We just learned that our first overnight guests will be coming at the end of the month… and our guest room currently looks like this:
Not acceptable. Especially since our end-of-the-month guests are my in-laws.
Yep, Sherry’s mom and stepdad are headed from New York to Richmond for some much-anticipated Clara time so we officially have a deadline for making the guest room habitable. We don’t expect to make the room all that we want it to be in a mere two weeks, but we have some basic goals for it:
- Get all of the junk out of there (finally confirm the Habitat for Humanity ReStore pickup & move rest of stuff into the playroom)
- Buy a mattres & boxsping along with a cheap-o bed frame (for the interim at least, we might build a bed frame later),
- Dress said bed with already-owned bedding
- Add shower curtain & other bathroom essentials (towels, new toilet seat cover, etc)
Doing that much will at least make the room functional, since my nightmare would be asking Sherry’s sweet Italian mom and stepdad to sleep on the fold out couch in the office (mental picture: his name is Giacomo LaPadula and hers is Diana DeCesare LaPadula – they’re way too debonair to sleep on a fold out sofa next to our laptops in a room with no doors).
And since we occasionally welcome a challenge (and only crumble under pressure sometimes) we’ll toss out this list of “extra credit”:
- Painting the room
- Putting up curtains
- Adding a nightstand & table lamp
Not that we expect to accomplish all or even any of those extra ones, we just thought we’d toss them out there for fun. Or so you guys can virtually berate console us when we don’t get to them. We’d love for the room to feel nice and polished when they arrive, but really who are we kidding? The room looks like a bifold door convention and Nona and PopPop will probably only be focused on Clara anyways. Either way – wish us luck on our race to guest bedroom-dom!
Psst- We announced this week’s giveaway winners. Click here to see if you’re one of them.
John…. we have FAITH in you!! ((:
I know it will come out looking awesome, just like everything else yall do does!!
You can do it!
Nothing like company coming over to inspire a cleaning and decorating spree. We had our big push back in the beginning of November last year when we sent out invitations for an open house. That last hour was a little panicked, but I even managed to add some fresh cut flowers!
Definitely looking forward to seeing the result.
Oh my gosh, I just stumbled upon your blog, and I have been glued to my computer screen for the last 2 hours, haha. My boyfriend and I are moving into a house in May. We first thought we were going to flip the house and sell it to somebody else but we decided it would be really great for us to have our own home first, hah. We had to do a TON of repairs(long story short: previous owner: his birth mother who had the house condemned after taking out 25 dogs and 30 cats) *cringe*. We had to bomb the house inside and fumigate for quiet some time. We replaced about 95% of all the sheet rock, all the floors were ripped out to the cement ground, and boy has it been a challenging time hah!
I havent taken any pictures yet, considering its pretty much still in shambles, but I will snap some this weekend of the rooms and I would love some opinions on what to do!
Anywho, him and I have very minimal furniture. What do you feel is the best way to furnish your home on a budget?
We love thrift stores and craigslist and ikea and target and even ebay for cheap finds. Good luck with everything! And feel free to post pics of your place on our Facebook page for ideas from other readers!
xo,
s
There’s nothing like a deadline to get you moving! Good luck – I know it will look great.
PS. Have you guys heard of http://catalogliving.net/ It’s insanely funny and I can’t stop reading it. Thought you might enjoy it too!
Yes. We’re obsessed with following Elaine and Gary’s adventures.
xo,
s
If anyone can whip that room into shape it’s you two!
had to show you these with your love of maps and all
http://www.atelier688.com/www/misc-2.htm
we have one of these
http://www.atelier688.com/www/misc.htm
Gorgeous pillows. Wow. Amazing. And the bike seat cow head is hysterical! Love it.
xo,
s
Good luck getting everything put together. My kids call my step dad Pop Pop and everyone loves it!
If anyone can get it done, it’s you two! :)I actually have guests coming next month and I’ve already started thinking about doing some painting, new drapery, etc. As least the rooms are put together here though. Thank you, you helped me keep things in perspective, my projects are not that bad. In December I ripped out a bunch of hedges at the front of our house so my biggest challenge will be the yard stuff, I don’t want it to look a mess when they arrive.
