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Saturday 30 March 2019

March Madness - Guest Bedroom Makeover



The Guest Bedroom Makeover.
Another box ticked in March.  Almost.

Much March Madness has been going on in my home.  
I summarised in my previous post how much attention I've given Chez Pout during the month.  
Here's the guest bedroom, the focus of recent attention.  It's an almost finished room but I just had to share it with you NOW!




The scheme is blue and white and a light putty colour.


The Room Before (pics from about 5 years ago)


The room is long and narrow. 
It was bitty and a bit bland.  It lacked "identity".
I changed it round a bit a few years ago, after these shots,  but only a little and I knew it was unfinished work.



The glazed door at the end goes through to the ensuite shower room - it was a wardrobe run when I bought the house; that changed pretty soon after moving in!
A double wardrobe was built using one of the old wardrobe mirror doors (just in sight on the right).



The Makeover

So, the room was long overdue a revamp and I had to decide what elements would drive this project.  That was the easy part.  
1)  the large Japanese islands oil painting.  It's big and doesn't fit in any other room.  I had it in my bedroom in my previous house and I've had it for 27 years so it ain't going nowhere!
2) the blue velvet Victorian nursing chair, which belonged to TP's grandmother.

These two items were the key drivers.  So blue was the colour for this room, obvs.  Then came the hard part, the makeover!



During the Makeover


We're messy workers.


But you've got to break eggs eh ...?


The Almost-finished Room


We switched the brownware roll top desk for the white glass top desk.  I felt it created a dressing table and determined the mood of the room.  I then painted the limed mirror white and we positioned it to span the desk.  It reflects light from the window opposite and creates the illusion of width in this narrow room.

A surprise bonus were the old bedside cupboards.    Adding the old brass bedstead, surplus from the main bedroom, added an inch of width to the bed, which meant the cabinets now didn't quite fit the already-tight space either side of the bed.  Removal of the bedstead wasn't an option as it had been 
a b*%%#& to fit difficult to fit, so TP came up with plans to saw bits off the cabinet tops and take out chunks of skirting board.  
I stepped back and paused, had a "ha'peth of tar" moment and said "You know what, I'll buy smaller nightstands!".  And just like that, the v.old cabinets were queued for the charity shop.

 But when tidying up the mess after painting, I happened to shove one of them out of my way, next to the dressing table.  Then as I tidied some more, I was suddenly inspired to see if the two fitted either side.  They did, just!  So they stayed.

I like the run of desk and cabinets and they provide extra storage.  Maybe I'll freshen them up with a lick of paint, maybe I won't.


Similarly, I'm undecided about painting the old chest, but it needs to stay at the end of the bed to stop the bed sliding all over the wooden floor on its castors!


The glazed Billys from Ikea are tremendously good storage and a few years ago when they switched walls I had a carpenter build shelves up to the wall.


TP tidied up the dangly TV cabling in trunking.



Yes, that troublesome brass bedstead was so going to be dumped when it became surplus to requirements after the arrival of the new master bedroom whizzy bed, but I thought I'd give it a go in here before it left the house and I liked it!  The brass links to the touches of gold in the picture frame.


TP refreshed three walls with a putty coloured paint and although he wasn't convinced at first, we added a blue wall to echo the blue in the painting and bedding to knit the room colours together.  It balances out the long corridor effect of this room shape and creates a cosy feel.


Everything else was washed and ironed and looks fresh again.


The Deets

Expenses
Valspar emulsion paint (great coverage):
2 pots Sling Your Hook (light putty), £30
1 pot Self Soothing (blue), £15
Duvet from M&S, £35
Nightstands, 2 x £69 + delivery, £147.95 (currently in transit)


Freebies
Leftover Dulux Trade white eggshell for mirror surround.
Bed, bed set, curtains, rug,  etc, existing. 
Desk swapped in to create a dressing table.
Cabinets flanking the desk, no longer fitting the original space and were going to be charitied.
Bedstead a throw-out from the master bedroom makeover and was destined for the charity shop too.


