As the summer months approach, you need a guest house designed to make visitors feel at home whenever they come over. With easy-to-use technology, you can create a welcoming space for your friends and family that’s comfortable and lets them enjoy their favorite entertainment. The right amenities help them maintain a level of autonomy during their stay. Below we highlight some guest house design tips and technology that help you provide a safe, welcoming and fun environment.

SEE MORE: Should You Participate in the Latest Home Interior Trend?

Offer a Touch of Home

The primary goal of a guest house is to provide a home away from home for your visitors. With the right technology, you can make it easy for them to set things up just like they would at home. Offer intuitive control of lights and climate so they can pull up their ideal settings. Make sure they have a great time by making it easier for them to access their favorite entertainment.

Through a smart remote or dedicated touchpad, create a menu with popular TV channels (including CNN, ESPN, or AMC), so they can keep up with their favorite shows without having to ask for help to find them. From the same device, they can also pull up video and music streaming services like Spotify, Netflix or Hulu. Finally, let them connect their smart devices to the house's multi-room music system so they can enjoy their music libraries.

Make it Easy to Access

One of the reasons visitors love guest houses is that they offer a level of autonomy. One of the biggest concerns when designing space for guests is the location. The space needs to be easy to access from the main house, but separate enough to offer added privacy. Install light fixtures that point out the path between your home and the guest house, so it's easy for your visitors to find their way. Turn the lights on throughout the first day guests are there, and then have them activated by motion sensors the rest of their stay.

Smart security systems also provide easy access to your guest house without putting your home at risk. Instead of providing individual keys–and having to replace locks and keys every time they’re lost—you can create personalized access codes. Guests can use these codes to open and close doors, so they remain autonomous and safe without having to worry about keeping track of a set of keys.

Use Multi-Purpose Spaces

Don't want a large structure taking over your beautiful garden and backyard? You can still offer up a great experience for visitors while reducing the space requirements for your guest house. One way to do this is through the use of hidden technology. Hidden TVs can transform a living room into a media room or home theater. With discreet in-ceiling speakers, guests can enjoy their favorite music in the bedroom or kitchen.

Maintain Your Consistency

The number one rule in guest house design is keeping the same style between your main property and the guest house. Try to stick to the same color scheme and even lighting through the use of smart scenes. Create lighting scenes that match the intensity levels of those in your home so there’s no jarring difference when guests move from one space to another.

It’s just as important to be consistent when it comes to your technology. Make it easy for guests to get comfortable wherever they are on your property by having similar controls for lights, climate, entertainment and more in both locations. This way they can focus on your luxurious home and great company, instead of having their heads buried in confusing remotes or panels.

Want to create the ultimate retreat for guests this summer? Contact a local BRAVAS partner to see how the right technology can add comfort, convenience, and fun to your luxury home.