Tag: Guest Room

Mossy Olive Green
I was thinking about that fantastic shade of green where mossy green meets olive, and I remembered that we had a green Parsons desk from West Elm sitting unused. (And they used to come in so many colors! Now just white? Snooze.)

I was trying to figure out where we could place it. My desk is larger and I like having the room to spread out. The kids weren’t interested in it for their rooms. Where do you put stuff you don’t have a home for? The guest room! How many times can I change things up in there? I’m going for a record.

SOURCES: Parsons Desk, West Elm (discontinued color) • Brass Collins Sconce, Pottery Barn (similar) • Mirror, Ballard Designs (similar or similar) • Brass Dot Boxes, West Elm • Drippy Vase, South Loop Loft • Jane Lamp, Jayson Home • Vintage Chippendale Chair (similar)

There were a few chips on the left side above the drawer, but I touched them up and you wouldn’t even spot them now unless you were searching. The vintage chair is the pair to the one I added to August’s room, and I stole a lamp from our bedroom for the shot so I’ll be on the lookout for something else to take its place.

I could not find any green parsons desks on the market right now, but I did round up a bunch of other finds that I’ve spotted lately. I saw that Samara sofa below (#13) over the weekend, and it was even prettier in person.
1. Avec Apartment Sofa with Brass Legs, CB2
  Nice legs! Nice everything, really.
2. Clark Dining Chair in Forest Green, Lulu & Georgia
  Simple, modern, cute.
3. Macha Waves Quilt, Bohem
  The guest room needs some green elsewhere to balance out the new desk. Maybe this throw over the end of the bed? But it doesn’t really work with the pillow. Hmmmm.
4. Embrace Chair, Article
  This comes in pink and teal and other colors too, but surprise! I’m loving the green best.
5. Framed Abstract Graphic Print, West Elm
  Super into the movement of the lines and the drippy grid. I like things drippy (she says, as she realizes how gross that sounds)!
6. Green Velvet Lumbar Pillow, World Market
  If you don’t need a whole new couch but with yours were green, perhaps this pillow will sate your desire? For $17, it’s worth a try.
7. Matte Green Ceramic Pottery Lamps, South Loop Loft / Chairish
  I have seen these in person and they are attention-grabbing! Large and aggressively green, but I mean that in the best way.
8. Giraffes Pillow, Kate Spade
  Stick your neck out!
9. Factory Light No. 9 Pendant, Schoolhouse Electric
  A brand new color for this pendant and I’m crushing on it hard.
10. Real Good Chair, Blu Dot
  I own this in copper, but it’s lovely in olive or green.
11. Flowers in Vase, Ruti Shaashua / Artfully Walls
  The sketched flowers juxtaposed with the more detailed vase!
12. Green Fern #8 Print, Barloga Studios / Leif
  Maidenhair ferns are delicate and fickle and I’ve never been able to mist them daily to keep them alive for any length of time. A print it is.
13. Forest Green Samara Sofa, World Market
  You cannot flip the seat cushions. Other than that? I have no bad things to say about this.
14. Temescal Green Vase, CB2
  Would be pretty with our without flowers.
15. Picnic Green Tassel Pillow, Kate Spade
  It looks all cute and teeny, but it’s 20×20. Those tassels are major.
September 19, 2017
The Guest Room, Painted Pink

This post is sponsored by Dutch Boy^® Paints.

Why did I hesitate to paint the guest room anything other than pink?

The walls were white when we moved in, and they were fine. Unobtrusive and neutral, but kind of boring. When I finished selecting the furniture working on the room’s and layout, the walls were still white and I thought, hey, this would be a fun opportunity to go really bold with the color! I tried a rich, deep teal. It was a pretty color, but so clearly wrong for the space. I thought about going in a different direction, skim coating the walls and putting up wallpaper, but this was just supposed to be a quick project! I knew repainting was in my future.

I had resisted pink because it’s so often my go-to and I wanted to try something different. But in this case, pink truly was a great choice for the room. Lovely and soft, but still a noticeable color. I used the new Dutch Boy^® Platinum Plus Interior Paint + Primer formula in Peachy-Keen (306-2DB). It turned out awesome! Here’s a shot after I did the cutting in and just before rolling the walls.

I like a flat finish for walls, and this paint has primer built-in. It covered in just one coat even over the dark color. Dutch Boy Paint’s new Platinum Plus formula with Stain-Shield Technology is durable and easy to clean, and it’s a great price at around $35/gallon.

