Finally...A Finished Guest room

detail of finished guest room.

Well, it's taken me about 4 months to finish one small (12'x14') room that required nothing more than painting and re-arranging existing elements, but it's finished.  In fact, it was finished (except for adding linings to the matchstick shades) just in time for my first guest, my sister who was staying with us for Christmas.

 Here's how it began:

it's actually pretty and calming and on trend with its pale grey/blue walls and cream bedding, but i was in the mood for a change.

I gathered my inspiration:

Jamie Drake's guest room

architectural digest

And, then in the  middle of painting, I started having doubts:

But I pressed on, and came across other inspiration:

I don't have a good place in another room for an inspiration board, but it seemed natural to have one in the guest room, which also serves as my sewing room, over the sewing table.

Anyway, the paint job was finished, and I loved the color, but it was missing something, something the room had missed in its first incarnation as well....pizzazz.  Then, Valorie of Visual Vamp who has enough pizzazz for two, turned me on to just the design element I needed for that visual excitement at the blog La Maison Boheme:

Pic of Jamie Meare's store Furbish by Honey & Fritz

I am a long time fan of Jamie Meare's and her blog I Suwannee, and have followed the creation of her brick and mortar store Furbish, and its subsequent move to a much larger space.  Luckily, blogger Dina of Honey & Fritz was there for the opening and took a ton of photos.  Of them, I  especially liked and noticed this bold black and white graphic backdrop, filing it away for later use.  But I thought it was way too bold for a bedroom.  Then Valorie suggested I look at the application used by Sarah of La Maison Boheme, where she translated the pattern into a more tone on tone look in her entry:



Shazaam!  I now had my pizzazz.  Then work, two trips to North Louisiana, a 40th birthday, and a trip to NYC popped up, and it took months to complete the circles and put it all back together, but now it's finally finished.  These are unpropped, unstaged photos, but i know myself well enough if I wait to take "real" pics until everything is perfect, that might never happen:

 All the bedding is pre-existing, expect the striped sham in the front--I made that with fabric left over from a project.  I still need to find a lamp for the right nightstand, but for now fresh foliage stands in.

 Here you can see a hint of circle and a vintage lamp from my partner's mother.  The circles are not overwhelming because there is actually little wall space:  most of the room is windows, a built in bureau, and a large closet draped in the same sheer linen-colored curtains.

Finally, an inspiration board, though magnetic primer is less than awesome.

Anyway, getting that room finished and ready for use has taken a load off.  Hopefully, I'll prop it and get better photos later.  At any rate, one unfinished project down and 1,222,348 to go!