I have had the end of winter blues over here, leaving me with no motivation to do anything… projects? No, thanks. Write a post? Not so much. Organize closets? Nope. Curl up under a blanket and read a book? Yes, that I can do! This past week motivation finally bit me on the butt and told me to get moving. We’ve got company coming soon, and I needed to get a space together for them to stay since we gave our old guest room to Emmy. It also helped that we had a gorgeous weekend here with highs near 70, the sun was shining, and there was a spark back in my step. Anyhow, as you may recall, I am doing my best to spend less this year, so in putting together a new guest room in Emmy’s old bedroom, I wanted to spend zero dollars. Today I am going to show you how I created this no cost bedroom makeover and gave our home a new guest room.
Before we get into everything I did, I wanted to remind you of what the room looked like as Emmy’s bedroom so you can see the items that stayed behind include the settee, the bed and bedding, rug, mirrors, and some of the art.
The canopy you see above was coming off the wall, so I removed it entirely, and turned the bed the other way. Before I started moving everything around, I assessed what I had on hand and found grays, golds, blacks, whites, and wood tones available as well as a little blush dresser. I had my color palette and was ready to roll! I swapped out the pink buffalo check pillows for gold sequin pillows I purchased for Christmas, and added a black and white marbled pillow from Target’s fall dollar spot.
bedding / gold pillows / similar black white pillow / similar gray throw
For now I left the chalkboard thought cloud in place (#lazy), but I might eventually paint over it. This time around I was trying to create a cozy and inviting feel and keep most things as is. A friend of mine was getting rid of the black French marble top side table and asked if I might be able to use it. It’s the perfect height for this bed, and the right color, style, size… No money spent and a new table in place! On top of the table, I placed a little wooden antelope from my etsy shop, and a silver Ikea lamp we’ve had for years/
At the food of the bed, I added an old West Elm throw. We purchased it 5 or 6 years ago and it’s still going strong. I love that it brought a bit more of the gray into the space, and added a cozy touch. A vintage Samsonite suitcase that was in my garage is there just to add some warmth.
Along the wall next to the bed, I was stuck… I REALLY wanted some amazing animal art I saw downtown this weekend from a local artist I found at one of my favorite antique shops, but I knew I could find something else in my stash or DIY something. I went hunting through the items I had left when I sold Sweet Clover, and found a tribal kilim wall hanging that pulled all the colors together. It’s not my favorite piece for this space, but paying a penny, it will work for now! I am thinking of listing it in my shop, and then maybe I can buy something to replace it.
At the foot of the bed, I brought in a petite pink dresser I took home from Sweet Clover. It’s the perfect size and just enough storage for a guest because we wouldn’t want anyone to overstay their welcome, right? 😉
On top of the dresser I added a black crocodile tray that was on Emmy’s old dresser in this room. I relocated a snake plant from the living room, some magazines, and a disco ball left over from Christmas.
Now let’s talk about those shelves that I had added to the nook for storage when it was Emmy’s room. I really didn’t know what I was going to put on them at first.
The shelves all started with an amazing print from Jibe Prints. Anna has so many great motivational, family oriented prints in her shop, and she was kind enough to send me one of my choosing, which was Fearless Bold Free. She also offers personalization but I opted for clean and simple. I framed it in an Ikea Ribba frame I already had. Her prints have a really cool planked look and they’re more of a weathered gray look than white, like barn wood. 
This piece from Jibe prints at the top of the shelves set the tone, and I rolled with black and white, and then filled in with metallics, family photos framed in white and black, a bit of brass, and some wood pieces, and books… we always have books! Everything you see was relocated from another area of our home (most in storage), and some of it is available in my etsy shop. Also, can we take a moment of silence for Emmy’s baby fat rolls? . . . . . Thanks.
I even brought my brass deer up here to hang out. And the pouf was in here before when it was Emmy’s room… it happened to fit the palette perfectly.
On the wall adjacent to these shelves, Emmy’s midcentury dresser used to sit. It didn’t make fit in her new room, but I stole it for my room, which left this wall needing something. I decided to slide the settee over to this wall right underneath the mirrors and art that were already there.
A friend slipcovered this settee for me a few years ago in exchange for an armoire, and I still think I got the better deal. It’s beautiful and washes well! Thank goodness for white denim that can be bleached!
The gray and white buffalo check pillows I purchased from Ikea a couple years ago and they tend to float around the house from room to room… they’re just so versatile. The heart pillow was also already in here, and my mom recently gifted me the cashmere sweater pillow she made. It’s SO soft and Emmy loves to use it.
The art above the settee was already there and was a gift to Emmy from my parents when we moved in here 5 years ago. I had selected them and asked for them for her… 😉 And I still love them today as much as I did then. The artist hasn’t stopped selling them, in case you’re interested. They’re available in her etsy shop here.
To the left of the settee is a really cool metal vintage trunk that was in our old guest room. To the right, I placed a gorgeous straw tote a friend gave me to thank her when I painted a pair of paintings for her house before it went on the market. They were nothing great and didn’t deserve the tote, but I love it and am so grateful for it. It adds texture to the space as well as storage. The fringy blanket is the vintage bedspread Chris and I used to have on our bed.
That’s it! Our room is ready for company now… it’s maybe not what I would have designed had I been creating a new space altogether. However, I am really happy with what it’s come to be using only what I already had. I am honestly surprised that I was able to create a cohesive space… maybe that tells you a little something about the hoard pile I have going on over here. 😉
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