Guest Bedroom Design Plan

Guest Bedroom Design Plan - roomfortuesday.comHi all! I hope you had great weekend. This was the project I discussed in my Noteworthy post last Friday, so I figured it would be fun to elaborate and share my plan for our guest bedroom. We actually have quite a few guest bedrooms- four total… technically five if you count the one we turned into a home gym in our basement. Anyway, bedrooms are really fun to design and we have almost everything we need to tackle this space and pull it together. Emmett and I just need to find the time to put in some hours and get it done. Click through for some before & process images, my vision for this space, and my thoughts on how it will look and function once we’re totally finished. 

First a little context- this room is located upstairs, next to the guest bathroom. Let’s go way back and start with before images (please excuse the crappy photos). This is what the room looked like when we moved into the house…

Guest Bedroom Design Plan - roomfortuesday.comAll of the bedrooms in our home (excluding the master) have these weird corner shelves. So strange! I get a lot of satisfaction sledge hammering them, though.

Guest Bedroom Design Plan - roomfortuesday.comBelow, you’ll see a very blurry blown-out listing photo. FYI- I did a terrible job taking before photos for this project since it has been in progress for a year. Sorry guys!

Guest Bedroom Design Plan - roomfortuesday.comThis is what the room looked liked 6-8 months ago… remember my enamel desk I thrifted? It used to live in this bedroom before I moved it to the master to balance our frame TV. Also- whatever the existing paint color is on the walls, it changes drastically throughout the day. Our ENTIRE home was painted this color when we moved in. I’m talking every single room, on all three levels. I get that neutral is great for resale, but blah. It’s not for me.

Guest Bedroom Design Plan - roomfortuesday.comThis is what the room looks like today… a mess with a made bed. Haha! Apparently I can’t stand an unmade bed- even in a construction zone… I need to package up the bedding and wash everything sooner rather than later because it’s about to get dusty in here.

Guest Bedroom Design Plan - roomfortuesday.comThere is a reason I zoomed in super tight on this next photo for my post and roundup of ottomans & benches for the end of the bed. Trickery, I know… but now you have the behind-the-scenes visual and a solid dose of reality.

Guest Bedroom Design Plan - roomfortuesday.comIt looks like a chaotic construction zone we started and forgot about in here. That’s the absolute truth… we had more pressing projects, shut the door on this space (quite literally), and stopped thinking about it. We have been waiting on a custom upholstered bed to arrive and when it finally did a few months ago, it was damaged by the freight company. So we had to send it back and request another one… the second one arrived and was the wrong size (we needed a queen and a king showed up), so we shipped that one back, and requested ANOTHER one. Since it’s custom, these things take awhile, so while we’ve been dealing with the bed mixup, we decided to close the door and deal with other projects. However, I was deep cleaning the house the other day, went into that space, and decided we finally need to finish this… even if we have to wait a little longer on the bed. Emmett whole heartedly agreed and here we are- committed to completing this project by the end of summer. I think that’s totally doable!

Guest Bedroom Design Plan - roomfortuesday.comWhat have we tackled so far?

  • Removing the weird corner shelves.
  • Swapping the plantation shutters for roman shades.
  • Removing the existing closet doors (the new ones are in the big boxes).
  • I actually painted the backside of the door, so you can see the color (remember my door painting tutorial for you guys?).

Guest Bedroom Design Plan - roomfortuesday.comWhat’s left on the list?

  • Installing the new closet doors.
  • Drywall patching, sanding, & repair (where the corner shelves lived).
  • Millwork & mouldings.
  • Installing drapery.
  • Painting.
  • Wallpapering.
  • Trading the light fixture.
  • Swapping the furniture & textiles.
  • Styling & photographing.

It sounds like a lot, but I’m hoping it goes quickly. This is nothing compared to our previous renovations… the guest bath, the kitchen, and the basement bath. A bedroom is actually a nice change of pace.

Guest Bedroom Design Plan - roomfortuesday.comEventually we’ll replace the carpet in this room as well. We’ll be doing the entire upstairs all at once, so that will be a future project. I’ve been designing with that in mind, knowing it will get updated eventually. For this room reveal, we’ll keep the existing carpet and layer an area rug to make it extra cozy and fit our aesthetic a bit better. I’m actually using the area rug that used to live in our basement media room. Speaking of aesthetic, ready to see the design plan? I thought so! I designed this space over a year ago, but still really love it.

Guest Bedroom Design Plan - roomfortuesday.comI’m working with Annie Selke on this makeover (who I LOVE), so all of the products are from there (window treatments, wallpaper, furniture, bedding, everything). We have everything here and ready to go, excluding the bed… which will hopefully arrive soon. I’ll be sharing the sources in the final reveal! Of course I also have some surprises up my sleeve, and didn’t want to spoil every single detail. I’ll be playing with texture and finish in this room, which I think will be really fun. It should be a beautiful guest space once it’s all said and done.

