We are back from a week long beach vacation (more on that later!) and rarring to go with our guest bedroom makeover. When we told ya’ll that we would be working on our space for housing guests, we actually already had our wheels turning on this room and are anxious to catch you up on the progress so far. You may remember this photo from our crib tour:
The furniture is actually the stuff Jeremy brought into our home when we got married. It was purchased at Rooms to Go a long time ago and has held up through his bachelorhood fairly well. The fact that we didn’t have anything better was the reason we kept it…even though it was too big for the space and a little rustic for our blended tastes. (did you hear that Jeremy? Our tastes have blended…as in your taste has now blended into mine….as in my taste is the only one that counts…as in I RULE! kiddingloveyou)
So in order to get started on this space, the first thing on the to-do list was to establish the bedding. So I headed out to TJMaxx to see what they had in their clearance aisle. That’s where I picked up the first Hotel Collection Euro Sham for $10. I love the simple chocolate stripes on the white base…it is so versatile and classic. Then I headed to Marshalls (another fav when it comes to clearance shopping) and found the queen sized duvet cover. Although it was a different brand, it was the same color and I thought it would totally work with the sham. Then I stopped into the other nearby TJMaxx and found another sham…SCORE.
When I got home, I threw together the shams and duvet and added my trellis pillow (an old TJMaxx find) as well as some brown throw pillows for some added texture and a deep rich base color (they were from Pier 1 a while back). Then to visualize a color palette, I tossed some red fabric over the back of the headboard to see what the textiles would look like together. I LOVED IT. Did I mention that I love the reds lately? Because I do. Like a pitcher likes adjusting himself. So now that I have my color palette down, I was ready to move on to the rest of the room.
Since the curtains were a little rustic in feel, I decided that it was time to cut them loose. Plus they didn’t really go with the rest of the bedding, so I knew that the leafy drapes wouldn’t stay.
As a replacement to the burgundy and tan curtains, I threw up some chocolate linen drapes that I had in storage. I don’t know if these will stay forever…but they definitely work for now.
Now that I decided on the bedding and the drapes in the room, I had to make the decision on the furniture. I had three options.
1. keep it – live with the oversized furniture and bad color match and get over it.
2. redo it – I could take the pieces and spray them to fix the bad color combo. Granted it doesn’t take care of the size…but maybe an overstuffed room would come into style?
3. replace it – start fresh by selling this furniture to someone whose room could actually handle this large set and get a bed in here that actually fits with the pieces around it.
We ended up deciding that numero tres was our best choice. We would sell it and start with a clean slate.
And for those of you confused on the space issues we had…here’s a photo showing how tight it was with the pieces in this room. The bed had to be against the back wall and the only spot that could fit the giant dresser with the mirror was the wall with the light switch. Now check out the six inches between the edge of the bed and the dresser. Seriously…could Audrina Partridge fit through there? I think not…and I am sure her skinny jeans would get in a bunch over it.
As for the rest of the room, this last piece of furniture took up the space in the corner opposite the bed. Sure it is great for storage but we had nothing really to put in the big doors…nothing important anyways. I mean, I could find something to stuff in there. I am a packrat afterall.
Ok. Now that you have seen the space that we are working with and the bedding basics we chose, I’d love to hear what you think. We have some things we have already tackled with the help of a True Value credit – including paint, a new fan & crown molding – and we can’t wait to share the new look. But we also have loads that we still need to do…including getting furniture moved out, and new stuff chosen and moved in, and new accessories and some fun splashes of that yummy red color.
All I can say is that I am so excited to get this room a little closer to done…it’s like a ugly duckling I am hoping to turn into a beautiful swan…with red wings.
I love Hotel bedding. Can’t wait to see what yall do with the room!
I’m loving the new bedding!
We’re working on our guest room, too (http://hernandohouse.wordpress.com/2010/08/27/guest-room-glam/). And I may be hitting you up for some tips on a certain aspect of it…
We have a tendency to overcrowd rooms, even though they look way better with free space — so I’m looking forward to learning how you unclutter this room!
I love the changes so far! I have a guest room to tackle in the near future too so I’m excited to see what you do with it! Maybe a small bench in the room would be good! I know whenever I visit someone I rarely empty my clothes into their dresser (unless maybe you have guests stay longer?) but I always want more space to lay out my suitcase, and maybe take some clothes out of the bag and stack them without completely unpacking. A chair is also great for sitting and reading if I wake up early and don’t want to go upstairs right away. =) Just some things I like in a guest room! So excited to see what you come up with! I love following your blog!
I love the updates! I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
It’s looking great! Two words: red. lamps.
The new bedding looks great! We have one guest room done and a handy how to:
http://ourhumbleabowed.wordpress.com/2010/06/25/how-to-prepare-for-guests/
We have two more currently unused, un-decorated bedrooms in our basement in need of some love. I can’t wait to see what you do; I’d love some ideas…
hey katie! i wanted to give you this link for the bed furni, we have the same one http://www.biglots.com/Furniture/item.aspx?cid=11&scid=28&iid=5377 and i thought it would look awesome with your espresso/red theme. here is our room http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_EHtp78GHNdg/TGzLEys7iLI/AAAAAAAAAh0/wpcPDhzwvT8/s1600/099-1.jpg just so you can see it realistically. and did i mention we LOVE it. its super steady and solid wood. gd luck!
