Accessorizing the guest bedroom

The guest bedroom is coming along. Here is my original inspiration pic, from Ikea.



I loved the soothing, neutral colors and tons of layered textiles. I didn't really like the white walls and also wanted a little bit more color (perhaps with art?).

Then my design blog pal Lauren made this design board:



I love it. And I'm working on it. Here's the accessorizing that I've done so far:

Textiles

I've gathered most of the textiles that I needed. The design changed slightly since I couldn't pass up the great deal on two jute rugs on craigslist. Then I picked up the Malou duvet cover for the existing comforter (and it was only $25). I also picked up the wonderfully textured Ofelia throw, which I've wanted for a long time. I already had some white blankets, a cream colored throw, and a cream accent pillow.



The bed, in all its wrinkly glory, now looks like this:




Embree, doing her thing



I already had some sheer white curtains (Target) and some bamboo blinds (Menards). But the sheer curtains don't really block out enough morning light for our future guests, so we picked up some opaque Lenda curtains ($15 for a set) to layer over them. I decided to pick them up in white instead of beige like in the inspiration pic and design board. Why? I thought that I'd just do a switch-aroo and have white curtains on a beige/cream wall rather than the opposite. Hope it works.



Walls and art

Speaking of wall color, the walls are currently a slightly yellowish cream tone. I don't love that. I wanted something a bit more neutral. Lauren suggested Behr Parmesan, but a while ago (before she made the design), I had picked up a gallon of Behr Sandstone Cove. I think/hope the Sandstone Cove will work just fine because it resembles the curtain color in the original inspiration pic. We'll see. I put both wall colors next to each other below.



I'd like to make my own version of the artwork in the design board, when I have time. And I'd also like to DIY the rustic frame set (also when I have time). In the meantime, I just hung some white frames that I already had. I need to print new photos for them. They currently have a mix-match of old art I had made.



I also hung a whitish/cream version of the other mirror that we had (both were bought for $10 on clearance):



I had an ugly area of smashed in drywall to cover, so for now I used some old paintings I did (inspired by a trip to Mexico) to hide it. I don't love these (they were the first paintings I did when I started painting a few years ago), but they do add a nice pop of color.



Other accessories

Since this is a guest bedroom, I wanted to make it as welcoming as possible. I have a basket of crisp white towels, some white candles, and some lovely soaps that my sister-in-law brought me from France.







I know some people like to read when they're getting ready for bed, so I compiled a bunch of random magazines we had and put them in a basket as well. There's quite a variety in here, from Car & Driver to Women's Health, Shutterbug, Real Simple, Popular Mechanic, eWeek, BH&G ... I like to think there's something for everyone.



I'm cheesy.

I really hate the black Expedit bookcase in this room. I like the bookcase itself, but it just clashes with all the design elements in here. But it has to stay until we can find an inexpensive dresser to paint white. Something that would resemble this:


Image from potterybarn.com

Or a rustic console table like this.

Is a space ever really done? I'm starting to think the answer is always no.

Left to do:

• Hem and hang the curtains (need to get a double hanging bar)
  
• Paint the walls
• DIY some new art
  
• Find and/or paint an inexpensive dresser or console table and night stand
• Sew a button closing for the duvet cover. The comforter is falling out (see below)
  

It's getting there. Slowly but surely, it's getting there.