I have a love/hate relationship with weekends. Two full days certainly seems like plenty of time to get lots accomplished when Im daydreaming on Friday afternoon. But by Sunday afternoon, the weekend seems to have flown by and I only have a few precious hours to relax before the workweek starts again. And of course I haven't accomplished half of what I wanted to cross off my to-do list. So this was definitely one of those weekends.
So instead of ending the weekend with a feeling of great accomplishment, I sheepishly report that I didn't get a whole lot done. Didn't put away all the things I had planned. Didn't finish my moving announcements (but I did get them started!). Didn't work on my wallpaper back shelves. The only thing I seemed to have done this weekend was get the guest room a little closer to finished. Closer, but not close - still a lot more to do in here. Oh well, there is always next weekend!
On to the guestroom...
I did decide that I was going to go with a cream, black, charcoal & green color scheme earlier this week. It didn't entire gel in my mind but I figure that since those colors all appear in the prints Im hanging in here, it should work okay.
Yesterday I got to Target and I was shocked to find the 600 thread count charcoal sheets I had scounted online. That rarely happens. So those went in my cart. I also picked up 4 pillows for my guests to rest their weary heads on for a mere $3.15 each. Cha-ching. Add that to the ivory canvas roman shades for the room's windows and a green silk throw pillow - I was in business. Even though my bags were mostly filled with pillows, they were huge and got damn heavy after a long, long walk back. The things I do for decor :)
And this morning I spent about 3 hours trimming & installing the plain roman shades with some black grosgrain ribbon I had laying around.
I came up with this idea when I realized there would be no way Im springing for custom window treatments in here. They are a little too long (so I hot glued them a new hem) and a little too narrow but close enough. I'm really happy I spent the time to add the ribbon - they look so much more polished to me this way.
Im taking photos with my husbands point and shoot this weekend and I can't figure out how to get it to take photos without an odd color shift so you'll have to bear with me until I have my own camera back.
After I installed the shades, I made the bed and snapped a few photos.
Now that its more put together, Im still not loving it. I do really like the gray accents (which is the part I was most iffy on) so I don't think I need to change the color scheme. I've yet to paint the desk, a chair and nightstand. Im thinking of bringing out the gray more by painting those items in a charcoal color. What do you think?
Im hoping once thats done and I add accent pieces, it will balance the room but Im not going to have time to do that for several weeks so any suggestions for improvement until then is welcome.
Hope you're all having a productive weekend!
Are the sheets as dark as they appear is it that just the camera?
ReplyDeleteThe chandelier looks tops in there...and I think the painting that stuff grey is a good idea...maybe not tooo dark tho.
The sheets look purple in these photos...they are actually exactly like the Target photo in my last post. A smokey gray color.
ReplyDeleteOMG it's beautiful, you did lot's of work , I feel the same about my weekend , what makes the time go so quickly for those two days ?
ReplyDeleteThe shades look great as well the bedding looks top notch really, maybe you just aren't feeling the bling , you need a bit of sparkle ?, lamps maybe, what you have is perfect, any guest would be pleased to stay there a night or two.
isn't that how weekends lawas go?
ReplyDeletebig plans and ideas adn then suddenly it's over adn half a job is done.
it is looking so nice. i can see it! great vision you've got. great job fixing up your shades.
the bedding looks good too.
goodness...i think i should slow done my typing, eh? :)
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ReplyDeleteLooks good so far! I am enjoying your blog a great deal. Know what you mean about the not accomplishing much feeling. I consistently always underestimate the time it will take to do things.
ReplyDeleteHave you considered adding a few touches of yellow... maybe a small pillow and a decorative item or 2. I think that it would help to tie the color scheme together since there is so much yellow in the prints. I also think it would add a bit of punch, warmth and less of a "matchy matchy" quality to your mostly neutral color scheme.
Kim
simply stunning. paint the desk a pearl gray, a high gloss grey. add a chair, some books and a white lamp with a grey shade, or swing arm sconces by the bed for reading. love to read in bed. texture.... a rug.
ReplyDeletehang art low in the bedroom. this keeps it calm.
oh - and a mirror, a round mirror.
Thanks everyone for the comments.
ReplyDeleteI personally dislike the color yellow so while it might make a nice accent, I don't think I want to see it in my house. The intention was for the green accent pillow to add a little bright spot but its too dark of a green. Bummer - it looked brigher in the store. But I'm sure Ill find some brighter green options in my hunt.