So for a little over £200 and a bit of washing and furniture shifting, the room has been revamped.
My guests will enjoy a fresh spring feel to the room - La Duchesse, what do you think of 'your' room now ?!!



2018 was my year of Light Touch.
I've declared 2019 to be my year of returning things to their rightful place in the house.
I've lived here 16 years and over the years things have been chopped and changed and switched and some are no longer where they are best suited. This white desk is a perfect example of my 2019 Right Place drive - it's natural place is here.


  
Ok this isn't a modern room makeover.   It's not all black and moody and mid last century.  It's traditional.  
You will see that the decor style was determined by the style of existing hard and soft furnishings as I didn't want to spend too much on this room after splurging on a full makeover in the master bedroom!  So it's perhaps a bit "old lady" in decor terms.  But the room had always been hotch potch, thrown together with a bit of this and a bit of that.  It still is, I 'spose, but it seems a bit more cohesive now, more singular in style.
I think a lot has been achieved here for a handful of loose change  and a bit of graft - I've made a silk purse out of a sow's ear and the room is now inviting and pretty.

I hope you like our work!


Do you have a neglected spare room, filled with furnishings that had nowhere else to go?  
A room that could perhaps benefit from taking a step back and a rethink?
It's surprising what can be achieved with a small budget when you focus on a room's identity driven by what you already have.
Some of this room's changes have been purely accidental - The Universe can sometimes be your interior designer!



A la perchoine,
Mary x



















32 comments:

  1. I love it! When can I come and stay?

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    1. Thanks, sweet JC. I'll let you know when I'm open for business!
      Happy weekend hugs, x.

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  2. Looks so pretty and fresh now. If take in B AND B i will be making a booking. Love - Jill stylishatsixty
    www.stylishatsixtyt.wordpress.com

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    1. Thanks so much, Jill. Now there's an idea, B&Bing!!! Thanks for the inspo, have super Saturday, x.

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  3. The room turned out so well and I am glad your inspiration pieces (the painting and nursing chair) drove your new look - they are fabulous. My favorite is the dressing table - it is gorgeous! Love the chandelier too - I want a chandy in each room of my house, I am slowly but surely getting there!
    Hugs to you and TP and a pat on the back for a job well done!
    xo,
    Kellyann

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    1. Thank you sweet sista. Oh heck, you've now got me obsessing about the dressing table and chandelier now ... I want to sleep in here and be a guest in my own house!!!
      Wishing you much luck in your quest to fill Chez Blonde with chandeliers, happy weekend hugs, x.

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  4. You have worked wonders and the room looks very inviting. I am sure that any guest to your house will be very comfortable in this room - they might not want to leave!!!

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    1. Thanks so much Christy. Oh heck, I hadn't thought about guests not wanting to leave!I
      Hugs, x.

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  5. Pout,
    Your guest room is so lovely! I kept hearing "a breath of ocean air" in my mind as I was looking at the colors and the changes you have made. Many congratulations! I believe that once we start creating, the inspiration flows out of us and things have a habit of finding us...miracles abound no? Have another room in mind? Can't wait!! Have a great weekend and thank you for sharing this beauty-J.

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    1. Thanks so much, Jules. Yes, sometimes we have to drop out shields and let the ideas flow in. Oh yes, more rooms to follow. I'll post the main bedroom soon, then work on the kitchen, the front lounge, may be a couple of bathrooms ... be ready for me!
      Hugs, x.

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  6. Looks fab! I love the blue wall and would have done exactly the same. I also love the dressing table, I have one similiar (old Laura Ashley) that I painted with chalk paint and recovered the dressing table chair too. Its amazing what happens once you start! The Billy wardrobes look very chic, we made a pilgrimage to Ikea yesterday (we no longer live near one so was a road trip really) and they do have some amazing designs especially when mixed in with other furniture. I think you have achieved a beautiful roomx

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    1. Thanks, Lin, sounds like we're decorating sisters. Your LA table sounds even prettier now you've given it a makeover.
      I am sooo jel of your Ikea trip - living on an island means a trip to Ikea is a rare off-island treat.
      I've been going there since 1976 so you could say I'm a big fan!
      Hugs, x.

