Guest Bedroom Progress

The last few months I've been working to spruce up one of our guest bedrooms.  It has a twin size bed, and also functions as Mr. DE's main closet.  It was a child's room in the previous owner's home, so I wanted to update the decor to fit us a bit better.   

Here is a photo from our home's inspection, with the children's theme border and lots of toys! 

Here is the bedroom now, with a fun and colorful palette.   I just love how cheery it is.  Most of our home is in more neutral colors, but I thought I could have some fun in the bedroom and really make it colorful and happy.  I think it worked. 

I made the headboard myself, based on Young House Love's tutorial, found here.  I made a headboard a few years ago for our other guest bedroom, and it was so easy I decided to do another one. The fabric is from Calico Corners, it is a Buffalo Check in sunshine, found here.  For the locals, I bought the wood frames for the headboard at Blicks.  Having the straight lines from the check pattern made it very easy to keep everything straight as I stapled the fabric onto the headboard.

I sewed the throw pillow.  The chevron fabric is from Premier Fabrics, and it is their zig zag pattern in chartreuse, found here.  I may sew another throw pillow a little smaller, just because this one turned out to be too similar in size to the blue sham, and I think a smaller one will look better.  The pillow inserts are from Joann Fabrics.

I made the bedskirt in the matching Calico Corner's fabric.  It was really easy actually.  I had an old ruffly one on there, and I just cut the ruffles off, keeping the fabric portion that went between the mattress and the box spring. I then placed that fabric scrap from the old bedskirt back on top of the box spring, leaving the mattress off, and pinned the check fabric on to the old bedskirt scrap, creating pleats at the corners.  That way, I could adjust the check fabric while it was hanging there.  It didn't take long and it looks custom.

The blue quilt and sham are from Pottery Barn, found here, in Blue Dusk. The color is actually much softer in person and goes really well with the curtains.  




I really love how the curtains turned out. The fabric is Robert Allen Les Fauves Grasslands.  It is a really bright, happy fabric.  I bought it on sale from The Fabric Corner in Arlington.  I sewed these in a more casual style than the drapes in my living room.  In my living room, I followed Janell's excellent tutorial for fully lined drapes (found here).  For this room, I went with something a little more casual and less time intensive. These drapes are unlined.  I based the curtains on the instructions in the new Design Sponge at Home book.  Although I did sew a rod pocket (just in case I want to use it down the line), I bought drapery hooks and rings and used those to hang the drapes on the rod (all hooks, rings and rods were from Joanns - got to love the coupons!).

 
 If I could sew these again, I would add a fabric interfacing like Janell advises in her tutorial to the top hem - it would add a lot of structure to the top and make it easier to attach the drapery hooks without poking through the front of the drape by accident! Since I was going for a more casual look though, these look fine. My advice is to pick a fun fabric, and no one will notice the imperfections!


 
 The walls are painted Rice Grain, by Sherwin Williams.

There are still some things on the "to do" list for this room (don't tell Mr. DE, he thinks it's done). Some art for the walls, a new light fixture, maybe some new furniture.  The wall space above the headboard is screaming for a fun little mirror.  But most of that will be down the road, as I find things that I love.  But I am really happy with how this is coming along!  I smile every time I see this room.