C.J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
When I was a kid, I had a very small bedroom. I never had the money to redecorate, so moving things around a bit always seemed to help make it feel “right”. I reorganized it and moved furniture around several times a year to make it feel fresh and to give myself more room.
Today, I still love to redecorate and organize rooms. This is the second redesign of my guest bedroom since 2020 and I think I’ve finally nailed it. It appears bigger, lighter and feels right. Read on to see how I designed our cozy but highly functional guest bedroom.
Our Empty Guest Bedroom When We First Moved In
When we first moved into our Sanibel Island bungalow in 2020, our first guests booked their flight for a visit within 3 months. I scrambled to put together a room that was comfortable using items I already had. It was nice and our guests commented about sleeping very well in the room.
Our Too Dark and Too Small Guest Bedroom
Then, about a year later, my husband and I had to sleep in the room when painting our bedroom. The first night, I could hardly sleep. We have a Sleep Number mattress on the bed, which is very comfortable, so that wasn’t the problem.
After thinking about it the next day, I felt the room was too dark and felt “off”. After re-thinking some of the things my guests experienced (dropping pills and not being able to find them, not having enough room to store items, etc.) I had some insight as to what improvements were needed.
Our Miniature American Eskimo Dogs
I know a dark bedroom can help you get better sleep, but this room was way too dark. Between the gray paint and the dark gray curtains, it was not right. So, we set to work fixing it, as I want all my guests to have the best experience in our home!
We First Removed All Items From Walls and Removed Closet Doors
We had the windows replaced in the entire home. That was a safety thing (our area can have hurricanes), so we had “impact resistant” windows installed. Next, we painted the room. We piled everything into the center of the room and covered it all with plastic tarping. This is the same process we used in our main bedroom beachy makeover.
We Used Weathered White to Paint the Guest Room and Closet
We have been using the color “Weathered White” by Behr paint in many of our rooms. It has a touch of brown, making it a warmer shade of white. We used an eggshell finish as we aimed to hide the orange peel texture of our walls. I don’t care for the texture, but it does help hide flaws. The eggshell finish did minimize the texture.
My Husband, Tommy, Is My “Partner in Design”
After painting the walls, the closet interior, the trim and the ceiling, I got to do my favorite part, which is decorating. I already had my ‘hi” door sign from our previous home. It adds a great welcoming touch for my guests to see when first entering the room.
See me create it in the video below or on my YouTube channel “Carolyn Braden”.
Our New Media Wall in the Guest Bedroom
When we replaced the door knob on the entry door, it weighed it down, making the door not stay fully open all the time. Adding a nautical rope knot door stop fixed this.
I added a television and media cabinet (full of movies and books) so guests could watch and read what they wanted, when they wanted. My husband and I don’t watch a lot of television, but we know others do, so we wanted them to have that option.
My Plant Chandelier Adorns the Guest Bedroom Ceiling
I added my plant chandelier back to the ceiling. I created it in about five minutes and you can see how I did it by clicking this link. I love the light roman shades we added too. 6/2/22 Update (I’m always adding and subtracting to rooms!): I bought a “sea glass” looking vase at T.J. Maxx and added some rope to the rim, filled it with seashells, and some cotton blooms. I set it next to a sea grass woven basket from Target for extra storage. These items worked to conceal the cords seen on the wall in the photo above.
I added rope seashells to a glass vase for more decor
We added an Amazon Echo device and smart plugs so guests can easily ask “Alexa” to turn the lights on and off. This is a smart home feature many people enjoy in their own homes, and we love auto lights too, so we added it in this room.
I also added seashells and crystals to my grandmother’s milk glass bowl. It gives the room a beachy farmhouse vibe. I also added our wi-fi password to a decorative chalk board and some other natural decorative elements like wall-mounted hooks behind the door for guests to hang purses, etc.
I Added Crystals and Seashells To My Grandmother’s Milk Glass Bowl
My guests have loved the USB lamps. They can be used to charge phones and add some additional warm light to the room. The nightstands were smaller than the previous ones I had next to the bed, helping to add some space back to the room. The bonus of floating night stands are that they are easy to vacuum under!
I added USB Lamps on a Floating Nightstand
I love fluffy bedding, so I upgraded our older, tired set, to a new faux fur duvet. I got it on sale at Target, making it an even better buy!
I Added a New Faux Fur Duvet from Target
I like shopping around to find the best prices on home decor. I love shopping at Amazon, Target, Walmart, TJ Maxx. I also always do price checks among retailers to ensure I’m getting the best price.
A Multi-Purpose Floating Vanity and Seating Area
We had the mountain art (already an Etsy purchase) and added it to the room. We love the mountains and the ocean, so combining the two design themes made sense. We placed it under a recovered vintage phone chair we put together last year.
I added another floating night stand to become a place for a makeup mirror, making the seating space dual-purpose. I appreciate having good lighting to do my makeup, so I figured guests would too.
Guest Room Makeup Vanity
We replaced the closet doors, as the old ones were broken when we purchased the house. I added extra blankets, pillows and sturdy hangers. I even added a knee pillow for my mother-in-law, who always uses one at her home.
Organized Guest Room Closet
We moved the old IKEA nightstands into the closet and stacked them. They make the perfect small dresser!
I Stacked IKEA Nightstands to Make a Small Dresser for the Closet
I created artwork in Canva that reads (between four different images) “By the mountains and by the sea is where my heart will always be”. It sums up exactly how my husband and I feel about our living environments and we know many others feel the same! I had my art printed to an 11”x14” size via Amazon Photos, then framed them in double matted 16”x20” white frames. I’ve used these frames numerous times and love them.
The glass on the frames reflects the light that enters the room via windows on the opposite wall. This also helps the space feel lighter. You could also get this affect by adding mirrors.
I Made My Wall Art Using Canva
Overall, I’m very happy with how the room looks and feels. It’s cozy and highly functional and finally feels “right”.
Ross Loves Our Neutral Bedroom Colors
Did you incorporate any of these ideas in a room in your home OR do you have some ideas for small spaces you’d like to share with our readers? Leave a comment below!
C.J. (Carolyn) Braden is a regular contributor and editor for Carolyn’s Blooming Creations. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Little Ways to Get Back To You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections.
She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.