Tuesday, October 6, 2020

How to get your guest room ready for the holidays, plus a Logan & Cove mattress review


I feel confident I'm not alone in thinking that this is a good time to look ahead to the holiday season. The year 2020 has been disappointing to say the least, and we all need some reasons to be hopeful. One of those reasons is Christmas. It's such a beautiful, magical time to spend with family and friends, to snuggle in next to a blazing fire (eating a pile of snowflake-bedazzled sugar cookies) while the snow falls outside. 

Whatever holiday or holidays you plan to celebrate, let's hope by then it's safe and lawful to have guests in your area of the world. Fingers crossed, with careful wearing of facial coverings and physical distancing, we will see COVID-19 cases drastically decline. (Even if we get the all-clear, we're going to be trading hugs and kisses for elbow bumps this Christmas! It's a small price to pay.)

I figure we can take advantage of increased time at home right now to prep our houses for the holidays. It's not too early, especially if your guest bedroom is currently a receptacle for old school papers, outgrown clothing, unhung pictures and assorted other items that don't have dedicated spots in your home. (I speak from experience.) 

*I have partnered with GoodMorning.com and was provided with a mattress in exchange for my thoughts. My opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the awesome companies that partner with Woman in Real Life. This post contains affiliate links.


Do you have a comfy bed for guests?


I have some helpful tips for getting your guest bedroom ready for the holidays. But first, do you have a bed for guests? Is it comfy and cozy? We recently moved our daughter's old queen-size bed frame to the spare bedroom. We put our oldest mattress on it. Like this thing is probably 20 years old or more. My babies were born on it. (Not even kidding - and those babies are now teenagers.) It's basically like a rock. One night, when my husband's snoring level was at an all-time high, I went to sleep in the spare room. And boy did I regret it! I woke up with a backache and was barely able to unfold myself to get out of the bed. Not exactly the sort of bed I want guests to experience at my house. (Although it's a really good strategy if you don't want somebody to come back again. Insert mother-in-law joke. But not my mother-in-law - she's amazing.)


Choosing the right mattress

Normally if you're picking a mattress for yourself or somebody else in your immediate family, you'll want to do some research and see if the mattress is right for a side sleeper, back sleeper or stomach sleeper (how do people even do that?). The guest bedroom is a bit trickier because you need a mattress that will accommodate the unknown sleeper or possibly many different sleepers. 

In our case, my parents are pretty much the only guests we ever have that sleep over. So, before choosing a mattress, I texted my mom to see how she tends to sleep. She told me she's basically a side sleeper. Unfortunately, she has rheumatoid arthritis and sometimes she sleeps in a chair because sleeping on a bed is too painful for her shoulders. Makes sense, because side sleepers create pressure points at the shoulder and hips. I too am a side sleeper and I currently have a frozen shoulder (a condition that lasts about two years), so I was relieved that the mattress I ultimately chose for my mom would also suit me (on those nights when the husband's snoring is unbearable).

I watched several videos about various mattresses and I learned that, overall, people should have a fairly firm mattress for appropriate body support. Side sleepers, however, need a bit of softness so that the mattress contours to the shape of their bodies and provides pressure point relief, without being so soft that they feel stuck down in the mattress.


We chose a Logan & Cove mattress


I have partnered with GoodMorning.com twice in the past - once when we got a Brunswick spring mattress for our daughter and once when we got our own glorious king-size Douglas mattress. (Ample space for two people and two medium dogs was a game changer! If only a mattress could solve that snoring problem.) We've been very happy with those two mattresses, so we thought we'd try out another GoodMorning.com mattress this time. 

I've had my eye on the Logan & Cove luxury hybrid pillow-top mattress for a while. Logan & Cove is available in two different firmness levels - luxury firm and medium plush. I opted for the medium plush for added softness for those sensitive side-sleeping shoulders. 

The Logan & Cove mattress starts at $799 CAD for a twin, which is a reasonable price for a luxury mattress. If your budget for a guest room mattress doesn't run that high though, you can get a comfortable mattress like the Juno value mattress for as low as $249. 


Try out the mattress risk-free for up to 120 days


No matter which GoodMorning.com mattress you choose, you get a 120-night risk-free sleep trial. Free returns are available anytime between days 30 and 120. (It can take a few weeks to adjust to your new mattress.) The unwanted mattress will be picked up and sent to a local charity or recycling partner. 

If you decide to keep your mattress, the Logan & Cove mattress is warrantied for 15 years. Read the full warranty details here



Unboxing your mattress


It's always remarkable to see a whole mattress arrive in a fairly small box. With my frozen shoulder I wasn't able to help my husband with the unboxing, but he was able to carry the box and unbox the mattress on his own. Watching the mattress rise to full size after you remove the plastic wrap is entertainment for adults and kids alike. It only lasts for seconds, so don't miss it! Gather the family.

