Sometimes, you just gotta let things “shake out” – haha. John kept rolling his eyes while I ran back and forth from the guest room to try “one more thing” all day yesterday, but I just love playing around, tweaking things, adding this, subtracting that, and seeing where we end up. It’s probably my favorite part of the whole process, all that final-hour-switcheroo business. And we’re so glad that we shared yesterday’s in-progress pics to show how just a few tweaks in the last 24 hours can really change things up. Not über dramatically, but enough to make a difference for sure. Sometimes it’s those last minute changes that make you step back and go: There. Done. At least for now.
Who am I kidding? I’ll probably be back in there hanging art above the chairs and switching out the bookcase for a proper dresser when we hunt down the perfect one on craigslist in a week or two. And then there’s the crown molding we’d love to add down the line along with a million other changes that we’ll probably roll out over the next few years. But those are projects for another day, because my mom and stepdad will be arriving in T-minus-four-hours. So here’s what the guest room looks like now that we picked up three things from Tar-jay yesterday afternoon.
Those three things were:
- a large $24 faux leather tray
- a round $49 oil-rubbed bronze mirror
- a cute green $19 table lamp
You’ll remember that yesterday’s to do list included hanging something above the bed to balance out the big window to the left (hence the purchase of the big round mirror) and adding a nightstand and table lamp (hence the purchase of the cheap-o table lamp and the tray that we attached to the top of the green luggage rack that we got last week while thrifting on our little V-day beach trip last week).
First I repaired the straps on the luggage rack with thick brown ribbon and a staple gun.
Then John came up with the genius plan to use Command removable adhesive strips…
… to securely fasten the tray to the luggage rack in a way that’s 100% un-doable, thanks to those removable strips.
After placing our new luggage-rack-turned-side-table next to the bed with that cute green lamp…
… and hanging the oil-rubbed bronze mirror above the bed…
…we both really loved the idea of bringing in the leather storage bench that was sitting unused in the playroom for the foot of the guest bed.
That way we could remove the patterned brown blanket that we had folded at the foot of the bed (for a splash of dark color) in exchange for the more “classic” and less busy brown ottoman (which would also serve as a place to sit down, store linens, drop bags, set out magazines for mom, etc). All hail function. And ottomans. Seriously, we can’t get enough of them. So for those of you who hated the brown blanket with a passion that can only be described as intense, rest assured that it’s been beaten and burned. Just kidding, it’s sitting in playroom purgatory with all of our other “leftovers.”
And on the subject of stuff we already have, we knew that our guests would love a place to charge their cellphones, so I brought in a ceramic stool from the sunroom and placed it between the two chairs that I shifted apart so the outlet was easily visible right behind the stool. Bam: cellphone charging central. Note: I’ve since come to my senses and removed the cute blue vase to actually make room for cell phones.
And in separating those chairs I nixed the faux sheepskin and brought over the two happy yellow pinwheel pillows for some easy balance. Of course we still have to hang some art above those chairs, but we’ll get there someday.
So that’s the room as it looks today with mom and Jack on the road from NY. Just for fun, here’s another shot of our cute little $1.25 closet door pull and the empty closet with a bunch of wood hangers just waiting for our guests:
The funny thing is that I’m pretty sure my mom would sleep on the floor for a chance to hang out with Clara, so she probably won’t even notice the walls or the curtains or the bedding because she’ll be so busy staring at the bean.
Speaking of our little helper, here she is hanging out while we hung the mirror above the bed.
Gotta love that girl. She already has an appreciation for rugs and other accessories.
Oh and since you know we love a good budget breakdown, here’s what we spent for the guest bedroom & adjoining guest bathroom makeover:
- Olympic Premium No-VOC primer: $12
- Olympic Premium No-VOC paint (color matched to Martha Stewart’s Plumage): $22
- Target bedskirt: $10
- Ikea curtains: $76 (around $19 a panel)
- Target curtain rods: $18
- Hobby Lobby closet knob: $1.25 (50% off thanks to a hardware sale)
- Target oil-rubbed bronze mirror: $49
- Target tray for luggage rack: $24
- Target table lamp: $19
- Target bathroom shower curtain: $20
- Target bathmat: $20
- Target Waterpik showerhead: $14
- Home Depot toilet seat: $12
- TOTAL: $297.25
Thanks to working with a ton of things that we already had (like our DIYed headboard, existing linens, the two slipper chairs, the ceramic drum stool, our yellow Pottery Barn rug, and our old bookcase) we came in well under a 1K Trading Spaces budget, even if you add our $488 bed purchase to the total above (which takes us to a grand total of $785.25). Now we just have to do a little last minute vacuuming and dusting before my mom swoops in and steals my child. That’s right, our family voted her as Most Likely To Steal Clara for a reason.
