Guest Room Makeover

Budget Makeover

We purchased our “empty nester” ranch house in 2009.  It is located in a beautiful development adjacent to a small town in a rural section of southeastern Pennsylvania.  The house was 22 years old at the time.  The owner, a single man, had replaced all the major elements but had done nothing to improve the cosmetics. The wall-to-wall carpet in the hall and bedrooms was stained, the appliances were ancient, and each room had the ugliest ceiling fan ever manufactured.  We’ve updated our home in a modest manner, bypassing high-end finishes and concentrating on attractive and durable surfaces instead.

The guest room, never a priority, languished. We had moved in two old-fashioned studio couches so that the grandchildren would have a place to sleep but it was not a very welcoming space.  Below you see the “before” photo taken on the day we moved in.  We used it for storage for several months!

Before

Finally, perfectionist that I am, I became tired of the run-down look of the room.  I had painted it blue and we had installed grey wall-to-wall carpet in the hall and in the bedrooms.  It was looking much better but still not very nice.

After

I started with a pair of Ikea platform beds that I purchased on Craig’s LIst.  With some leftover plywood and scrap faux suede, I upholstered 2 headboards. I also found some black fabric on sale for the bedskirts which I worked so that they had box pleats on the corners and could be fastened to the platform with velcro.  They are both completely lined.  The comforter sets were purchased at Wal-Mart for $25 each.

In the corner of the room, I placed a tall chest that I purchased at auction along with the nightstand for $5.  The chest and nightstand are also Ikea and both were in excellent condition.  The ornate mirror was a Goodwill find that cost $10.  It is very good quality and I hesitated about painting over the gold frame but decided it would look better black.  The round end table was from Target.  It was $79 and I added a glass top for $6.  I placed a small paper doily between the glass and the table.  The wicker chair was another Goodwill find for $25 and was brand new with the tags still on it when I bought it.  I found some blue print fabric on sale at JoAnn’s and made the chair cushion as well as bolsters for the beds.  The sheers at the window are also from Wal-Mart and were $9 per panel.  The floor lamp can be adjusted  and  the light can be lowered by only turning on 3 bulbs at a time–another Wal-Mart item. (My nosy pup, Frazier, had to see what I was up to!)

 

There’s nothing fancy about any of this but little touches bring warmth and coziness to the room.  A couple of knob racks to hang clothing, coordinating teddy bears, a bedside alarm, and a clothes hamper in the closet all contribute to a good experience in the guest room.  I found an old calandar of Ansel Adams black and white nature photos in a thrift shop and framed them with inexpensive snap frames. And because the makeover was so inexpensive, I don’t have to be concerned about breakage when the grandchildren stay over.

Advertisement