I don’t know what came over me Sunday afternoon. I should have been beat already – I had taught Sunday School at church to my youth kids and after that, Jake and I had walked almost 3 miles with Flash the dog at a local state park. (It was gorgeous – go follow me on Instagram to see what I’m talking about.)
But somehow that physical exhaustion didn’t stop me from getting a second or third wind. The guest room had to get done. No idea why, honestly – I mean, it needed to be picked up and cleaned, but there really was no TRUE reason for the re-decorating spree I went on. I just wanted to.
Here’s the before – and no judgement, pleas, friends. It’s what I like to call a hot mess express, y’all. I have been storing a ton of stuff in here – upcoming birthday, Christmas, and baby shower gifts; baby shower décor for a shindig I’m throwing for my best friend in September; items I’m going to sell on Poshmark or on Facebook; baby items from little man that we’re saving for when we have additional kids after we’re married; and other random storage items.
I decided it was time to get the space cleaned up, so I started by taking virtually everything – except the futon – out. I sorted through it all and decided what needed to stay and what could get tossed or put in a new rightful place.
Then, with the urge to redecorate, I decided to shop my home.
If you know me or have been around the blog for a bit, you know I am a HUGE fan of thrift store shopping. I love the idea of reusing, repurposing, and finding on the cheap! However, there IS actually a way to decorate your home for FREE: shopping your own inventory!
I have a storage room full of extra things – linens, décor, et cetera – so I knew I had stuff I could utilize. I had decorated with reds, burgundy, and golds previously (you might even remember some of these items from a post I made about the playroom at my rental a year or so ago), so I knew I had plenty to use that color scheme again.
Here’s the end result: I brought up the dresser and small cube shelf that had previously been in little man’s room at the rental. I’m not using them in his space now, as he’s using a larger dresser in his room that better coordinates with his bunk beds (see here). This four-drawer dresser and 3-cube shelf in expresso match the end table that was already in the guest room, so I knew it’d all work together well.
I continued to use the futon as a guest bed. I have the most beautiful handmade quilt from a sweet church friend that I decided to use as bedding.
I had the old mirror from our bathroom when we moved in that coordinated well with a collage frame I already had, and I had a pair of floral prints in red and yellow, framed in black, from a local East Tennessee photographer that I went to high school with years ago. I knew they’d tie in nicely as wall décor.
I have some wood pieces I included too – the rocking chair that was my parents’ first piece of new furniture that was passed down to me for little man’s nursery and a handmade wooden cradle that was a gift to my parents and I when I was born from my dad’s friend, the woodmaker. I included these in this room because, once Jake and I are married and are ready to expand our family, this room will convert to a nursery, so it seemed wise to go ahead and use these in this space.
I also had some brown, burgundy, and green striped sheers for the windows from a previous space in an old house, and it seemed to tie in well enough in this room, so up they went.
Here’s a tour of how the space turned out!
Here’s the bed – and the BEAUTIFUL handmade quilt from Ms. Sandy at church. How beautiful is this?! I paired it with white sheets and some throw pillows I purchased a few years back at a thrift shop. The end table was already in the guest room and I got it from a local furniture outlet in my home county – for my East Tennessee friends, check out Dandridge Furniture Outlet but remember to have cash! Again, the mirror was repurposed from the bathroom when we moved in – and I love that it really goes from end to end of the top of the futon. Since it’s basically a bed without a headboard, I like that the mirror kind of creates a pseudo-headboard illusion.
Here’s the dresser with the local photography over it. I’m really happy with how it turned out! I’ve also included a convenience basket for my guests (more on that in a few minutes!), a plant, a decorative sign, and a box of tissues.
Next is the gorgeous handmade cradle and the rocking chair passed down from my parents. I used these as places to store additional linens – pillows in the cradle and a blanket over the top of the rocking chair. I also used the collage frame that coordinated with the mirror and refilled it with pictures of myself, Jake, little man, and our families.
Here’s the little 3-cube shelf. I added some additional decorative items, a lamp, and a clock. I personally like for every room in the house to have access to a clock, so that was important to me.
Oh! As a side note – I didn’t get rid of all the things I was storing. In fact, several of the items I plan to sell online actually fit under the futon. Also, I used the dresser to store the gifts and the baby shower decorations. This means I have organized them, have easy access to them, and they’re blocked from view. Total win in my book!
If you’re redoing your own guest room, I have a few tips on items to include to make your guests feel super welcome.
- Tissues – you never know what they might be allergic to – your pets, the seasonal items blooming in your yard, or the room freshener spray you use.
- A basket of bathroom supplies – having extra soap bars, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and shampoo are a nice touch in case your guest has forgotten their overnight supplies. I also added body lotion and Glade room spray in my basket.
- A laundry basket – they may need a space to store their dirty clothing items until they repack as their visit comes to a close. Mine is a spare one I have from Dollar Tree, so it doesn’t have to be expensive or fancy, as long as it serves the purpose well and is clean.
- A trash can – for those tissues, or wrappers from the bar soap you’ve provided.
- Reading material – it can be hard to fall asleep outside of your own bed. It almost doesn’t matter WHAT you provide, as long as there’s access to something they can page through during a delay in sleep. I have Nicholas Sparks novels and some magazines in my guest space.
Remember, I bought NOTHING new for this room redo! Every decorative piece or linen came from my own storage – and so many of us that have lived on our own for a while, have combined homes with a loved one, or just like to purchase new (or new-to-us) décor often have excess items that can decorate an entire space and make it feel NEW without paint, cost, or TOO much sweat!
What’ve you got hidden away that might bring your space to life or give it a face lift?
What do you think of my guest room makeover and re-organization? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
Kate with a Twang 