It only took three years of living in our house, but we finally have a room that is completely, 100% DONE! We’ve officially put the finishing touches on the guest room and I’m so excited to share the room reveal with you! This room was three years in the making and during that time, it went through three distinct phases. Keep reading to see the space when we first moved in, during each subsequent phase, and now.
The Guest Room Before
As a reminder, this is what the guest room looked like when we first moved in. It was pretty much a white box devoid of personality with questionable carpets, but that made it the perfect blank slate.
The guest room in March 2020
The Guest Room Phase One
We love hosting, so we knew we wanted to get the guest room set up pretty quickly after moving in. We had a guest room in our previous condo, so we had all the furniture we needed already. Back in 2020 when we were setting the guest room up, I was picturing a light and airy oasis, so I painted the walls a greige color. We didn’t have the budget for new furniture, so we just used black metal bed frame and IKEA dresser from our condo.
During phase one we:
- Painted the walls “Dove” by Behr, a light greige color
- Furnished the room with furniture from our old condo
- Purchased new bedding and throw pillows
- Installed a curtain rod and hung curtains
- Added my all-time favorite area rug
The guest room in September 2021
The Guest Room Phase 2
In March 2022, I accepted a new job where I’d be working from home full time and at some point during my job search, I had the idea of turning the rarely used guest room closet into a “cloffice” for me. We kicked off the next phase of the guest room pretty much as soon as I accepted the job with the goal of having new floors installed and a new paint color on the walls by the first day of my new job. We ended up pushing back the floors a bit, but the paint made a HUGE difference and we got the cloffice finished just in time for my first day.
During phase two we:
- Painted the walls and trim Conifer Green by Behr, a moody green color
- Removed the closet doors and shelf
- Built and installed a floating desk in the closet (this one was all Darian)
- Ripped up the carpet
- Installed the same LVP we have in our main bedroom and office
- Installed shoe molding
- Hung new art above the bed
The guest room in March 2022
Our Moody Guest Room
The final version of the guest room has been a slow burn!
To finish the guest room we:
- Purchased a queen bed frame, mattress, and box spring
- Replaced the IKEA dresser with a vintage Facebook Marketplace find
- Hired an electrician to install a ceiling light
- Installed sconces on either side of the bed
- Replaced the faux florals in the room with dried florals
- Hung blackout curtains
- Freshened up the bedding with a new throw blanket and new accent pillows
This final phase was really all about furniture and aesthetics and it was so much fun to put everything together! Switching out the dark metal bed frame for a linen upholstered one made all the difference in this space. Between all dark furniture and a dark wall color, the previous version of the room felt really weighed down. The light color of the new bed makes everything feel so much more balanced. Aside from the bed, it was the little details that made the biggest impact. Swapping out the bland throw pillows for more interesting ones with varying textures and patterns made everything feel more put together, and styling the nightstands and dresser added character to the space.
The design process for this room is part of what inspired my recent post about the eight elements that make every room feel complete – and I think the presence of each of these elements is what makes me love this space so much! The woven blanket on the bed brings texture to the space. The linen bed provides much-needed contrast and looks stunning against the dark green walls. I actually think pattern was the most needed element in this space – the pillows are what really made it feel finished to me. Between the walls, rug, and pillows, there’s no shortage of color in this room. And the queen bed and 8×10 rug fit the space perfectly. Sizing up in the throw pillows made a big difference in terms of scale, too – the previous pillows were 20×20 and the new ones are 22×22. The new ones fit the space much better and actually make the bed feel bigger! Replacing the faux florals with dried florals made a big difference, too. The dresser and a few of the styling accessories serve as the vintage element and make the space feel more bespoke. And finally, layering in three light sources (sconces, lamp, and ceiling light), provides depth and interest.
It was a long road to get here, but I’m so thrilled with how this room turned out. It’s the perfect cozy space for our guests and a functional and comfortable workspace for me. It makes me so happy to open the door to this beautiful view when I start my workday every morning! This was really our first foray into incorporating color into our home and it’s solidified my love of moody spaces.
And there you have it – our first fully completed room! It feels so good to have at least one room that’s completely finished. And now that the guest room is done, we’re starting on our next project SOON! With this weekend being our last weekend before football season, it’s our last chance to dedicate a full weekend to a project until December. Keep an eye on my Instagram stories (you can find me at @applecreekhome) for more info about the project we’ll be diving into in just a few days. I’m sharing more about it on the blog on Friday too, so be sure to check back then for more updates!
[…] loving the change! I’d actually been mulling over the idea of painting the bedroom ever since we finished our guest room, but I was having a hard time committing to a color. I have to give Darian a shout-out because he […]