You'll be amazed that you can sleep on your new Logan & Cove mattress the day it arrives. I have a very sensitive nose and I was only able to detect a slight hint of new mattress smell with my face pressed up to the mattress.


Logan & Cove mattress features


  • a premium mix of motion-isolating pocketed coils and cushioning memory foam, for cooling comfort, cushioned contouring and effective support 
  • 14 inches high (it's tall!)
  • Six layers: a quilted, breathable Tencel top cover that wicks away moisture; a temperature-regulating silk-blend layer (synthetic silk, which is more environmentally friendly and sustainable to produce); gel and bio foam comfort layers that dissipate heat and conform to your body; an additional layer of cooling gel foam; two layers of soy-infused foam to eliminate motion transfer, including one layer with softer outer zones to cushion shoulders and knees; and hundreds of high-grade pocketed coils to reduce motion transfer, wrapped in robust edge support foam
  • Canadian-made, hand-crafted and hand-finished
  • made to order to eliminate manufacturing waste and reduce carbon footprint. 
  • no flame retardants or fibreglass



Our thoughts on the Logan & Cove mattress


We obviously won't be sleeping on our Logan & Cove mattress every night, as it's primarily intended for guests, but we have tried it out several times. We have found that the Logan & Cove medium plush mattress has a good level of supportive firmness overall, but with enough cushiony softness for tender shoulders. It is carefully designed, with reinforced coils in the centre of the mattress that provide additional, targeted support to your hips and lower back and softer support under the knees and shoulders. 

For our purposes, Logan & Cove medium plush is a great choice, because it provides pressure-point relief for hips, shoulders, knees and feet. The multiple layers of foam conform to the body without that undesirable feeling of being trapped in the mattress. 

Read other customer reviews of the Logan & Cove mattress.




Don't cheap out on pillows


Don't forget to get yourself (and your guests) comfortable pillows. We spend so many hours of our lives sleeping on them. Why do we buy the cheapest pillows? And keep them for years and years until they are yellowed and gross? (Is that just me?)

We have been sleeping on Logan & Cove adjustable memory foam pillows. My husband commented that these pillows feel like they are filled with down, and I agree. They have the heaviness and texture of down, with no creatures getting robbed of feathers and no feathers escaping onto your bed and floor. (It's actually popcorn-cut memory foam.) 

Logan & Cove pillows expand on opening like the mattresses do. It's kind of fascinating. They have a machine-washable soft cotton cover and a comfort lining of down alternative microfibre that neutralises pressure points.  Another very cool thing - you can remove foam inside to suit your preferences. Stomach sleepers may prefer low foam levels, back sleepers a bit more foam and side sleepers a higher amount of foam.



How to get your guest room ready for the holidays

Once you have a comfy bed and pillows in place, here are some tips for welcoming guests to a cozy space:
  1. Declutter, declutter, declutter - enough said. Okay, I'll say more. Less stuff makes the guest room so much easier to clean and just simply more inviting for your company. Start now if your guest room has become a dumping ground.
  2. Clean those neglected areas. Dust the cobwebs off the ceiling, give the windows a quick wash (it's faster than you think), polish the furniture and vacuum the rug or give the floor a quick mop. It will take 15 minutes and you'll feel so good about it.
  3. Empty a drawer for guests to use.
  4. Similarly, free up a few hangers in the closet.

  5. Lay out a stash of clean towels and face cloths.
  6. Add a multi-outlet power bar for charging devices.
  7. Fill a basket with a few necessities for that hotel-inspired feel. Think mini containers of toothpaste, body wash, shampoo and conditioner. Include a few snacks and a reusable water bottle. For 2020, I'm thinking disposable masks and hand sanitiser too.
  8. Add soft bedding to your new mattress, plus a few cozy cushions and throw blankets. 
  9. Plug in a night light for elderly guests or anybody who needs a more visible path to the bathroom.
  10. If your guest is a reader, leave a few of your favourite books or magazines by the bedside.
  11. Decorate with faux or real greenery or set out fresh flowers before your guests arrive. 
  12. Add a few touches of holiday decor if you like. But clean and comfy is the main thing.


Looking forward to the holidays


I for one am very glad to have our guest bedroom ready for the holidays early this year. I think we have created a nice, cozy place for guests. If the season doesn't work out as we hope and we don't get guests for the holidays this year though, I'm happy to have the space sorted and tidied anyway. And it's the perfect place for me to escape to when the snoring reaches 80 decibels!




More information


For more information about their full line of Canadian-made mattresses, visit GoodMorning.com. Call, email or chat with the Canadian-based customer service team for help or advice.


Questions for you



Does your guest bedroom need some work? Do you have a comfy pillow? How old is your mattress?



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