Creative styling by Athena Calderone;
photos by Sarah Elliott.

GOOP X CB2 CARAFE, goop, $25; GOOP X CB2 GLASS, goop, $10; AIAYU WOOL PILLOW, goop, $325

Athena Calderone’s Secrets for Creating
the Warmest, Coziest, Most Inviting
Guest Room Ever

Athena Calderone’s guest room will make you feel like the most welcome, and possibly the most Zen, person on earth. There are the naturally scented candle and the water-filled carafe on the nightstand. There are fresh flowers. The room is dreamy and warm and full of high thread counts. But then there’s the step-beyond stuff: a small care package of essential oils and tarot cards. A meditation kit and a meditation pillow. A book of poetry.

“I strive to make my family and friends super cozy,” says Calderone, the interior designer, stylist, author, and chef behind the lifestyle site EyeSwoon. “After all, they are not staying in a hotel, and you want them to feel welcomed and cared for.”

A quick spin through her hosting tips, recipes, and interiors makes it apparent that Calderone knows how to make her guests feel like they’ve just stepped into luxury retreat on mindfulness—a vibe that’s very much in sync with the rhythm of her home. And no detail is too small: the scent of the room, the preferred temperature of her guests (she puts extra blankets by the bed), the Wi-Fi password on the nightstand.

She even does a dress rehearsal. “Make sure you sleep in the bed to ensure your guests have a great night’s sleep,” says Calderone, who picked up this trick from “a consummate proper British host.”

That was “her number one bit of advice,” she says. “I am paying it forward.”

• Treat the guest room as if were your room, says Calderone. Splurge on super plush bedding and pillows. And always consider your guests’ warmth. “How many nights have you suffered in a cold hotel room because there was no extra blanket?” she says. “Place a woven basket next to the bed filled with an extra blanket, pillow, bath towels, and hand towels.”

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• GOOP FRAGRANCE CANDLE, goop, $72; GOOP X CB2 SMALL ZAFU PILLOW, goop, $49; MORROW THROW, goop, $319; AIAYU CASHMERE PILLOW, goop, $408; VITRUVI ESSENTIAL OILS, goop, $13 each

• “Think of the little things that make a difference,” says Calderone. To her, that means an unexpected welcome package with tarot cards and incense, or a note card with the Wi-Fi code. It’s details like that that people notice and remember. “The goal here is to make everyone feel provided for,”
  says Calderone.

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• THE WILD UNKNOWN TAROT CARDS, goop, $40; CINNAMON PROJECTS BURNER AND INCENSE SET, goop, $295

• “Stock the bathroom with soap, bath salts, lotion, shampoo, and conditioner,” says Calderone. “I can’t tell you how many times I have forgotten to pack some essential, like toothpaste. I always set out a little tray with a travel toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, and bath time essentials.”

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• HERBIVORE BODY OIL, goop, $26; OLAS BAMBOO TOOTHBRUSH, goop, $8; JUNE TURKISH HAND TOWEL, goop, $24

• “Everyone loves bath products, right?” says Calderone. “They are the ultimate generous trinkets to help your guests unwind and feel pampered.”

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• MORIHATA CHARCOAL FACIAL PUFF, goop, $17; GOOP BODY BODY BRUSH, goop, $20; GOOP BODY SALT SCRUB SHAMPOO, goop, $42; MALIBU 5 STAR NATURALS BATH ROCKS, goop, $48; BINU BINU SCRUB SOAP, goop, $18;