Super Fast Guest Room Turnaround

Last week Jady's parents decided to take on the long drive from Baton Rouge and join us here in Louisville for Easter.  We were so excited to have them here with us, especially since this was their first visit since Lindsay moved here, too, and it's fun for her to show off her new hometown (and for them to take us out to eat! We all love that part!  :) )

We considered having the Kochs stay in a hotel during their visit, since Lindsay has moved into the guest room, and the other room was still functioning as our storage and workroom.  The whole thing was covered in dust and full of power tools, cans of paint and unpacked boxes that we just can't bring ourselves to sort through.  On Monday morning I decided that in order to house everybody all together I would try to tame the mess and create something livable for Lindsay to sleep in during the Kochs' visit.

Here is a shot of the room from before we bought the house.

We had the old carpet ripped out throughout the second floor including this room, which left the old, previously painted pine floors exposed.  Because we knew we would be repainting them later, we didn't have to worry about drips, spills or dust on the floor in here, and this spare room quickly became our workshop... not exactly inviting for a guest to stay in:)

My first step in turning this room around quickly was to move everything into the middle of the room so I could easily paint the walls and floor.  All along the perimeter of the room tacks and staples were sticking up out of the wood from where the carpet had been attached, so I carefully removed each one with pliers before sweeping and mopping to prep for the primer.  Once the primer was dry I could paint the floors using the same espresso color we chose for the upstairs hallway and Lindsay's room.

When we had the textured ceilings smoothed down, the plaster splattered all over the walls, which meant every room needed to be repainted.  The previous color in here was a dark blue, so I went ahead and primed everything to ensure even coverage of the new color.

Here is a shot that shows the contrast with the newly painted floors and the old unfinished section.  I only painted what would be exposed and left the inside as is-- no need to over work myself:)

The rug is a great hand me down from my parents, and I love that it used to be in my old room from their house.  The layout of this space is a little strange, since the door cuts into the room at an angle, which means that a custom cut carpet would probably do better in this space eventually.  But for now I'll enjoy the fish rug.  

The pretty green slipper chair is another cherished hand me down, this time from my grandmother.  I always remember it as such an elegant addition to her bathroom and dressing area, and I love having it here as a reminder of her. 

It's hard to tell from these photos, but I painted the walls a pale green, Behr's "wisdom," which is such a calming, soothing color.  We've already used it in a couple of rooms in the house, and since I hadn't decided what to do with this room, I stuck with a color I knew I loved.  As much as I accomplished in three days pulling this room together, we still have a huge, unsightly pile of boxes and tools shoved into the corner... Just ignore that!

I bought the floral fabric on the little chair and the twin headboard years ago, and it is still one of my absolute favorite prints.  I have no idea who makes it or what it's called, so I haven't ever been able to find it again!  I just love the colors and the big, bold flowers; it makes me happy every time I see it.

And here's my new gold mirror!  Hopefully its good looks are distracting from the pile of mess next to it.  The chest of drawers we got for free, since it was left in the garage when we bought the house.  We brought it in so this room could have some furniture, and after a very thorough scrubbing with clorox wipes it was as good as new!  It's not the most beautiful chest of drawers ever, but the price was right, and maybe down the line it'll get spruced up with a paint job.

The next project I want to tackle in this room is to paint the mantel to match the trim (like the one in the dining room) and to paint and add molding to the hollow closet door.  There's always something fun to do around here!

Happy Monday!

Liza