Guest Room Makeover

Dear Em,
This makeover wasn't at all recent, but I realized we never posted pictures of what your old room turned into. When you were almost two and a half, we decided it was time to say goodbye to your crib. We wanted to give you a big girl room & decided to go with the bedroom that had the most space. Our old guest room transformed into your big girl garden room, & your nursery became our new guest room.

Most of the things we used in the makeover of the room, came from things we already owned. In fact, we couldn't even bear to paint over your tree mural. So, even the paint stayed. Since the green paint is a little on the darker side, I wanted to bring in light colors to brighten up the small space. We got a new white duvet cover and shams from West Elm for the queen sized bed we already owned. We put up sets of patterned sheer curtains to help let the light in.

Our original guest room walls were covered with photographs of our family & friends. Rather than purchase actual artwork, I wanted to keep with the photographs. I think it's kind of a fun for the people who come to visit to see some of our favorite moments & maybe spot themselves in some photos. The original frames were all black, but to lighten things up, Nonnie spray painted them white. We added photographs from more recent memories so that you would have a presence in the room too.

Our couch came from my grandmother. Her couch always feels comfy & welcoming...which is exactly the feeling I was hoping for in the guest room. It seems like a perfect fit for this spot. Plus, it gives our guests a place to lounge or potentially extra sleep space if we need it.

While the space is small, I wanted to fit a dresser for storage. We had two Ikea dressers that Daddy & I bought when we first moved in together, & I hoped one would fit. I wouldn't typically put a tall dresser in front of a window, but it's the only spot it would fit. Luckily, it works. The black mirror we already owned seems a little dark & out of place, but I always appreciate having a mirror in the room I'm staying in. Perhaps, someday soon I can paint it white to go with the rest of the room.

Our guests will find that when they stay the night, we have a couple extra treats. When it's time to turn on the lights, a warm light comes from our sunshine light fixture that I had originally picked out for your nursery. It might not be a typical guest room light fixture, but I think it gives the room a little character. When it's time to turn out the lights, our guests can fall asleep to the sight of twinkling stars, aka the glow in the dark stars I painted on the ceiling before you were born (I wish I had them on my ceiling).

Since Nonnie stays at our house for eight weeks each summer, you fondly refer to our guest room as "Nonnie's Room." I hope she & our other guests feel comfy & welcome when they stay in it.

I love you so,

Mommy