How to Turn Any Room Into a Guest Room for Thanksgiving
If out-of-town family is staying over this Thanksgiving, chances are your home office, den, or spare room is about to pull double duty. The good news: turning a working space into a cozy guest room doesn’t require new furniture or a full renovation. It just takes a plan and, in most cases, a temporary home for the things that don’t need to be in that room right now.
Step 1: Clear the Room Completely
Start by removing everything that isn’t part of the guest experience: the desk, filing cabinets, exercise equipment, or storage boxes that have quietly taken over the space. If there’s nowhere else in the house for these items to go without creating clutter somewhere else, a small self storage unit gives you a place to put them for the week without disrupting your daily routine or losing track of anything important.
Step 2: Bring In the Essentials
Once the room is clear, focus on the basics that make a space feel like an actual bedroom:
- A real bed, air mattress, or pull-out sofa with clean, comfortable linens
- A nightstand or small table within reach of the bed
- A lamp for soft lighting, since overhead lights alone can feel harsh
- An empty drawer or a few feet of closet space so guests aren’t living out of a suitcase
Step 3: Add the Small Touches That Make It Feel Welcoming
The details that make a guest room feel intentional rather than improvised are usually small: a couple of extra pillows and a blanket, a water glass on the nightstand, a place to charge a phone overnight, and a mirror if the room doesn’t already have one. None of this needs to be expensive. It just needs to be thought through ahead of time rather than scrambled together the night before guests arrive.
Step 4: Plan for Putting the Room Back Together
One advantage of using self storage instead of just shuffling items into a garage or closet is that everything comes back out just as easily as it went in. Once the holiday wraps up, your home office or den goes right back to normal, without a pile of displaced items to deal with in the meantime.
If you’re also looking to declutter other parts of the home before guests arrive, our guide on creating extra space for Thanksgiving covers additional tips for the rest of the house.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I turn a home office into a guest room temporarily? Clear out the desk, equipment, and any clutter first, ideally into a storage unit if there’s no other space for it at home, then bring in a bed setup, nightstand, and lamp. Keeping the change temporary and reversible makes it easy to restore the office once guests leave.
What size storage unit do I need to clear out a room for guests? For a single room’s worth of furniture and boxes, most households find a 5×10 unit sufficient. Use our size guide or size calculator to confirm the right fit.
How far in advance should I set up a guest room for Thanksgiving? A few days ahead is usually enough time to clear the space, move items into storage if needed, and add the finishing touches without feeling rushed the night before guests arrive.
Make Room for the People Who Matter Most
A guest room doesn’t need to be permanent to feel comfortable; it just needs a little planning. Find a storage unit near you to make space for the people you’re most looking forward to seeing this Thanksgiving.