I am definitely going to follow the advise of an earlier poster and pve to add a mirror in here to reflect the light. Over the desk might be a perfect spot.
Where do you think I should hang the Madeline prints? I could do one on each side of the bed but since Im only going to have one nightstand - that might look a little strange. I could hang them on the wall opposite the bed but b/c of where the tv will be mounted, it would have to be sort of lopsided which also seems odd to me. Or I could do one over the nightstand and one on the opposite wall but seperating them doesn't seem right either. Didn't realize how tought it would be to hang two large prints in an asymetrical room!
Oh and I do have a rug to add in here. Good call PVE - it needs a little more texture.
Do you think its too matchy-matchy? Nothing seems to match in here so I don't see it...but maybe Im being blind to it?
It looks stunning - and great job on the blinds!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteYour blog is fabulous, I am loving all the work you're doing to that house!!!
That dining table really comes in handy! I love the idea of painting the accent pieces charcoal grey. You had a very productive weekend:)
ReplyDeleteI like that you have painted shoe molding. Did the painter come in after the floor refinisher to do that? I much prefer that to the stained shoe molding.
ReplyDeleteThe blinds look great. I never would have thought of doing what you did with the ribbon. Thanks for the great idea.
I just stumbled upon your blog, and I am very jealous because you are living my dream life! my new husband and I are fixing up a 1959 rancher and oh how we would love a historical home. I love what you've done, especially in bathrooms and kitchens and I can't wait to see how the rest progresses.
ReplyDeletereally like the guest bedroom, reminds me of this:
http://bp3.blogger.com/__ZLYkgqO35U/R36xLQR6dfI/AAAAAAAAAHg/vUWLRx6NEyI/s1600-h/pointclickhome.jpg
Your guest room room is beautiful. The warm tones in the prints will echo the wood of the floor. I don't think you need to add any more colour, but I agree with PVE about the pale glossy grey for the desk. The grosgrain border on the blinds is a smart counterpoint to your bed linens. The border makes me think of a design epiphany I had recently: we had visited the Viceroy hotel in Palm Spings, which has a fresh graphic look in white, black, and citrus yellow. After coveting the look, we realized much of the graphic drama had been achieved with soft furnishings--striped sofas and zebra rugs, and, most strikingly, an Etruscan border in black on curtains and cabanas. photo here and here. Although your style is more classic, you've done something similar by choosing a restrained palette for your room and adding drama with soft furnishings. So what Kelly Wearstler does for a living, you seem to do on a whim and by instinct (even under budgetary constraints!). Well done.
ReplyDeleteAn idea for the guest room--spray paint paint some old baskets from stoop sales or the flea market the same gray color. You can fill the basket with books about NYC. I did this for my guest room and included MTA maps that guests could use.
ReplyDeleteI don't think you're being too matchy matchy...I find that most people's guest rooms seem to be the places where they put all the crap they don't want in the rest of their house...resulting in a disharmonius hodgepodge of '90s furniture and HomeInterior purchases...so being a little on the matchy matchy side might be okay...know what I'm sayin'?
ReplyDeleteThe bedroom is beautiful and restful, I love it. The wall color is similar to what I have in my bedroom.
ReplyDeleteThe roman shades look terrific. I like PVE's idea for a pearl gray (not as dark as charcoal) on the desk as it will complement the trim/woodwork and the duvet cover (read earlier - what a bargain!) I think that color will also really fit the furniture style of the desk.
ReplyDeleteI feel like too light of a gray is going to look like a mismatch (at least in tone) with the cream. I don't want it to look like a mistake, you know?
ReplyDeleteMaybe something more of a medium gray instead of a charcoal?
You have a good point - the gray will have to be a warm gray to complement the cream. Quirky thought - but it's worked before for me - see if you have any gray sweaters/pants,etc you can use as inspiration.
ReplyDeleteI think the key to the pearl or light gray color is to use a lacquer or high gloss paint rather than a semi gloss. Definitely spray those pieces, too: a perfectly smooth surface is of paramount importance if the paint is glossy.
ReplyDeleteTo me the only element missing in this otherwise really lovely room is sparkle--you'll be adding a mirror, which is great, and I'm sure you'll add lamps as well which will hopefully be of a shiny reflective material (my suggestion would be silvered mercury glass, or lucite), but I think that a high gloss paint on the furniture to be painted would spread the sparkle around the room.
It's looking fantastic!!