Guest Room Tour

 Well I should start out by saying that this room is located in the quasi-unfinished basement our house, so all of the framing, electrical, sheetrocking, mudding, taping, sanding, texturing, flooring, trim work, etc. was all done by us. 

And when I say "us", I obviously mean my husband.

(Although if some guys can get away with saying things like "we're pregnant", I should totally be able to take credit for contracting work that I watched someone else do, but whatever.)

There was a day though, that I stood on a chair, holding up ceiling board WITH MY HEAD while Luke drilled in all of the corners of sheetrock, and I take a lot of pride in that half hour of participation. 

Seriously, he did such a great job with the whole thing. I'm super proud of his work and thankful that God decided to make one of us incredibly detailed-oriented when it comes to measurements, so that the other one of us can be like "Eh, good enough" and focus on other important things like paint colors and thread counts. Once all the walls were up, I was free to paint and decorate, and I had a blast doing this whole room.

So I'll give a tour (as much as I can virtually), going clock-wise.

The floor is laminate-wood textured planks with beveled edges that we LOVE. Luke is usually a purist when it comes to building materials, but we needed a nice-looking, affordable flooring option for the guest room that was non-porous because basements often flood during the spring where we live. Thankfully we haven't had any water problems since we got these floors (and got new gutters. huh.) and they've held up beautifully for the past couple years.

They are incredibly easy to install, and we're planning on laying them down in the rest of the main basement area this spring, which I am oh so excited about it.

Next is my hope chest, which I inherited from my mom and finally gave a makeover to this last summer. 

 

It used to look like this, in all of its 1970's glory.

I had called my mom and said "Are you sure it's ok with you if I paint it? I mean.. it is cedar."

She was like "Um, I'll be upset if you DON'T paint it. That thing is hideous."

My mother, the sentimental fool. 

Same woman who sold her own wedding dress at a garage sale for $8.

At least I know where I get my attachment disorder from.

Anyway, I got the fabric and the pretty hardware for it from Hobby Lobby (the mothership), spray painted it white, and the whole thing turned out to be a Cinderella story for the ages.

This chair is the newest addition to this room and it still makes me swoon.

I got it from a discount store that sells overstock from places like Target, and the brand new stuff you can find there for cheap is amazing. 

(Minnesota friends, go to Cartfull in North Branch if you haven't already. It's where dreams come true.)

I found the cute pillow at Walmart.

Because home decor that casually greets you? Yes please!

But home decor that bosses you around? Umm... I'll Live, Laugh or Love whenever I dang well please, thank you very much. 

(This might not come as a surprise, but I was a very difficult child to parent.)

This is my travel-themed wall collage that I had been dreaming of putting in a guest room for yeeeeeaaars, so finally being able to do it was such a treat.

The vintage camera, street map of Rome, and mi Casa es su Casa were all free printables I found online that I framed.

The compass/arrow sign I made from a blank pallet sign from the craft section of Walmart, that I stained with Dark Walnut and then drew on with a white paint marker. So easy, its almost cheating.

That gorgeous canvas painting of the birch trees is actually from an artist in Wisconsin that my mom bought for me at a summer art fair.

The Adventure Awaits print and the wood arrow are both from Hobby Lobby.

We put two of the industrial shelves up (the ones I should be banned from because it's become an obsession and there are like 4-5 rooms in my house decorated with varying sizes of them. I can't stop.)

And on them are mostly just knick knacks from our life and travels- sand from Carmel Beach, books that were a really special gift to me, a matryoshka doll from my trip to Russia, some pictures from Ireland, etc.

Oh and then of course one of the really special fake plants I bought from when I travelled down to IKEA, by the Mall of America. 35 minutes from my house. 

 Those are the trips I'll always cherish most.

Speaking of Ikea, is a house even considered a home without at least 1-3 Hemnes bed frames in it?

Ours would definitely not be, because we have a Hemnes bed in every different size AND color, no joke. We love them.

They're surprisingly sturdy (anything from Ikea that doesn't wobble is always something I describe as "Surprisingly sturdy!") and they have wooden slats instead of requiring a box spring, which is the real selling point for us. 

The white duvet cover is also from Ikea, as are the pillows, as is my love for bizarre swedish things.

(The checkered throw pillow is from Walmart, and this one doesn't say anything to you.)

The wreath is from Hobby Lobby, and the empty window frame behind it is actually just some wooden dowels that we nailed together and spray painted, because I didn't have time to go dumpster diving for an actual window frame. Proving again, that cheaters always win.

(Joking. It's A JOKE.)

And then on this wall, I hung the pine boards that I stained (Dark Walnut again, because it's the Hemnes bed of stains.) and tacked bull clips onto, to hold some of my post card collection.

My vision for the room was for it to be more neutral toned (unlike the rest of my house, where I do abusive things with the color wheel), and that the travel theme would be just enough to give it a little panache, but still subtle and not overdone.

I'm really pleased with what a tranquil, pretty space it has become over the years we've worked on it.

Although some other selling points I forgot to mention are:

1.) There is no closet, so this whole room I've been showing you around is technically not even considered an actual room. We hope you prefer your clothes wrinkled.

2.) There isn't a bathroom in our basement yet, so you either have to go up a flight of steps or set up a chamber pot situation in the hallway down there. 

What can I say, we pride ourselves on our classy hospitality.

3.) I basically gave birth to three loud elephants, so our guests have the pleasure of receiving a 7am wake-up call through their ceiling, reminiscent of the stampede scene in Lion King, possibly accompanied with a voice yelling "CAN SOMEONE GET ME SOME MORE TOILET PAPER?"

We are nothing, if not considerate of each other's beauty sleep in this house.

The flip side of that coin, however, is that we always have good food and impeccable taste in television.

But I still understand if that doesn't entirely make up for the chamber pot thing.

If you're ever in the area and need a place to stay with zero peace and quiet, you're always welcome :)