Ask Design Mom: Guest Room
Ask-Design-Mom Question:
Hello Design Mom. Your website was referred to me by a friend. I am so glad I visited. I need help with a guest room. I cannot find a design I like. I am the type of person who needs a picture of a room to inspire me nad give me some direction. The room is pretty small. About 10 x 13. I currently have a queen size bed for friends and family who visit. I would like the room to be for 2 people, plus room for a port-a-crib. I'm including photos of the room in its current condition. It needs some spicing up! Thanks, Rachel
Design Mom Answer:
Labels: ask design mom, home
posted by Gabrielle of Design Mom at Thursday, May 24, 2007
4 Comments:
Rachel, I'm not sure if you want to change the carpet or the paint, so I mulled over some ideas to work with what you have.
Hallingby bed from Ikea- $50
Moresund bedside tables from Ikea- $19.99 each, and you should have one for each side
Myleen mirror from Ikea- $9.99 dresser top mirror that would coordinate with the other pieces and your current curtain rod
Classic Stripe Duvet Cover in Leaf Green from Pottery Barn- $149.99
Ambrosia Matelasse Coverlet & Shams in Powder Blue from Pottery Barn- $149.99 & $39.99
And there are a few things that I think a great guest room should have-
Dekad alarm clock from Ikea- $6.99, cute and useful
Bedside carafe from Crate & Barrel- $14.99, a nice consideration for your guests
A folding luggage stand, an interesting book on the bedside or dresser, and some fresh flowers help make the room too. For idea inspiration I like to look at the layouts from my favorite stores online.
we have a crib from belgium and it looks like a regular crib but it is scaled down.
i think the ikea cribs are smaller too. that way you could have a wooden crib but the size of a portacrib.
My 1.5 y-old kid sleeps in a collapsable Pack-n-play every night and loves it. It's super handy because he has one at each grandma's and it's easy to carry along to new places.
If you're leaving the dusty blue floor and pale green walls, how about "spicing up" the room with a contrasting color of fabrics- maybe a tomato-soup orange in a matte fabric? If you're crafty you could just add a strip to those drapes and make a simple cover for the bedspread.
I also love the idea of painting a "frame" square on the wall (in a very subtle version of the orange) and then putting a couple simple black frames inside- maybe even with a round shadowbox, frame shelf or somesuch.
The luggage stand is an excellent suggestion, though I was mortified when I once broke an aging one at a friend's. You could put one of those hangable vases up, and the caraffe thing could be expanded to a tray with snacks, tea bags & a cup-heater thingy. I always take the hotel toiletries home and put them in a basket in the guest bathroom. (Yes, I am a total cheapskate.)
Looks like a comfy room already- have fun adding some personal flavor!
Rachel,
Since this is an extra room, do something EXTRA. You LIVE in the other rooms in the house, but this room you can do something more extreme. Use bold colors on the walls or bold prints in the fabrics. Try current bright colors or bold black and white with one other color. On the walls, do bold art such as Rothko or Kandinsky or Matisse prints.
Or plan the room around your visitors. Do they visit to see family? Then put family pictures on the walls, or their grandchildren's art. Do they visit because you live in a great locale? Then put up prints featuring vintage travel posters of histoic prints of your area.
An extra room is an ideal place to showcase collections. All that stuff you picked up in the Peace Corps, or all those pots you made during your ceramicist phase can go on display.
YES to the luggage stand. At least supply guests with a bench or small table so suitcases don't have to be open on the floor.
Good luck.
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