How to make your house a haven — for guests and for you

Whether you’re hosting out-of-town visitors or just want to create a more comfortable daily retreat for yourself and your family, it’s the small, thoughtful details that count the most.

We tapped three Philly-area interior design pros for their best advice on creating your own personal sanctuary.

Read on for their top tips — from practical solutions that ensure guests feel at home to plush additions that elevate everyday living — on how to make your home a haven.

Honesdale native Brian Balthazar is a dynamic designer, TV personality, and former HGTV exec behind staples like House Hunters, Flip or Flop, and Love It or List It. He also runs Pop Goes the Home, an online shop selling entertaining goods and home decor.

Shannon Maldonado is the visionary founder and creative director of Yowie, a modern home and lifestyle boutique and hotel in Philadelphia.

Stephanie Kraus is the founder and creative director of Stephanie Kraus Designs, a Wayne–based boutique specializing in luxury, family‑focused residential interiors across the Philly area and Jersey Shore.

“When I’m putting together my guest bedroom, I always think about the things I wish I had when staying at someone else’s home,” Balthazar said. His must-haves:

Spare your guests the indignity of digging through their belongings chaotically splayed across the carpet with a simple solution that elevates their suitcase — and your hospitality.

“A folding luggage rack is easy to bring out when needed and stow away when it’s not,” he said.

Anthropologie Luggage Rack

Amazon Bamboo Luggage Rack

Nothing says “I’ve thought of everything” quite like having the key info your guests might need displayed within reach: the WiFi password, the magic Alexa words to raise or lower the blinds, even instructions for how to use the TV or fan.

“A beautiful frame makes it look intentional, like part of the decor,” Balthazar said.

Anthropologie Amelia wooden frame

The difference between hours of tossing and turning and a restful night can come down to sound control, like from a white-noise machine or Bluetooth speaker.

“Make sure the device’s name is listed in your framed room info, so guests can easily connect and unwind without awkward guesswork.”

LectroFan EVO

Set up a dedicated charging organizer on the nightstand, which Balthazar said “adds a thoughtful, hotel-like vibe.”

“Unless you want your guest crawling around under the bed, make it super clear where and how they can charge their devices.”

Anker charging station for iPhone, watch, AirPods

“Leave a notebook with a little personality,” suggested Balthazar, with prompts like: “What dream did you have here?” or “What’s your worst guest nightmare?”

Over time, “it turns into a fun keepsake filled with quirky stories and guest memories.”

Indigo A5 notebook from This Corner

Frutta A5 notebook with hand painted cover from This Corner

Ballpoint pen from This Corner

Balthazar always sets a small tray on his guest’s nightstand or dresser, which he arranges with thoughtful, personalized touches like a water glass and carafe, a small bud vase, a mini bar of favorite snacks, or a book they might enjoy.

“Just a few thoughtful touches can make their stay feel extra special.”

Silver-plated tray by Fog Linen

Enamelware tray from This Corner

Triangle tray from This Corner

American Modern Iroquois Carafe by Russel Wright from the Philadelphia Museum of Art

It may be one of the smallest rooms in your home, but the guest bath offers the biggest opportunity to surprise and delight your guests. A few strategic upgrades suggested by Balthazar and Maldonado can transform this utilitarian space into a spa-like retreat.

“Why wait until after the shower to make things feel indulgent?” Balthazar said. Think beyond a basic shower head to make the guest bathroom feel just as luxe as the primary bath.

“A rainfall-style head, handheld wand, or even body jets can instantly transform the experience into something more spa-like. It’s an upgrade they’ll notice right away.”

Rainshower combo by Moen

Balthazar keeps a stash of slippers in his closet for guests who forget to pack their own.

“You can find slippers in bulk online, but if you want to go the extra mile, treat them to a cozy pair they’ll actually want to wear when they come down for coffee.”

Frette Slippers

Hawkins Simple Waffle Slippers

Bombas Sunday Mule Slippers

“I love surprising overnight guests with a little curated spa pack,” Balthazar said. “It doesn’t have to be fancy — just thoughtful.”

He includes treats like turmeric cleansing pads, a luxe toothbrush, and sample-size skincare products.

“Last time, my guest loved the cleansing pads so much she ordered them that night.”

Facial cleansing pads from Amazon

Piave toothbrush from Boston General Store

Travel kit from Malin and Goetz

A beautiful soap dispenser — like the wheel-thrown stoneware version with a cork pump from Cloud 9 Clay — transforms an ordinary bathroom into something special.

“It adds a pop of color,” Maldonado said about the multifunctional dispensers that were originally designed by a local artist in custom colors for the Yowie shop and hotel. “The pump detaches, so it doubles as a bud vase.”

Cloud 9 Clay soap dispenser from Yowie

“Having a candle burning in the bathroom makes people feel less self-conscious,” said Maldonado, who loves the woodsy scent of palo santo candles from Dilo, designed and poured in Fishtown.

“It feels very fresh, chic, and elevated.”

Palo santo candle from Dilo

Hotel-quality towels and sheets are an entry-level, inexpensive way to make guests feel comfortable in a space that isn’t their own, Maldonado said.

The designer loves the colorful Spectrum towel from The Company Store and the spa-worthy cotton bath-towel bundle from Brooklinen.