Most of the furniture is the same as it was when I first showed the guest room A few months ago. I moved the bench to the foot of the bed and turned the dresser, but I kept the teal chair and side table where they were, and it’s the same bed (which fits the space so perfectly). The big difference is that I got rid of the single nightstand and brought in a matching vintage pair. I painted them black, using the same paint I used on the doors: Dutch Boy^® Dura Clean^™ Cabinet, Door, & Trim in Authentic Black (437-7DB).

I like to mix sets so that the nightstand(s) and dresser aren’t perfectly matching, and I think every room benefits from interesting vintage pieces or antiques. I’m proud of how this room is turning out, but the matchy-matchy definitely was a little more ‘catalog’ than I personally like for my home. The dresser stayed, but was rotated and put on the adjacent wall.

I’m very into the black nightstands and the contrast they add. I don’t always go for symmetry, but a room with the bed centered like this makes perfect sense for this space.

That peachy pink is so good in the room. The new wall color even made the existing carpet look better! It’s low on the list of priorities to replace, and I think the white walls called more attention to it. Now it’s the subtle flooring backdrop it should be.

The bedding stayed the same too. I added a pom pom bedskirt that’s super cute, but I kept the white sheets, duvet cover with subtle embroidery, and statement pillow. That pillow totally makes the bed, and now the wall color plays up those pink tones.

I’m thinking I’ll probably do something fun with the window in the future, but now that the wall color is right, it doesn’t feel nearly as pressing. And pink! You know I’m always down for more pink. This Peachy-Keen is perfect for a room with interesting angles and not a whole lot of natural light.

Room by room, this house is getting closer to my overall vision for it. This was such an easy change too, mostly just the paint! It was pretty before, but now it feels so warm and personal. Not bad for a gallon of paint and a day’s work.

July 18, 2017
Lambrequins and Bedskirts, Oh My

What’s old is new again. I’m pretty excited about a couple of traditional/granny details I’m bringing into the guest room.

The window in there is decently sized, but it’s low to the ground and beneath a steeply pitched roof. I stuck a bamboo shade in my paint color mockups as a placeholder, but that’s all it was intended to be. We can do something a little more fun, yes? I do like a good lambrequin and I’ve never had occasion to use one. Until now?

Something a little like this.

(Fun to see two takes on the same style, isn’t it? Both rooms are by Phoebe Howard.)

So my pattern would come from fabric, not wallpaper. Then I could do a cute pom-pom bedskirt, or an equally cute one with scallops, but I’m into the idea of repeating the window fabric. Like so.

I’ve made a crib skirt before — same basic concept. The lambrequin will be a little trickier to execute, but I’ll figure it out. Also, how clear is it from two of the three above photos that my room needs to be pink? Duh. It’s obviously the prettiest color and exceedingly lovely. I don’t know why I even considered anything else.

June 26, 2017
Right Color, Wrong Space

I was going for drama and bold color in the guest room, but it’s just so damn dark in there.

I had almost a gallon of paint leftover from the den, and I was eager to do some painting. I knew it was a risk, but I was excited about making a big change and I went for it. I love the color downstairs! I hate the color upstairs!

There’s more light coming in from two much larger windows. The ceiling is white. The wall color is broken up by blush pink curtains, art, and a wall of french doors. Upstairs? One small window placed low, walls that close in on you because of the roof pitch, and no delineation with just a single door breaking things up. I wanted cozy, but it’s more like a cave. And not a cute designery chic cave. It doesn’t feel good to be in that room. It’s not cute even walking by and seeing it from the hallway.

I still like the mockup and idea, but in reality, the bed is backlit and the white bedding reflects the dark teal surrounding it.

It was a big old mistake. But it’s just paint! Time to rethink and try again.

The walls curve to meet the ceiling throughout our finished attic, and I prefer to treat them as one rather than creating an arbitrary line to break them up. Wallpapering the entire room with a small scale print would be super sweet, but the plaster is textured and I wasn’t going to skim-coat the third floor anytime soon. I’m seriously wondering if I should do it now though? It’s messy and time-consuming to DIY, or messy and expensive to hire out, but you know I love a good wallpaper and that’s the only way it can happen.

I’ve loved that room by Thomas O’Brien forever, though that print is probably too geometric for the wonky angles of our guest room. Something with more movement like our hallway paper would be easier to pull off.

And while I’m not an accent wall fan, the example below is lovely. They actually do continue the wallpaper around, it’s just very low and the ceiling is planked.

