I have two rooms in my house that I’ve set up as guest rooms. The first room, the one I’m featuring in this post, is the more finished of the two for now. I felt like going with a slightly french country chic look in this room, especially after I found some wonderful fabrics.
First, a look at the dull, bland room before. When we purchased our house, none of the rooms were actually painted. There was a basic primer over everything, and that’s it.
We had purchased some furniture from a newspaper ad for very little money, and threw a few of those pieces in this room. Namely, the bed and dresser. About a year after we moved in, my stepson and his girlfriend moved in for a few months. When they left, they took the bed with them. So now I was left with essentially a blank slate.
I tend to go about things a little backwards, and love to choose paint colors before anything else. I am just in love with a color and want it on the wall. In this room, it was a compromise because I really felt it needed a color that would be neutral enough to appeal to more potential buyers. Also, I wanted to keep a lightness to the room, so I settled on a creamy color. It is more of an off-white than yellow or beige, but it’s enough to pop against the white trim. Unfortunately, I cannot remember the name of this particular color, but I’m sure I have the extra paint around somewhere…
The headboard I upholstered myself (found here), and made the pillows to match. I just went with a simple white comforter cover and bed skirt for now- we had guests coming and I wanted it to look presentable and I did not want to spend very much money on it. (To me, anything over $20 was too much money). The painting on the wall was a ‘thrift’ store find for less than $25. I did a quick dry brush of white paint over the frame to spiffy it up a little. I’m still trying to decide what sort of lamps I want (I’m leaning towards mounted wall lamps), and I still need to refinish the side tables.
These side tables are another freebie from the studio. I was told they originally had blue glass tops (how neat!) but they are unlocated at present. Originally I had hoped to put some sort of marble tile in there, but they are a whopping 16″ square. Time and money were prohibitive, so I settled on a mirror top. This one is painted brown, so I don’t feel so bad refinishing them. Even though it may not fit the room, I think they’d look best with a dark or black stain. I also considered painting them something bright, like a turquoise color. But, I’m just not feeling it.
There’s one window in this room, and for now, one curtain. I found the curtain at Target and loved it- especially since it seemed to mimic the design on the headboard.
The dresser stays, for now, even though it’s a poorly constructed 1970s plywood-like special. I do like the pulls though, and might consider doing a two-tone paint job to make it a little more fun. On the dresser I made a little vignette.
I framed a picture I took of the interior of the Pantheon, and a photo by Ansel Adams from an old calendar with frames from Michaels. The mirrored tray and pitcher are family pieces handed down. The pink dog was a freebie from Victoria Secret, and I can’t remember where I got the stars and candle. The painting is one I did for my landscape painting course, after Cezanne.
That’s all the progress for now, but I hope to be able to add some things to the room to make it feel more finished. At least, I think my guests feel cozier than before in this room! :)
Hi – I am looking at your DIY king headboard and the pillows you made. I’m specifically interested in knowing if, by any chance, you recall the name of the pillow fabric. It looks similar to what I have but I need more. I want to make curtains, upholster a chair and/or make pillows. By chance did you get the fabric at Joanne’s? I found my orignal fabric at Joanne’s. When I went back, they had the same print but its not a cotton blend and has been replaced with an inside/outside fabric material that’s 100% poly which I do not perfer. Any help/suggestions/guidance is greatly appreciated. Thank you so much.
Hi Jackie,
I did indeed get the fabric from Joann’s– I believe the name of it is Waverly’s Felicite Mineral. I bought the fabric over two years ago, so I have no idea if they’ve changed the blend at all- or if they still sell it in the store. They do sell a 100% cotton on their website: http://www.joann.com/home-decor-print-fabric-waverly-felicite-mineral/zprd_08599680a/. I love this fabric and think it’ll be beautiful on a chair or curtains too. :) I also love what Sarah Richardson does in her rooms- in that she uses many different fabrics all in the same color scheme for the room. Don’t be shy about mixing it up a little! Also, I’d love to see pictures if you make something!