What do you think? Can you see my vision? Right now, it looks like we took the guest room from our previous home, picked it up, and plopped it into our current home… which just doesn’t fit very well. Although we haven’t had house guests in awhile (thanks to the pandemic squashing plans), this space is often occupied by friends & family who visit. One last question before I sign off… some readers suggested naming our guest rooms, since we have so many. Any ideas on that? Perhaps a topic to pull from so they’re related (canyons, utah-related things, family names, colors, art, etc)? Or do you thinking naming rooms is weird and unnecessary? Emmett always refers to them by color, while I refer to them by location (back bedroom, etc). We’ve always lived in small homes with a single guest space, so we’ve never had this issue before, but I could see how it might get confusing here on the blog. Have a great day, friends!

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25 Comments

  1. Cue me jumping up and down with excitement! I’m in love with that green. And the bubble chandelier?! Squeal! I can’t wait to see the bed, but boy what a hassle you’ve had. In your intro image the ceiling looks vaulted, but in others it doesn’t. Are my eyes deceiving me? Seeing you guys tackle the first bedroom in the house will be illuminating, and who doesn’t love surprises.😀 You know I dig the idea of naming the guest rooms; I think it’s fun and cheeky! Colors are an obvious choice, but canyons, movies, and art offer interesting options. Maybe something related to the number 4? One more little entertaining mental distraction! Regardless of its name, I’m excited to see this room take shape! Annie Selke rocks! Here’s to a productive week! (One thing lead to another yesterday, and I’m now repainting all the woodwork in a room with 7 doors and 6 large windows.😲💪)

    1. Oh my Peggi!! How did you jump down that rabbit hole? You’ve got this, and I’m sure it will come out lovely! Haha, that’s kind of what happened to me when I repainted my living room last year! Tease the color you’re using?

    2. Wooohooo!! Thanks, Peggi! Argh, the bed debacle. The right one will make its way eventually, I suppose. The ceiling isn’t vaulted, but it’s the same height as our main floor ceilings (9 feet something), so it is a bit taller. I took a gamble with the bubble chandelier, so I’m hoping it fits ok. That’s the one part of the plan that might have to be adjusted once we unbox it. TBD, but crossing my fingers! I’m definitely a big Annie Selke fan, so I was excited to work with them again… although I ordered everything over a year ago. I’m eager to finish this one for the both of us! Here’s to a productive week. It sounds like your weekend was uber productive!! 7 doors and 6 windows?!! You’ve got this. It’s going to look so good! xo

  2. Sarah, I’m so excited for this space! I love the green color you chose, and I’ve always LOVED the monochromatic look with walls, paper, window treatments, etc. all in the same color. Very classic English manor house to me – which is a very, very good thing in my book. :) Also, a huge yes to naming the guest rooms! I like color names, and your design of this room obviously lends well to that. Other ideas would be to use natural elements found on your property (plant names, etc.), or name each room for its view (mountain room, etc.). I’m looking forward to seeing you put the room together – lots of progress posts, please! :)

    1. I love the idea of naming the rooms based off the view! That’s intriguing!

      1. Oooh that’s so fun! We have beautiful views, so that’s a great option. Thanks Lauren!

    2. Thanks, Julie! I’m also very into green and monochromatic spaces, so this just felt right. I love the idea of naming the rooms colors or views. I feel like I need to do a floor plan with a site map so everyone knows which space I’m talking about. Ha! I’ll be sure to share lots of process posts for this one. Have a great week :) xo

