Be our guest, be our guest!

When we first moved into our house as a young married couple we knew that there was one room that absolutely could not stay as-is: the guest room. You see, it was ready for an entirely different kind of guest than we were expecting. One that would like pink, teddy bears, and early morning feeding times. A baby girl.


Wow. Not only does mystery baby girl like pink sponge paint, she also likes wallpaper borders. I like those about as much as I like poopie diapers. And anyway, my future little girl will not be into that, no way, no how. It had to go to make room for slightly more mature guests, like the kids from our youth group, to stay in. Wait.....never mind! :)

This bed is simply a full mattress set on a frame with a foam topper (free from my mom) for added comfort. I made the head board from some particle board, foam, and fabric for exactly $60. This headboard was my first adventure with a staple gun. Ahhhh...memories. The comforter set is from, you guessed it, Dirt Cheap for $20. The sunburst was a Christmas gift. The pillows cost a total of $15 and set the color scheme for the room: maroon and green against a back drop of neutrals. Wierd, but it works.


I wanted to create a hotel-ish feel, but also bring in a little eclectic-ness. Before designing the space however, I had to get rid of that carpet. We got our house as a forclosure and the previous owners had left a little too much of their pet in our car "pet". To be frank, it smelled like cat pee and it was gross. So we put down click and lock laminate (79 cents per square foot) for a total of around $100 once you factor in the underlayment and padding. It was hard work, but worth it! And it smells a lot better. Also, I got this rug from Dirt Cheap for $7, originally from Target.



Dressing the windows is a roman shade from Dirt Cheap that I got for $5, white curtains from Ikea for $10 a pair, and a curtain rod from Ross that was around $7. In the corner is a vase with some branches that costs a total of $25 from Ikea. Also, the cylinder pendant from Dirt Cheap was $1.90! The light kit was $5.



In the free corner I created a little reading nook (although I've never read there). However, there are some great books! The lovely maroon wing back chair was from our friend Mary Kay. It was free! Yay! I love how it juxtaposes the modern lamp right beside it that I got from JC Penney for $60 (because it was the last one they had, which I wiggled out of the display and walked halfway across to the drapery department to pay for). The little black table was from Ikea for $19.99 (I bought it when Brandon and I were still dating for his apartment in Atlanta, which was really one of my first out of the house design adventures. I think it played a major role in us getting married.) The little green basket is from DC (I'm just going to abbreviate it from now on) for like, $1. The pillows were a total of $15 from Ross and Pier 1.

The green Dandylion painting is from Pier 1 for $20. I think I tried to hang it up in every other room in our house and it finally came to "rest" in here. The two pictures in the black frames ($10 from Hobby Lobby) were actually taken by myself. If you look closely you will see a very interesting row of trashcans. And the bicycle pic is from Walmart for $7. Haven't you always wanted a black and white bicycle photo on your wall? Well, check your local Walmart. The vase with the flowers was $8 and the candle holder was $7 from Tuesday Morning. Whew..... I really look like I shop a lot. Well, I do. Let's see the total and how I did.


The grand total: $404!

From the ground up, I don't think that is too bad! Of course, many of these things I already had and did not buy specifically for this room, so if we were to total only the "remodeling" costs they would be: $181! This would include the Roman shade, pendant shade, bedspread, headboard, rug, and don't forget, flooring!

I hope you like my modern, eclectic guest room. But please call before you drop in for a visit.

P.S. Does anyone else out there miraculously/freakishly remember the price of everything they have bought for their home?