A Guest Room (Details)

When I set out to decorate a room, I think about a few things first.

I think about how I want the room to feel...

I think about what I already have on hand that I can use...

And I think about the room as a whole, and come up with a vision first before I begin.

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Early this Spring I stayed at a Bed and Breakfast with a girlfriend of mine. We were on an Antiquing weekend, and deepened our friendship through shopping, coffee, and laughter. I came home inspired by the place where we stayed. So when the opportunity arrived to decorate a guest bedroom in my home, I remembered how this B&B was decorated, and more importantly, how it felt.

I had my vision.

My goal was to create a bedroom that feels homey, comfortable, and down to earth. A room that upon entering, a guest could potentially think, "Ah... This is nice... A home away from home."

This is what I came up with:

And today's post is about the details.

Every so often someone will ask me for decorating advice. When I respond with questions like, Well, how do you want the room to feel?... What's your vision?... Nine times out of ten I'm met with tilted heads and confused expressions. So I'm wondering if there's a need for this sort of thing?

Please know that I'm not a designer or decorator by trade, so take everything that I say with a grain of salt. Also, I've never had Cable in my life, so when people try to talk to me about decorating shows, I never know what they're talking about. And finally,  I don't decorate according to trends. My whole life I've loved the simple, the pretty, and the timeless. I decorate according to what feels like home to me.

That's the best decorating advice I have to offer. What feels like home to you? Decorate according to that!

So, I began the process by moving the bed in-between the windows, and figuring out where I wanted the furniture to go:

You'll notice that it's nighttime in this photo. That's another question I get a lot. "When do you find time to work on your house?" After the kids go to bed, of course! 

I didn't want to buy anything new until I edited what I had. I moved things around... thought about it... moved things again... dropped off a few donation loads at Goodwill... thought some more... Until I came to a point where I had a couple of "needs" for the room. 

(Tip: Don't try to figure out what you need while you still have excess staring you in the face. Get rid of what you don't want, and what doesn't inspire you first.)

In the photo above I was trying out a red quilt on the bed, but realized quickly that I really didn't want red. I also didn't have an appropriate rug. So, I made a shopping list and loaded up the kids.

I found a white quilt with shams...

And a rug that I liked:

Here's a close-up of the quilt. I think it's really beautiful:

It was at this point that I realized my colors for this room were going to be blue, white, and chocolate brown. (I've learned not to force a color choice onto a room. The colors choose you.)

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Earlier this summer, I found myself in an adorable Swedish gift shop while traveling with Micah. The shop owner had decorated one wall with what looked to me like miniature woven tapestries. When I asked her about them, she told me they were hand-made Swedish dishcloths! 

What a wonderful idea! I thought to myself. Dishcloths so beautiful that they can be hung up as art! I fell in love with the idea (and with the dishcloths!) and couldn't leave without purchasing a few. They sat in storage for a few months, since I didn't have a place for them right away. So, I was excited to get them out and see if they wanted to "play" in the guest room.

I spread them out along the floor first to see if I could come up with a vision as to where they would look best hung:

(Another tip: If you happen upon something that speaks to you and that you really love... but you don't have a place for it... If you can afford it, snatch it up! I have found that if it's something that I am really in love with, I am always happy that I made the purchase once I get home. Sometimes I can even use the purchase as an upgrade by switching it out with a mediocre item that I only feel so-so about.)

I decided to hang three of them together on one wall:

(This one is my favorite:)

And the other two flanking the dresser on the opposite wall:

Speaking of this dresser!!!...

It was given to us by a family member several months ago and sat in our work room:

Sad and lonely, she wondered if she'd ever have meaning to her life again. I did feel sorry for her, but like the dishcloths, didn't have a place for her right away. 

Realizing that this dresser would be perfect for the guest room, Micah and I moved her out of the work room one night. (Again, working late at night... and in my pajamas... Ahem.) 

I cleaned her up, restoring to her her dignity once more:

Giving her this noble purpose:

(Isn't she lovely?)

I chose to keep the vignette's for this room simple. (These are fresh cranberry sprigs from a bush in our backyard:)

(Another tip: Remember to do your vignette's in odd numbers and in various heights. It's more visually pleasing that way. I like to do mine in three's because that way I can have a large, a medium, and a small.)

Here's another example of a simple vignette of three:

This little bedside table has been floating around the house for the past several years. The kids would use it as a place to color or play with legos. But I needed a small nightstand for this spot and didn't want to purchase anything new. This is what it looked like when I first rescued it from the kids' abuse:

The top was a scratched up mess, and not in a trendy, chippy-paint kind of way:

I decided to give it a quick coat of paint to liven it back up. I had some Pewter Vase on hand from a past project. I love this color because it's white with a hint of bluish-grey. I just plunked down some work cloths and did it on-site. You can see Roman's books on the rug... That's because he was practicing his cursive writing and keeping me company while I painted. Life goes on even with decorating projects...

I'm glad I took the time to paint it. I think it looks much better!

The window above this little table has a great view of our backyard. Can you see our big, red barn?

This is the view at dusk:

(We lost our silo top in a tornado several years ago. Blew it right off and into a nearby cornfield!!! If anyone knows where we can buy a silo top, and how in the world to replace it, haha, please leave me a comment!)

Here are a few more shots of the room...

The kids were excited about our new guest room and had asked to have a sleepover in there. (Anything that is new or different is exciting for kids, haha...) So, a couple of weeks ago I told them they could sleep in the guest bed to "try it out":

They slept all night and in the morning told me it was comfortable. So, there you have it! It's been officially tested and approved! So, if you are ever in our area and need a place to sleep, the Downs' Bed and Breakfast is open for business! 

;) ;) ;)

This whole process took about two weeks. I worked on it for a little bit each day. My goal was to have the room done by September 1st, since that was the day I had planned for us to start school. The room is now done, and school has begun, and I'm looking forward to sharing more about that with you in the coming weeks. 

Thank you for stopping by my blog today! I sure do appreciate all of you who read what I write! I always hope and pray that you feel that your time here is worthwhile. 

Love to you all!

Until next time...

~ Courtney ~