Spectrum bath towel from The Company Store

Super-plush Turkish cotton bath towels from Brooklinen

Living spaces like the family room and kitchen are where you gather over festive meals or morning coffee, conversations can flow long into the night, and memories are made. Creating comfort in these communal areas ensures everyone feels at ease, whether you’re hosting a rollicking dinner party or cracking into a good book alone on the couch. Maldonado offered her advice on where to focus:

“When I’m hosting, I really want people to have a certain feeling when they enter the room, and I think scent is so much a part of that.”

She picks an incense with a “nice mix of feminine and masculine scent, a little bit floral, and it’s not overpowering. Plus, it’s local. It’s one of our best sellers in the shop. If we burn it, we sell through it very quickly.”

La Costa Incense by Foxy’s Funk from Yowie

When it comes to investing in your living room space, the first piece should be your rug, “to really create that Chill Zone in the living room,” Maldonado said. She recommends a plush rug from Nordic Knots in green or purple for a colorful, central place to gather.

“Some people are sitting on the couch, some people are on the floor — I think that’s just such a nice vibe. Or if you’re playing board games, you just need a nice, cozy rug on the ground.”

Grand plush rug from Nordic Knots

When she’s hosting friends, Maldonado piles a board with meat, cheese, and fruit. It’s an easy, fuss-free way to feed a group, and — a bonus if you’re intentional about the serving platter — “it’s also pretty as the snacks disappear.”

She recommends a sea breeze ceramic platter from Philly-based artist Sean Gerstley.

Sean Gerstley platter from Yowie

A Battenberg lace bottle apron from food artist Lila Gohar is “silly and clever,” Maldonado said, and sure to spark comments. “It’s tongue-in-cheek, but really charming.”

Slip it on a bottle of natural wine to serve alongside a platter of snacks.

Bottle apron from Gohar World

The velvet and cotton bolster pillows from New Zealand brand Klay — sold at Quail Store on Locust Street — are versatile and gorgeous, and sturdy enough to hold up to lounging. “They’re so pretty and classic, with a twist.”

For another “fun, absurd” piece, the designer loves the hand pillow from Brooklyn-based designer John Sohn. “Even if you have a cheap couch, this pillow will make it look really expensive.”

Klay bolster cushion from Quail Store

Cotton hand pillow from Sohn

A tip that Maldonado picked up from her mother-in-law: “If you have a couch you don’t love, buy a vintage quilt and drape it over.”

You won’t even remember what the old couch looks like. The designer finds great vintage textiles on sites like eBay, Etsy, and Chairish.

Polka dot quilt from Schoolhouse

Designing vacation homes — especially at the Shore — “is about more than just making them look beautiful,” Kraus said. “We create environments that restore, recharge, and spark joy. When our clients walk through the door, we want stress to drop and serenity to take over.”

A favorite recent addition to Kraus’ wellness arsenal is a cold-plunge tank from Renu Therapy, a sleek, low-maintenance tub that “makes wellness chic.” For a budget-friendly alternative, she said an inflatable tub from SereneLife “delivers a surprisingly satisfying plunge experience,” with a less-permanent commitment.

Cold Stoic 2.0 from Renu Therapy

SereneLife Inflatable Tub from Amazon

The Italian-designed, full-spectrum infrared Clearlight sauna fits four people and is “luxurious,” Kraus said. She also recommends an easy-to-assemble, two-person infrared sauna made with Canadian hemlock wood.

Sanctuary retreat sauna from Clearlight

JNH Lifestyles sauna from Amazon

If you’re not quite ready to commit to a full sauna, opt for a steam shower, like a customizable and immersive system from Kohler.

With the capacity to add aromatherapy and sound integrations, installing one “can bring the spa home in a sleek, space-saving format right in your own shower,” Kraus said.

Steam showers from Kohler

Beyond the sauna or steam shower, Kraus said, luxury is in the details.

“We layer in luxe textures to excite your sense of touch,” she added, recommending the 100% cotton Aman towels from Matouk and crisp white linen sheets from Parachute. “Your beach house should feel as good as it looks.”

Aman towel by Matouk from Fine Linens

Linen sheet set from Parachute

To boost your own mood and leave a lasting impression for visitors, take a note from luxury hotels and infuse your home with a signature scent. Kraus likes the diffusers from Aroma360, which come with options inspired by luxury hotels, like the leather- and sandalwood-rich scent piped into 1 Hotel, or the jasmine and black pepper number from Ritz-Carlton.

“Whether integrated into your HVAC or placed in-room, it’s scent styling at its finest,” Kraus said.

Starter kit from Aroma360

Take your home’s thoughtful design philosophy to the beach with premium cooler tote bags from Business and Pleasure.

Kraus said she loves the stylish canvas bags with sturdy leather straps, which add a little preppy panache to seaside entertaining — especially stocked with rosé and Spindrift or a full beach picnic.

Pair your cooler totes with Business and Pleasure Tommy beach chairs that Kraus said are comfortable, inviting, and — since they can fold neatly into a backpack — easy to cart across the sand.

Premium cooler tote bag from Business and Pleasure

Tommy chair from Business and Pleasure

End every beach day with a refreshing reset using Salt & Stone Deluxe Body Duo — body wash and lotion scented with santal and vetiver.

“It smells like fresh ocean air,” Kraus said.

Deluxe Body Duo from Salt & Stone