Great find on the bedding!
I totally agree with you on getting rid of the old furniture and getting new stuff that fits. But as an option for the future, I’ve seen a lot of people using their armoires as tv stands. Close the doors and voila! All your electronics are hidden.
Love the new bedding! I love the way the red looks with it all… have you thought about a red upholstered headboard??
PS I’m on a total red kick too!
If you want to work with some of what you have, you could keep the bed and night stands and sell the rest. Replace the other pieces with a dresser that fits and maybe a chair for the area in front of the bed?
The new bedding and curtains already made quite a bit of difference!
I love the new bedding. Yes, some smaller furniture is definitely in order. With such a small room you may want to trim down the number of furniture pieces when you look for new stuff. Guests don’t usually bring tons of things, so there isn’t a need for two nightstands and two dressers. One of each would suffice. We just went shopping this past weekend for our guest room furniture (the in-laws are coming in a month and I need to get prepared!) and went to a bunch of places. We ended up buying the furniture from UnderPriced Furniture just off the Jimmy Carter exit. Despite the ghetto, cheap-o sounding name, they actually had some really nice stuff for good prices. American Signature also had some decent things for comparable prices. Good luck!
Love reading your blog, but I’ve never ‘commented’. I couldn’t resist sharing this link with you when I saw that you were thinking of a red/brown theme for your guest bedroom. I bookmarked this space from HGTV a long time ago, but I still love it. Definitely check it out for red/brown inspiration! http://my.hgtv.com/25-great-holiday-ideas/DaShInG-ThRouGh-ThE-ThRoWs-09/detail.esi?oid=11824362
I love brown and white for bedding. You can always change the accent color and get a whole new look. Bright green looks awesome with this color combo.
I agree with your decision to get smaller furniture. I have been there, and have had the struggle of having a great set but just not working in the space. There is nothing worse that a room that is overwhelmed with big pieces. It will make all the difference.
I am still working on my guest room- still my ugly duckling…but hopefully soon, I will get all my ducks in a row!
http://styleandcentsability.wordpress.com/
How I wish we were friends and I could come over and help with this project. LOVE A PROJECT.
Your bedding is divine. Exactly what I would have picked.
I say, work with the furniture. I’m thirfty that way. Lose the armoire. You can’t possibly need that much storage in a guest room. Sell it on CL. Move the dresser over to that corner and lose the mirror. To me, it dates an otherwise clean looking dresser.
And upholster that headboard with that red fabric. Maybe i missed it. Are you doing that. Because nothing is easier than upholstering an esisting headboard. And it’s instantly modern/contemporary.
Eek! I love a project. I envy that you get to redo a whole room!
It’s probably a good idea to get new smaller furniture… you could always just sell the double dresser and 1 nightstand, but that’s kind of anti-climatic for your blog readers. 🙂
It’s looking pretty good now, great pictures for your craigslist ad (or however you sell it!)
I really like the changes you’ve done so far with the room. I actually kinda like the bed, but I agree, that dresser is HUGE! I kind of like the idea of a smaller dresser (no mirror) where the current one is, take out the wardrobe out completely and put standing mirror in its place. And maybe put a small desk (a desklette?) & chair beside it w/ close proximity to the door, for secretarial use (I didn’t know how else to put it. I just know when I visit people, it’s usually for the weekend/something special, so I take my laptop, papers, books, and it’s nice to have a place to lay them out in a place that’s not so close to the bed). Ooo! Or hang a mirror horizontally on that wall and put the desk below it. That would look nice too. I’m sure whatever you choose will look great!
Like everyone else, I have to agree with the paring down of furniture. We’re having a similar struggle in our guest room (moving from 3000 to 1650 sq feet is hard, yo!). One idea I am absolutely in love with is this one from Urban Nest:
http://urbannestblog.com/blog3/2010/04/faux-furniture/
I definitely see doing something like this in addition to a DIY headboard as a way to create a chic bed situation without the bulk of a traditional frame.
I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
I LOVE the bedding! Looks restful 🙂 Nothing like a nice place for guests to stay.
Katie, I love the bedding. We are re-doing our bedroom soon and now I will definitely be checking out Marshall’s since we have one right down the street. Thanks for sharing your plan!
LOVE the new bedding and color palette! Can’t wait to see the new furniture and how you decorate the room!
Completely unrelated, I love the compliment at the top of the page, Katie! Between that and my mom saying “You could never look terrible, not on your worst day” I might actually make it through today still smiling, even after the late night waiting for my friend’s baby to be born.
XO,
C
I just wanted to write and say I love the compliments box as well. It makes me feel pretty even though I stayed up all weekend with a sick sister! Thanks for the cute new feature!
LOVE the color combo. The red with brown is perfect especially for this time of the year. Cant wait to see how the room turns out. You could always do another diy headboard project for the room and find a craigslist dresser and paint it red or a creamy color. You are the decor diva so im sure you will turn that room into something wonderful.
Reds, browns, and tans is one of my favorite color palettes. Love the new bedding! It’s gorgeous!
Hey Katie, I was wondering where you got that standing lamp with the wooden shade. Thanks!
I got it at Bed Bath & Beyond ages ago. It was in their clearance section. Maybe overstock would have something similar?
XO – Katie