Another planked ceiling example (this time with beadboard, which is a better fit for my house). I like the nonstandard trim color, too.

I’ve only done one coat, so at least I’ve only wasted one day’s work. The problem is that I’m not really sure yet what I’d rather see instead. This was supposed to be a quick and easy update. Cheap and cheerful. And now I’m like, I should skim-coat, rip up the carpeting, redo the floors, and hang wallpaper!

Or you know. Just repaint. But what color(s)?

June 14, 2017
Guest Room Color Scheming

I recently worked on the guest room as part of a styling shoot. It’s super cute as it is, but I’d like to make a few changes and to bring it to the next level. It’s so close to completion that I want to continue working on it to see it through! The furniture is all new, and all from the same source. Obviously, that’s great for a shoot, but for real life it’s missing the soul and patina that antiques and vintage pieces bring. The lamps are good and I like the bed and bedding, but the curtains are not great (especially if I’m keeping that antique portrait above the bed — the rod cuts right across it).

It’s a funny space, all angles and textured plaster. The entire third floor had been painted bright white before we bought the place, but I think this attic bedroom would be perfect as a cozy space rather than trying to force the light and bright thing that doesn’t come naturally because of the architecture.

When our house had been split into apartments, the third floor had a main living room with a large closet, a kitchen with enough room for a small table, tiny bathroom, and two bedrooms sans-closets under the eaves. We’re using the kitchen as a craft room, and the main living area was a playroom for us that I’m now transitioning into my office (still waiting on major pieces to arrive). The bathroom got a makeover with a hand-painted tumbling blocks pattern, and the smaller of the two bedrooms hasn’t really been touched.

Some of it is farther along in my head than in real life, but this is a rough representation of the layout with color and design choices.

A lot of what you see in that board represents actual furniture and finishes, but not everything. Specifically, I’m talking about that black nightstand. It’s one a refinished vintage pair of nightstands, and I’m in love! My kids use the guest room for sleepovers though, and they aren’t always kind to lovely, smooth finishes. I found an inexpensive set on the Facebook marketplace with similar lines and I’m painting them black. They’re currently in the garage awaiting their third and final coat.

So now I’m trying to home in on the wall color. I’m thinking a deep, muted teal, but I also love olive green, mustard, and brown. Not gray, and surprisingly, not pink! I saw a blue room with black trim at the Lake Forest Showhouse last month (I’ll recap it soon), and I’ve been wondering if that’s a combination I need in my life.

June 7, 2017
Walter von Nessen (and Inspired) Mushroom Lamps
I used a pair of mushroom lamps recently in our guest room. I like the 60s/70s style they bring to the space, taking it a little more mod than the rest of the house.

They were inspired by the Walter von Nessen NT1037 mushroom table lamp, which featured solid brass construction and a choice of finishes (brass, chrome, nickel, enamel paint, and a plastic dome). Besides the obvious differences in finishes and silhouette, the Nessen lamps were also a larger in scale at 27″ tall and 16″ in diameter. You can still find vintage originals via 1st Dibs or Chairish.

There are several lamps drawing inspiration from those original mushroom lamps on the market right now though, in addition to the pair I picked up. Here’s how they compare.
- Threshold Metal Table Lamp, Target — $42.99
  The base column is much thicker than the others, and it’s made of a base metal with a brassy gold finish on the outside. 20″ tall, 13.5″ in diameter. Also available with a light bulb for a few dollars more.
- Tiered Shade Table Lamp, West Elm — $149
  The tiers pull inspiration from Art Deco fixtures and the column is very slender. Also made of a base metal with a faux antique brass finish. 20″ tall, 17″ in diameter.
- Sidnie Lamp, Schoolhouse Electric — $449
  Made of natural brass with a painted steel base, and designed with thoughtful details like a cloth-covered cord and more finished interior with rotary switch. 19.5″ tall, 12″ in diameter. Also available in white or royal blue for $299.
Real talk, the Target lamps are fine, but the thicker base and connection between the base and shade are not my favorite. They’re also lightweight and easily tipped over, but the price was right and they were for a guest room that mostly hosts the kids’ occasional sleepovers. If I were buying them for a different spot where we’d see and use them all the time, I would have invested in the far lovelier version from Schoolhouse Electric. I even prefer their styling over the Nessen originals.

Which is your favorite? And if the answer is different (as it was in my case), which would you buy?
May 22, 2017