Guest Post: Fixing it Fancy Guest Bedroom

A new week, a fresh set of guests. Up today is the lovely Angela of Fixing it Fancy. She and her husband are renovating a Wisconsin bungalow and offered to share her guest room with us.



You already know how much Im a sucker for a good before and after so let's get right to it...


My husband Shawn and I bought a home in historic Hudson, Wisconsin only a few months ago. The architecture of the house is fantastic and the outside garden areas are amazing. However, the previous owners had a love for wood paneling and wallpaper; literally not one surface was left untouched.

Immediately we started renovating our new kitchen; it’s the heart of the home, right? Afterwards, we intended to tackle our bedroom/walk-in closet but after learning some close friends were going to stay with us for a few days, our priorities were quickly rearranged; we don’t mind living amongst bad decorating and construction materials, but that doesn’t mean our guests will. That said, the guestroom makeover was next on the list.

Here’s a look at the not-so-lovely guest bedroom we inherited:





While the pink carpet, dingy wood stain, floral wallpaper and frog light-switch are enticing, I knew we could come up with something much more “us.” Here’s what I had in mind:



To find out more about these items, click on over to my blog.

The overall look we’re going for in our new home is light and airy, almost beach-cottage-like. However, it’s important that the bedrooms feel inviting and cozy. We chose Dutchboy’s Colonial Cobblestone for the walls, which is a middle-gray tone with a warm touch of brown mixed in. The ceilings are white to balance the walnut-colored laminate wood flooring we installed.

To keep the room feeling airy, I went for some sheer panels over the windows, which will tie in well with a crystal chandelier to light the room. Both feel light and crisp while slightly romantic. It was also important to me that guests have a large mirror and a place to hang their towels. My father-in-law snagged a great spoon-carved antique door which I had plans to repurpose as a vanity area. Here’s a few under-construction shots:








We started the renovation by tearing down the wallpaper. This allowed all those little, sticky scraps to cling to our soon-to-be removed carpet. The old trim came out next followed by the flooring. With a completely blank canvas, we painted the walls and painted the louvered-style doors with a paint sprayer. Before we could pop the trim back in place, the flooring needed to be clicked in. With all that out of the way, the best part was left; decorating!

We took a vote on my blog to allow readers to select the lighting fixture and the winning piece was installed. A few hours later, the room was put together and we couldn’t be happier with the end result:






No doubt, it’s a dramatic difference. We had the room finished in three weeks and by repurposing as many items as possible, we renovated this room at a bargain price. Oh, and side note, our guests were very pleased.

What a transformation - hard to believe that is the same space. Im loving that wall color and that blue door just makes such a beautiful detail! Thanks so much Angela! Please show her some love with a visit to her place.

Hope you've enjoyed the guest bloggers so far... some more great entries to come.