Psst- Wanna know where we got something in our house or what paint color we used? Just click on this button:
Rosie says
Room looks awesome, but your daughter is the best part – so cute!
Emily says
wow….you two really know what you’re doing! it’s amazing the difference your little tweaks have made! enjoy your weekend with your guests :)
Leanne Chambers says
LOOVE the room, it is bright and cheery. I have alot of the darker blue and bright green combo in my baby boy’s nursery!… It’s my favorite room in the house. Really like the bathroom accents too!
tarynkay says
I really love the changes- there was just too much going on before. Now everything feels more a lot more cohesive and copacetic. I really like how you have multiple things of each color/tone. I didn’t comment on the room before because I didn’t have much nice to say, but it is also so cool of you guys that you can take constructive criticism so well.
tracie says
GREAT JOB!! isn’t it amazing what a vibrant paint choice, and some simple design can do to a boring square of a room?! i’m sure your parents will be very comfy! :)
Amber V. says
Lovely! I love the edits you made since yesterday. I was not in love with the room but I didn’t want to say so… it feels a little like publicly calling out a teacher for being wrong =0). Today though it is not an issue. The room looks great!
Enjoy your family time!
Meredith says
LOVE IT. I wasn’t crazy about some aspects of yesterday’s room but refrained from comment; now I am 100% on board. (Not that it matters, of course, it’s your room and your house). Beautiful! Well done! The yellow & blue & lime with dark brown as a neutral looks fantastic.
Alexa says
Luggage rack + serving tray = nightstand (genius idea)! The charging station for cell phones will be well appreciated and the ottoman at the foot of the bed – perfect to hide linens and to pop a squat after a long day. Great job!!!
Christy says
Gorgeous! As stated about 41 times above, you guys never cease to amaze me. Love love LOVE everything about this room- especially the chairs with the cheerful yellow pillows and the cell charging station between- brilliant use of a small space!
Crystal says
Wow – looks great. I thought it looked a little unsettled yesterday but love the tweaks you’ve made today. It all works well together now. I like the way you split the chairs and created a recharging station…very practical.
Michelle says
I think it looks really, truly great guys. I followed along with your progress yesterday but didn’t want to comment until you had gotten more time to finish the room off…I felt so sad reading some of the comments but honestly I would have loved to see what all the haters’ rush-rooms would have looked like! Ha! Great job!
Laura says
Looks really great. I still love it, but I do miss the brown blanket. The yellow pillows look so punchy on those chairs, not to mention the rug!
I still look at this room and think it looks very Domino. (I so miss that magazine!!!) It kind of has the same feel as Zooey Deschanel’s room that was featured. I loved the cool, fun vibe of her room. Good job, guys! Well done!!!
Lou says
Cool, I was looking out for that luggage rack! Love it!
Carolyn @ Lovin' Losing says
Oh, yay! So much better without the brown blanket!
Emily says
Love the tweaks since yesterday! I’m curious to know if your parents are regular readers ~ have they followed the flurry of activity for their arrival? Whether or not they’ve read about the details, I’m sure they’ll be flattered to see all the work you’ve done to prepare for their visit!
YoungHouseLove says
My mom checks in on the blog, but basically just scrolls down looking for Clara pics. If she’s no pictured, mom skips right on by. Haha.
xo,
s
Sarah says
What a change in one day! I had to chuckle scanning the comments yesterday. People sure can be….passionate….about someone else’s home.
annabelvita says
Amazing. It’s so true what you said about that colour being a neutral… I didn’t get it and the time but looking at this room totally do!
xx
annabelvita says
haha, sorry about sending you some kisses, it’s habit! One for burger and one for clara…
Bree Leonard says
I LOVE the plumage color!!! I also love how the greens pulled together in the luggage rack, headboard, and lamp- so perfect!