      1. Oh, yes please to a floor plan post! Have a great week, as well, Sarah! :)

  3. Oh this is going to be really pretty – can’t wait to see the room!

    1. Thank you, Monica! Can’t wait to share :)

  4. Oh I’m so excited for this! Ever since you showed us the odd corner shelves I’ve been wondering what your plan was and this is out of this world stunning! Didn’t you mention you were going for monochromatic?? #nailedit I love the look and the color! That light fixture is EPIC!!! Out of curiosity, what program do you use for creating design plans like this? On another note, I think we all naturally refer to our rooms a specific way; I remember walking through our house the first time and we started referring to the rooms by who would occupy the space. But we don’t have as many rooms as you do! I don’t find it confusing at all the way you have been designating them, but for the sake of 💩 and giggles, what feels natural to you if you were to give them names?? Our weekend was pretty productive!! Jeff finalized a few things on a shed he’s been building that will house a large air compressor (he’s a tool man and we need room in our garage🙄), meanwhile I was busy trimming back the photinia. It took me two days, but I was able to get it done, and surprisingly it all fit into our two green waste bins. Two photinia’s down, one more to prune, and three to remove. We were also able to get the frame of the pergola setup! We’re waiting to attach the roof until the palm tree stumps are ground (happening today), but it’s perfect! It was extremely tricky to find the right placement; the patio has an odd footprint because of the container beds; but after some heavy and heated spousal disagreement, I came up with an idea that worked, and now it’s in the perfect spot! I can’t wait to see this area of the yard finally come together! We’re refocusing some energy into the master bathroom this week, so that at minimum we can get back to having it fully functional for usage, but it definitely won’t be finished! Other than that, how was the weekend friends? Sarah, I see your vision and I’m here for it! Happy Monday!! Xo

    1. Thanks so much, Lauren! I’m excited to FINALLY tackle this one and cross it off the list. It has been a long time coming. Ha! I totally get the need for tool storage- our shed houses our tools and outdoor equipment too. I can’t believe you filled two green bins! I mowed our lawn over the weekend and filled one, and that felt like a LOT of work. Sometimes spousal disagreements lead to the best solutions- it’s just about working through it. Great job you two! Have a fantastic week :)

    2. Congrats, Lauren and good luck with your pergola! It was a beautiful weekend in CO, too and we thoroughly enjoyed getting outside and having a properly distanced happy hour yesterday with our Airbnb hosts. We are so lucky to be able to be staying where we are until our new place is ready. Can’t believe it’s already May, though!?

      1. Thank you Anne! And happy closing week on your new place!! I know everything will go smoothly and you’ll finally feel more at home! Such excitement during such a difficult time! And yes, how is it already May??! My son’s teacher messaged yesterday about end of year pictures😅😢 I cant believe I’ll have a first grader in less than a month!

  5. Green makes me happy! Love the shade you are using. How exciting to get started on a new project that you have designed some time ago!
    Your bed debacle would have made me pull my hair out. You are patient. I love the shape and can’t wait to see it in this room.
    Naming the rooms will be fun for you guys. I would let the room name itself…if that makes sense?!
    Have a great Monday!

    1. Thanks Danna, me too! I am anxiously awaiting the bed (not so patiently, ha). I suppose we have plenty to keep us busy until it arrives, so it’s no big deal. I like the idea of letting the room name itself! Have a wonderful week :) xo

  6. Oooooo, LOVE that green so much! Did I miss the paint info? Gorgeous! I also love naming the rooms – view, color, piece of art in the room….don’t think you could go wrong with any of them and excited to see what you end up with.

    Side note, because you have so many great, creative readers here, Sarah – do y’all know of a blog out there (besides Apt Therapy) that focuses on smaller and non-single family homes? Looking for something more personal like yours, YHL, Chris Loves Julia, etc. I’ve found Houzz and Pinterest only so helpful especially when you search for “small bathroom” and the results return bathrooms that perhaps only the 1% would find small! Hmmm..maybe, I need to start one?! ;-D

    PS – thanks for the moving article from Domino in your Noteworthy post last week. Fingers (& toes) crossed, but if all goes well w/ the city’s inspection today, we’ll be closing THIS Thursday and moving in over the weekend!!

    1. Thanks Anne! The color is Halcyon Green by Sherwin-Williams- it’s really gorgeous in person. Maybe YOU do need to start a blog… that could be really fun documenting your journey after the move. Speaking of… happy closing & moving week!! I hope it goes smoothly and you settle in nicely. I bet you’re thrilled to pack it up at your airbnb and finally go HOME. I’m so excited for you!! Crossing my fingers you have good weather :) xo

  7. I’m excited you’re going to be taking about and tackling the closet doors. We have doors like that in my boys’ room. I know I don’t like them (esp the way they cut out access to some of the space), but don’t know what to do instead!

    1. Yes! We’re actually replacing the bifold doors with more bifold doors (just in a different style). So in terms of function- that won’t change for us in this space. However, if you’re not a fan of bifold doors- at our previous home, we renovated five(!) closets and they all had french doors. Check out a recap with links to each here: https://roomfortuesday.com/organization-made-big-difference-small-house/

  8. Loooove green, and love Annie Selkie — can’t wait to see this !!

    1. Thanks Kim!! Me too… it’s going to be a fun one!

  9. I am so excited for this!!!! Your vision and eye for beauty is astounding. Your readers are so lucky to be able to watch each of your renovation journeys. I’m intrigued to see how you put some interest into a pretty “builder-basic” bedroom. I’ll just be here, anxiously awaiting allllllllll progress posts!!

    1. Thank you so much, Julia! Lots of progress posts coming your way :) xo