As summer enters full swing, it is time to get going on those home décor projects that have been put off all winter. Longer evening light, lessening of school- and work-driven agendas, and a feeling of anticipation all contribute to the desire to tackle the redesign or update of that room makes us sigh each time we walk past it.

This is part of a series of "Ask Valet" blogs featuring tips for your home from the design team at Valet Custom Cabinets & Closets.

We asked a few designers at Valet Custom Cabinets & Closets what they felt all guest rooms should have to ensure the comfort of their overnight guests. Here’s what they had to say:

One of the best things about living in the East Bay is the relative ease of traveling to Tahoe for skiing on the weekends. Yes, you have to put on chains, deal with traffic slowdowns, and find your own parking—but when you can access a full day of fresh powder within just a few hours, I honestly don’t know why you wouldn’t pack up your boots and head north.

East Bay residents are heading out in droves to Tahoe for skiing/boarding this time of year. Snow is still abundant, and ski gear lives perpetually strapped to the rooftops of cars all over the area. However, when the cold finally breaks at the end of yet another ski season, there's a better way to store your gear: custom garage cabinetry.

The KonMari method of organization has become wildly popular around the nation this year—especially in San Francisco, where Marie Kondo gave live seminars and trained her first consulting employees. Even Ellen featured this tiny organizing powerhouse on her show to experience the Japanese art of decluttering in person. From folding to hanging and everything in between, the KonMari method helps each of us treat our belongings with more care.

I’m just going to come right out and say it: I love Oakland. Whenever I visit SF’s unique (and somewhat cooler) older brother, it inspires me to use more color in my everyday life. To be more loud with what I’m passionate about. And, above all else, to make a statement where a statement is necessary (because around Oakland, it’s always necessary). Living in the suburbs, it can be really tough to give up the culture and vibrancy of the bigger city when you go back home—but there are still things you can do in your own place to make Lafayette feel a little less like a suburb.

There are few pastimes as exciting as choosing a new home for your growing family. Walking through empty rooms full of potential, imagining a Star Wars nursery, planning for all the little and big kid furniture, and dreaming about extra floor space for Legos and Mr. Potato Head are activities that tend to consume new parents on the house hunt. If you’re planning on raising a family, you’re likely wanting to settle down with the careers and the companies you currently have. Unless, of course, you’re starting out in San Francisco.

When some people picture a wall bed, comedic scenes from silent movies come to mind. Charlie Chaplin, the Three Stooges, and even James Bond have used these beds as comic props at one point or another. I love a good gag as much as the next person, but things have really been looking up for Murphy beds in the last few years. This isn’t 1900 anymore, and the wall bed is making quite an amazing comeback in modern homes across the country. Bay Area professionals in particular are utilizing this innovative strategy to maximize limited floor space in condos and homes across the region.

Pleasantonians are proud of their picturesque, quiet city, and rightfully so. With First Wednesdays, the best fairgrounds in the Tri-Valley, and a charming downtown—plus free parking throughout the city—this is definitely a suburb with a small town feel where you would want to raise a family. “The second Silicon Valley,” as Pleasanton has been nicknamed, is a thriving place full of friendly faces and generous people.

Pleasanton’s own Open Heart Kitchen, a nonprofit that has been incredibly active with feeding those in need, recently came across a major obstacle in operations: a two-alarm fire at Vineyard Christian Fellowship in Livermore, their second location and a major storage facility for foodstuffs. The Pleasanton community has stepped up to the plate magnificently to help the organization continue operations as normal, but this month they’re more in need of our help than ever to serve this community and spread the love.

If you’re raising a family anywhere in the Bay Area, you can’t get a more picture-perfect neighborhood than Los Gatos. Old-growth trees flanking unique homes and the stunning Los Gatos Creek Trail make for a beautiful place for kids to ride bikes or draw with chalk in the driveway. 10 square miles of residential perfection sandwiched between Saratoga and Sierra Azul couldn’t be more quaint.

Tri-Valley residents understand what many tourists seem to miss: this is some of the best wine country in Northern California. Sonoma and Napa have had their day, and slowly we’re starting to acknowledge the charm and viniculture of the region just a little further south. Places like Pleasanton, Livermore, Dublin, and Danville are regionally known for their local vino, which has been developing since the 19th century. This is a place of deep historical roots, small town quaintness, and a unique mix of winery-style architecture.