Lindsay @ A Walk in the Closet says
The guest bedroom looks FANTASTIC!!
Jenny West Bullock says
Beautiful room! You may end up having house guests who try to break the 3-day rule….
Melissa says
Wow it looks amazing!
Mrs. Taylor says
Looks awesome! I love all the colors you used in the space.
Shauna says
Your tolerance of criticism is amazing. But–here goes–you’ve gone from chaos to cohesion in the last touches, in my very modest opinion. Proof that more intense colour schemes really do work when you find the right balance. Curious–will you carry this bolder kind of theme everywhere, or will there be calmer niches in the household? Have a wonderful visit with your family–take some time off! You’ve both so earned it.
YoungHouseLove says
We definitely plan to embrace color as a whole in our house. When we got our first house we felt like we should be adults and embrace neutrals and a light beachy style – which we loved! But nothing makes you smile like a little color!
xo,
s
Rebecca @ the lil house that could says
Can I just say that I am on team brown comforter? Not necessarily now with the ottoman (which I have in my closet and love!), but I love that comforter too! Don’t burn it, I will gladly save it from purgatory! :) I even went to bed bath and beyond to see if I could find it a few months ago, but I’m guessing it’s long gone :(
Looks great though, I love a storage ottoman/bench at the end of a bed! Especially a nice contrasting one!
Sarah says
I couldn’t figure out what was off yesterday,…as I am much like you…chenge,…step back and look,…change again…step back and look…change again….that’s it. So when I saw today’s pic I got the the “that’s it.” I am in the no brown comfortor camp and I like the chairs seperated. The green accents help pull the fun room together. Enjoy the fam!
Elisa says
I am in awe. LOVE LOVE LOVE. Another incredible makeover by the Petersniks! It’s rooms like this that make me stalk your website with a passion :)
karen @ our slo house says
I love the final product. The lime green is such a beautiful contrast/accent color to the peacock-blue walls. And the yellow, and the pillows… it’s just like spring!
(any your mom probaly won’t even notice!) haha ; )
Farah says
LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!! Now I’m trying to figure which room in my house I can paint that dark blue?!!
SouthsideShellyP says
Love it! The slipper chairs separated and adorned with the yellow pillows are fantastic. Love the luggage rack/nightstand (although I would turn it 90 degrees). I actually liked the brown comforter — the mix of textiles was very appealing. The pops of green (lamp, head board, night stand are yummy. It all looks great! Thank you for sharing this transformation. A plus plus plus!!!
Nancy Shirley says
Yes, just the touches it needed and although I did not like the brown and white in the room with the other accessories chosen, I can see it there, with the green accesssories and different sheets for a warmer look in the winter. Love the night stand do-over and the touches of green. Great job!
RC says
Love the wall paint – that’s my favorite part!
Don’t forget to add in the luggage rack itself. Was that $10?
YoungHouseLove says
Ack- you’re right! Add ten bucks to that total in the meantime (we’ll update it when we get a moment).
xo,
s
Tracy says
And don’t forget to add in the cost of the 2 cute yellow pinwheels (or flowers?) pillows from Target. I love those and have them on my couch! They look great in this room!
Room looks amazing and to think you brought it all together in 2 days!! Woot!! Just beautiful!
YoungHouseLove says
We got those about 6+ months ago so we factor them in with “existing items” like the bedding, chairs, bookcase, headboard, etc. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Tracy says
Everything looks absolutely AMAZING….the room puts me in a good mood just looking at it. :) You have such a knack for creating inviting spaces…whether it’s the bathroom, guest room, kitchen, etc. ENJOY and have fun with your guests, I’m sure they will love it!
Tiff Morrison says
Big improvement! Love the door pull and John’s ingenuity with the tray and luggage stand. I start working on our guestroom/office makeover this weekend, thanks for the inspiration!!! Happy visit with the ‘rents. My mom is a baby thief too.