Can’t wait to see the transformation of the guest room! I love a good before and after!!!
Good luck the same thing happened to us in our new house. The guest room is now very basic a bed and that is about it. I added some quick, cheap, touches to make it feel more inviting. Check it out if you get a chance you might be able to use some of these ideas.
http://the2seasons.com/2011/01/14/the-guest-are-coming.aspx
Good Luck! You all can get it done in a few days really. A metal frame for the box-spring will do for the meantime.
LOVED the title to this post – saw it on Facebook and it cracked me up. I’m excited you have a deadline – can’t wait to see the finished (or semi-finished) product!
Since you mention making a headboard… I wonder if you could use a few of those bi-fold doors to make a headboard? It might look pretty cool!
Can we talk about all the white framed pictures you have?! I’m in love. No doubt you guys will bust out a magnificent guest room for Sherry’s folks – can’t wait to see it!
It is so funny how much what is going on in your life is mirroring my own. We bought our first house at the end of November, and now we too have guests coming in this coming weekend. I have been spending the past week trying to clean the last remaining bedroom of all the boxes and misc junk that has been dropped in there – and now have 2 days left before chaos arrives. Good luck with accomplishing your goals! And thank you for all your posts, I love your design style and idea’s and it is a real inspiration to get my house looking even half as good as yours. :)
Nothing like a good deadline to get the motivation up! Good luck. Can’t wait to see where you take it. liz
Yikes! I did something similar around Thanksgiving – I moved in with the BF over the summer, and it was the first time my family would see the house. We’d attacked the downstairs earlier in the year, but the guest room and office needed a LOT of help. We almost killed ourselves one weekend and painted both rooms (ceiling, trim, and walls) and then filled them. But it looked good!
Good luck! Can’t wait to see it all come together!
Side note: I went to Ikea yesterday and saw ‘the karl’! He is so handsome! He looks good in pictures, but even better in person! Great pick!
Aw thanks. Karl is blushing.
xo,
s
Good luck putting it all together! We have guests at least once a month (sometimes more) so having a fully functional guest room is absolutely one of our “must haves”. You can check ours out here:
http://tellerallaboutit.wordpress.com/2010/04/06/before-after-bliss-be-our-guest-room/
Good luck! And all you really need at first is a comfortable bed. I’m sure your Mom will understand, Sherry!
:-)
Strive for function not perfection. Family can take a little clutter, even if we can’t.
Can’t wait to see it!
What happened to the bed that was in your guestroom in the first house?
That was a very very very old hand me down bed (we’re talking 20+ years old) so we craigslisted it and put the money towards our sofa bed. It was a great swap for us because it allowed us to host at least 10-15 guests after Clara was born since we didn’t have room for a full sized bed anymore. And now we can invest in something newer and more comfy when it comes to the new house (and keep that sleeper in the office, which actually might be a nice spillover guest room when we add the glass french doors that we have planned down the road…
xo,
s
What happened to the bed that was in your previous guest room?
It’s so funny that you and Amanda submitted the same question within a minute of each other! Scroll back one comment for that answer.
xo,
s
Good Luck! You’re already a step ahead of my spare room, at least you can walk in yours!
Nothing like some proper motivation to kick it into high gear. We moved into our guest bedroom about 6 months ago now, to get our master together. Well now that we’ve got a baby on the way it’s amazing how much we’ve gotten done. Our master is about 3 projects and a matress purchase away from complete. The nursery is just about ready for paint and we might be able to move out of the guess bedroom so when we have guests they can sleep in the guest bedroom instead of the sofa or air mattress. You can do it and have fun while you’re at it!
I didn’t know you were full Italian, Sherry. So am I and my son has a Nonna too! Do you speak Italian?
Incidentally, not sure if you are aware of this site http://www.estatesales.net/estate-sales/VA/Richmond.aspx, but they will send you emails of estate sales in the area (Richmond). There’s one this weekend in Mechanicsville.
Actually my mom and stepdad are Italian but my dad is Austrian so I’m 50/50. As for Italian, I speak a little and understand a fair amount. But I actually speak more French since I studied that for five years in school.
