Plans for my Guest Room
Monday, April 23, 2012 at 6:27AM
Lisa in Guest Room, Home, Home Decor, Renovations

My friend, Erin, is going to be visiting in a little over two weeks so I thought I would switch gears from working on my study and cozy up the guest room before her arrival.

When I first bought my house this room in my side wing was one of the better of rooms in the house. It wasn't great but at least after I pulled down the fake wood paneling there was drywall hung (but not finished) underneath. The ubiquitous ceiling tiles were dingy looking and the carpet was stained and filthy.

I decided that I would live out of this room while the main part of my house was in full tear down to the studs mode so that meant I had to get it in shape quickly. After tearing down the fake wood paneling and I worked on mudding and sanding all of the drywall seams and screw holes. After that I primed and painted the walls blue and the ceiling white. With new trim work around the window and doors and some new carpeting the room was liveable.

I remember when I had the carpet guy come in to quote the job I asked him how quickly he would be able to schedule me in. He replied, "Why does it matter? It's not like you are living here anyway," referring to the fact that my house was completely torn up and in shambles. I told him that actually I was planning on living there because I had to be out of my apartment by the end of the month. He laughed and told me he wouldn't live there and I must be a tough woman.

Since getting the room habitable, I haven't done much in there other than set it up as a guest room. I have long term plans to replace the pressed cardboard ceiling tiles with bead board or drywall and get rid of my cheap carpeting for hardwood. I also want to replace the old hallow core door and bi-fold closet doors with solid wood doors that match the rest of the house.

I won't be able to get to any of that before Erin comes but I would like to freshen up the room and make it more comfy and welcoming before she arrives. Right now the room seems too blue and yellow and too barren to me. I'd like to get some curtains to add to the bamboo blinds, make a headboard and add some art to the walls. I love my tansu chests that I bought for my apartment in Japan so I'll keep those in the room but the current night stand is doing nothing for me (I bought it from the As-Is section of Ikea when I was in grad school). Back in Japan the short tansu chest was my coffee table and it worked well because my couches were also low to the ground. Now with the scale of U.S. sized furniture it looks a little short and out of place so I am thinking of seeing if I can turn it into a console table.

I have lots of plans and am short on time but hopefully I can knock a few items off the list before Erin comes. Wish me luck!

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