Lauren says
It looks much more “finished” now! I like the curtains better now that they aren’t competing with so many different patterns. Great job sharing the process of how you pulled this room together!
Also, I’m sure your guests will appreciate that you secured the tray to the top of the luggage rack so nothing can topple over! Have fun this weekend!
kim says
Room looks great, I knew you’d make it. I like the fact that you brought in the yellow from the bathroom. And I noticed you took some brown in the bathroom, now just get some green in there and you’ll be set.haha. As for the dresser a nice green would be great maybe a shade either way so its not to matchy but think about a desk for your guests with a mirror above it so it has two functions. desk and vanity. enjoy your weekend, think about sneeking out for a short date while your mom’s there. One you and John get some alone time, two your mom gets some serious alone bonding time with clara. Its something my husband and I do whne the parentals come.
Linda says
Love your room; it looks so professionally done. My only comment would be the height of the bedside lamp–seems a little small to me. Might be hard for guests to read in bed, but I imagine they will spend all their time with cutey-pie Clara. By the way, the lay-out of your blog is excellent–easy to follow, no typo’s, etc. Must be that UVA education. Go Whoos!
SouthsideShellyP says
agreed. Lay out of blog is super easy. I like to click on PROJECTS and cruise through there. It inspires me. Other design blogs are not so easy to navigate and I tend not to visit as frequently as YHL.
Kathy says
Great job~!
It looks really nice.
Love the paint color………..
Maria says
Looove the changes! I’d love to see a post (you probably have many photos)on using existing furniture in different rooms.
Ginny says
Love the changes. Fun, welcoming room!
Amanda says
My favorite part of this room is the side table, so hopefully, you won’t be taking it apart any time soon! The color of the luggage rack ended up being so perfect for this room and the lamp and plant tie it together! I also love the little clock, which also adds some curve to the angular room.
foo says
Great job, Young Housers! It was great fun watching the room come together. But please tell me you don’t let comments dictate how you decorate. If there’s one thing I know for sure, there will always be someone who hates my style and someone who loves it, but the most important one to please is myself.
And for the record, I dug that blanket. ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, we definitely believe in the whole “to each his own” thing! We know it’s impossible that everyone would have the same taste as us (and how boring would that be?) so it’s all about playing around, sharing our process as we go, and landing on something we personally love!
xo,
s
DebInNYC says
Well, you did. I actually think this is a big improvement from yesterday, and I love it then too! Great job. It looks so nice maybe I’ll come and visit. How’s the second week in May sound :)
Stefanie says
Love it. Love every single thing about it. I can’t wait to see what it looks like with some art and a dresser in there to balance it all out. And I think the crown molding is a MUST in this room..the white just looks too great with the wall color to not put some up.
I hope you guys enjoy your weekend with the fam!
Sarah @ The Strength of Faith says
It looks great! Have a wonderful visit with your family – feel free to neglect the blog! xo
Constance says
I love how sophisticated and still inviting your made it, and I REALLY love the touch of separating the two chairs and dressing it up the way you did. I am beyond impressed. It’s like someone came in and said, “Mmm, almost – let me just *sprinkle decorating fairy dust* – there!”. And yes, I am realize how silly that sounds. But, TRUE. Great job.
tanyad says
Love it! Have you checked out Dooce’s new office? It’s just as fantastic! You guys are giving me some serious colour cravings!!!
YoungHouseLove says
We’ll have to check it out!
xo,
s
K (BarkingBabyMama) says
I had the same thought – all this color reminded me of Dooce’s study and I was going to tell Sherry to go check it out – I love those poofs she found! And the pink lamp! :)
Nicole says
Looks great, we have a similar layout that is hard to work with!
Would love to hear how you entertain and prep for the in-laws to visit for the weekend. Just redid our guest room and had the in-laws in from 8 hours away and wondering how I could have been a better host!
Rachel @ The Avid Appetite says
Love the color palette that you’ve chosen for this room! It really looks fantastic.
nikki says
even with all the intense color the room feels calm and cohesive. well done.
JenWoodhouse.com says
Great progress in so little time! Gotta love those pressing deadlines!
Kim Keller says
I’m so glad you ditched the brown blanket and separated the chairs. I also love the luggage rack end table. It looks awesome!