And thanks for the Richmond estate sale link! Love it.
xo,
s
You know, it might be neat to repurpose one of those bi-fold doors into a headboard.
Good luck with your guest room!
I think it’s all totally doable. :)
Do you have any mood boards or decorating inspiration for the guest room?
Good luck with the project!
If you click the Mood Board tab under our header you can click the “Bedrooms” category to get lost of bedroom ideas! As for our specific plan for that room, we don’t have a real plan yet. We just take things one day at a time and allow one find to inform the next one (ex: we find fabric we love for curtains and that can help us choose a paint color and art, etc). One choice usually helps us make the next one and they snowball into a full fledged room makeover. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Expecting guests is THE BEST MOTIVATION!
…for cleaning, putting up pictures, just don’t make any impulsive changes that will have to be changed later, just for the sake of company!
Yay! Can’t wait to see pics! Have fun!
I’m sorry….but I love seeing pictures of your messy rooms! I love your WIP rooms…but the messy ones make you human.
;)
Please, after all you guys did for your move a couple months ago…this list is childs play. :)
Don’t buy your bedframe from the mattress store. The thrift stores around here always have them around! They aren’t pretty but would get you buy until you have time to get something nice!
What happened to the bed that was in your last guest room?
Scroll back for that info. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Curious why you chose to put Clara in the room without the attached bath? Although I do agree that it’s soo nice for guests not to have to traipse down the hall I still feel like you live there 365 and guests are only once in awhile.
It’s a shower not a bath in the guest room, and since Clara is years away from showering (she takes baths) we thought it would make more sense to offer the shower up to guests! She takes baths in the hall bath and has a blast in there though!
xo,
s
You could try asking on FREECYCLE for a bedframe (if you decide to go that route).
Hopefully there is a group in your area.
Can’t wait to see the finished product!
I’m sure they will feel loved. If they read your blog (which I hope so being that they are family) they will understand and be more then happy that you put forth the effort. It will be interesting to see your HGTV done-in-a-day attempt on a real budget. Good luck and PLEASE dont break a leg. :P
I know this is selfish, but I’m thrilled you have a reason to make the space habitable in a rush! I can’t get enough of your before and afters ;)
Good Luck! Nothing like a deadline to get you going! :) We always get the most done when working under pressure.
Wowser!! Good luck people :)
That was exactly the kick we needed to get our guest room in order last August! Except it was friends who we knew would only visit us once during our time here. Unfortunately my parents don’t get the same treatment, instead we make them a list and hand them paintbrushes as they walk in the door. Although we did choose my mom’s favorite choice for the walls since she’s our most frequent guest ;)
John and Sherry,
There’s nothing like a deadline to get things done. I just think of the projects people get done because they are going to have a graduation party or relatives visiting. Actually, it’s a super motivator (not that you need that). But it sure puts the pedal to the metal. Your guest room will be attractive and comfortable.
nice – sherry is paisan!!
If you guys are considering buying a bed frame, check out this post! I found this master bedroom redo on The Feminist Housewife last week and I am in LOVE. I totally want to do this for our guest bedroom! This is just how they built their bed.
http://davidandcarolineparker.blogspot.com/2011/01/master-bed-how-we-built-it.html
Jennifer B.
Oh yeah that’s gorgeous!
xo,
s
Just a thought, and maybe it was already mentioned…but could you use one or two of those old bi-fold doors as a head board…obvioulsy turned the other way? If you could take them apart and have the slots alternating it might be a pretty interesting focal point and add some texture.
One suggestion is to let the in-laws have the nice Master bedroom and you guys take the ever evolving guest room. That way you know for sure they’ll be comfortable (even though the daytime hours will be 100% bliss-filled with Clara), older muscles and bones appreciate a great bed. My grandparents told me when I was a newlywed that it’s always a good idea to periodically sleep in the guest room so you can know for sure what the experience will be like. Twin beds are often an excellent option in a guest room–sometimes weight, personal preference, a tendency to be too hot related to menopause can make co-sleeping in a double bed (or even a queen) can make for a miserable sleeping experience.