Transforming a Guest Room With Bargain Finds and Repurposed Items

One of the first posts on this blog was about repurposing. (see it HERE) It was a post about bringing together things that I'd used in different rooms in my previous homes for one of the guest rooms in my current house. There was a blank slate to begin with--there was nothing in the room save for a mattress on a frame. But by bringing together throw pillows I'd had made for an old sofa, a coverlet I'd used in a different bedroom, drapes that once hung in my old dining room, and a headboard scored at a consignment store for $35, I ended up with a guest room that couldn't have come out any better if I'd planned it from scratch. Well, at least not for about $100 (not counting, of course, the things I dug out of my own closets).

Not much to see in the "Before"--just a sea of builder-white paint.

The "after". The walls are painted Sherwin-Williams "Prairie Grass." The coverlet, sheets, and bedskirt are from Ralph Lauren, and the accent pillows are custom from old Waverly patterns. The drapes are custom as well, the subdued pattern on the panels was originally part of a more elaborate window treatment that included a muted floral tailored valance. Here, I added a bit of detail with oversized tassles. The prints over the bed were found at Hobby Lobby on clearance years ago, and were in the powder room at my old house.

In one corner, an iron plant stand holds a vase filled with dried grasses. (Live plants tend to commit suicide in my presence, so out of respect, I have very few.) Flanking the window are a pair of framed hinges--the sort expected on Asian cabinetry. I got them on clearance at Bombay Company ten years ago. (I wish that store were still around!)

This shot shows a bit of the rug at the foot of the bed. There are some deep reds and earthy greens in the rug which give this room a needed punch of color. The dark red in the rugs border is picked up again on a small fringed pillow on the bed. (The rug is another repurposed piece--it used to anchor my old living room!)

The headboard, though just barely visible behind the mountain of pillows, really finished the room off. For quite a while, the oversized striped pillows served as the headboard, but the black finish with the gold accents gives the space some depth.

As always, I am joining the Metamorphosis Monday party at Between Naps on the Porch. Click over to check out tons of wonderful before-and-afters.