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  7. Oh fabulous! Just like you want a English bedroom to be! I love it!

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    1. Oh Nancy, I love your comment - yes it is a typical English bedroom!
      Hugs, x.

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  8. The newly revamped guest bedroom looks amazing; what a fantastic job. It looks so inviting and soothing. I'm jealous that I will not get to use it this summer but I'm sure P & A will be delighted that they will be able to stay there!!!

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    1. So glad you approve! Well, shame you won't be here first, Dutchie, but you can see that your family will be very comfortable in here eh.
      Hugs, x.

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  9. I'd quite like your shabby chic bedroom for myself -it looks very pretty. Thanks for sharing Mary and have a lovely week. Jacqui Mummabstylish

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    1. Thanks, Jacqui, glad you find it pretty cos when I'd finished work I stood back and thought "yeah, that looks pretty"!
      Hugs, x.

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  10. Oooh! A travelling bed! Can I book in for a stay? I think the room looks wonderful. It's fresh, calm and so comfortable. I'm very envious of all the storage you have and I'd love to put my make up on at your dressing table...

    You've done a brilliant job, Mary. What's next?

    Have a great week.
    xxxx

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    1. Oh I hadn't thought of it as being a travelling bed! Yes, fresh and calm describes it well, thanks. I try to stick storage wherever I can. Next room? Well how about the rest of the house?! Though TP is being more practical and says the next project will be the shed replacement ... Boring!
      Hugs, x.

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  11. Oh Mary! Love,Love,Love! I love the desk the most but I love it all! You have done such a marvellous job here. I'm having nightmares over my main bedroom. It will get there in the end I guess xx

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    1. Ta, ta, ta!!! These rooms are a challenge eh, sorry you're bedroom is proving problematic. I had to work with what I had with this room but the nightstands were an unexpected extra.
      Hugs, x.

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  12. It is a lovely color! I really like what you did with that room.
    www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com

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  13. I think this is so pretty both before and after, actually. Well done you. I like the idea of 2019 returning things to rightful place. For me it so far has been getting rightful furniture. we have finally got a sideboard for the dining room instead of using an old pine record cabinet:)

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    1. Thanks so much AM, I thought it pretty too. I have found that furniture tends to migrate (I'm a change freak!) and then you take a step back and say "this is not the best place". And sometimes it's ha'pth of tar. Your record cabinet sounds a perfect example, changing it for something that is fit for the intended purpose.
      Hugs, x.

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  14. Pretty room and a tribute to your ingenuity! I love the Japanese islands paintings so glad it's not going anywhere. I once had a Swedish colleague who said to me that everyone has a Billy, and I think he's probably right! Thanks for sharing the post at #WowOnWednesday.

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    1. Aww thanks Gail! So glad you like the painting, it's restful and is perfect for a bedroom. Love your Swedish colleague's observation, I'm guessing you have a Billy too?!! They've been around so long, I have a 1980 Ikea catalogue and the Billys are in there, along with many other classics that are still around. Yes, I'm an Ikea nut!
      Hugs, x.

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  15. Your guest room is beautiful! I love the changes you made! I like the trunk at the end of the bed just the way it is. The wood adds extra warmth to the room!

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    1. Thanks so much, Laura, and I think I agree with you. The warmth is needed and the wood is a mate of the wood on the Victorian armchair frame too. Cheers.
      Hugs, Mary

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  16. What a lovely room! I like the way ti all came together and wouldn't change a thing about it now!

    Hope you are having a great weekend :) Another busy one here!

    Away From The Blue

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    1. Thanks so much, Mica, you're convincing me to leave things as they are!
      Hugs and I'm hoping you manage some down time this week, x.

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