten out the bookshelves and empty out the dresser that's in here so I can actually store things appropriately and the room won't be a cluttered mess for guests when they start arriving in the summer.

A mini fridge is a great idea. I didn't think about that, but we keep on in our upstairs laundry room that we keep water and a few other items for guests in the past. Having it in the laundry room makes it accessible to both guests and those that live in the home without anyone having to invade private space.

We have two rooms that also serve as guest bedrooms. My parents regularly visit us and typically stay for 2-3 weeks. My SIL and some friends come occasionally for 3-4 day visits. The room where my parents stay is also my home office/sewing room. It's a den without a closet on the first floor. I set it up as a dual purpose room:

- I found that a queen size futon worked better than a sleeper sofa or a bed. Not a cheap futon from Target, but a more expensive one from a specialty store. Our futon has an innerspring mattress. When unfolded, with all the bedding on top, it looks like a regular queen bed. My parents, who are in their 70's, love the mattress. When they aren't here visiting, the futon works fine as a couch;

- I bought a vintage chifferobe like this one. Same setup inside but different exterior. Mine is a solid quartersawn oak, made in England in the 30's-40's. It holds my sewing projects, both folded on the shelves and hanging on the hangers, as well as my sewing machine. When my parents come over, my sewing work-in-progress goes into a box and to another closet together with the sewing machine. I hardly do any sewing when I have guests!

- I also have a vanity with a tall mirror - great for my guests and also for myself when I try on clothes I'm working on;

- All my sewing implements and office stuff are stored in a long nine-drawer dresser. There are bookshelves on the wall right above the dresser, and also a tall bookshelf on another wall. Half of the shelf space is taken up by books and binders for my writing projects, and the rest is just regular reading material - novels, paperbacks, magazines, etc. My mom often peruses my decor and gardening magazines, and my dad pulls out a book or two as well;

- I use a 4' by 4' dining table as my work desk. It's easy to disassemble by just unscrewing the legs. When guests come, we move the table to the garage so there would be enough room for the fully unfolded queen futon and an armchair. The armchair migrates from another room on the same floor;

- My computer stuff is minimal since I use a laptop and wireless printer/scanner/copier. The compact printer sits on the long dresser under the bookshelves. The modem and router are in my DH's home office.

We have a TV in a room next door, which works great as a retreat away from the hubbub of activity on the upper floor. It's a split entry house with the kitchen, dining and living rooms on the second floor.

The other guest bedroom has a daybed with a twin mattress, a bedside stand, a humongous recliner, a writing desk and a closet. It's on the second floor. When my SIL or a single friend visit, they stay there. I make room for the guest's things in the closet by moving half of the clothes to the chifferobe in my home office/sewing room. The closet has a long mirror on one of its doors. My SIL writes articles for the local press in her city, and she appreciates the desk and recliner. Between the visits the room serves as a quiet sitting room. My DS likes to spread on the daybed with his Magic or Pokemon cards, and I often read a book or magazine there before going to bed.

Lana

Sounds like you have mastered the idea of making a room multi-purpose. I hope to do that as well. Definitely want some bookshelves with all my books and a nice reading chair in this room. Senseless to just let both rooms be useless when guests are not here. Thanks

Good seating, good reading light, pull out sofa or day bed for overflow, mini-fridge and coffee maker set up. Don't make it too nice, they may never leave.