Tag Archives: Ikea

House Tour: The Guest Room

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I swear, I’m going to finish this house tour. Soon. There are only three rooms left!

At the top of the stairs, our master bedroom is on the left, and a short hallway is on the right. In a strange twist, the whole upstairs, other than the bathrooms and our bedroom, has nice, glossy hardwoods. Why couldn’t those be downstairs?!

Glitter and Goat Cheese - Hallway

At the end of the hallway, there are two smaller bedrooms and a guest bathroom. Both rooms are basically square, and they were just boring when we moved in. The room on the back of the house was set up as an office, but since it had the smaller closet, we decided to use it as a guest room.

Glitter and Goat Cheese - Move-in pictures - The office

It was very YELLOW.

Glitter and Goat Cheese - Move-in pictures - Office closet

I knew I wanted our guest room to be moody, cozy and calm, and I had my heart set on dark gray walls with a neutral color palette. These were my two favorite inspiration photos:

Glitter and Goat Cheese - Erika Brechtel's dark gray guest room via Small Shop Studio

Erika Brechtel’s dark gray master bedroom from Small Shop Studio

I tested three dark grays by Benjamin Moore.

Glitter and Goat Cheese - Benjamin Moore dark gray paint samples

From left to right: Ashland Slate, Englewood Cliffs and Gray Shower (all Benjamin Moore)

My favorite was Ashland Slate, but with only one (albeit large) window, I was a little worried that the dark gray would swallow the room. Obsessing, I sent pictures to my coworkers for opinions. One of them suggested some bright white crown molding and a picture rail to break up all the dark color. When I came across this inspiration photo, the heavens parted:

Glitter and Goat Cheese - Dark gray bedroom with white trim via Houzz

Scot Meacham Wood Design via Houzz

It was such a good idea! And lucky me – I have a handy husband who just happens to have a handy father. The two of them cut and installed the trim in just one weekend, and a week later, our painters added the charcoal gray and some glossy white trim paint. So, here’s what the room looks like now:

Glitter and Goat Cheese - Guest bedroom with dark gray walls and neutral color palette

The white curtains (which need to be hemmed), sheepskin rugs and accent pillow are all from Ikea, of course.

Glitter and Goat Cheese - Guest bedroom with dark gray walls

I don’t really like much else in the room. I don’t mind the quilt, which I got on clearance from Target years ago, but I ultimately want to replace it with a white pintuck duvet cover. I’m vowing not to replace any of the other bedding until I get our queen-sized bed out of our room and into the guest room, though.

Glitter and Goat Cheese - Guest bedroom with dark gray walls and white picture rail

The wood nightstands and dresser were Brad’s from his college bedroom, and while they’ve had a good run, I’m ready to say goodbye to them. It might be worth painting them, but they’re not solid wood, so I haven’t really decided yet. I’m not in any huge hurry.

Glitter and Goat Cheese - Guest bedroom with dark gray walls, and white picture rail and crown molding

I really, really love the wall color and the trim, though. It actually may be the sunniest room in the house, so the charcoal shade is never gloomy or overwhelming.

Glitter and Goat Cheese - Bright guest bedroom with dark gray walls and sheepskin rugs

It’s the room I spend the least time in, but I think some day it might end up being one of my favorites!

So, have I gotten close to my inspiration photos yet? Should I ditch the furniture, or paint it?

     

Pretty Things for the New Year

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So, it’s been a little while since I posted. It wasn’t on purpose, of course. Life just got in the way. Even now, I have to make this quick, because it’s almost 10:30 p.m. and I have to run 6 miles before work in the morning. Don’t ask me how I’m going to manage that – The sun doesn’t rise until 7:30, and I have to be at work by 10. But either way, I wanted to stop by to share a few pretty things that have moved into my home over the past few weeks.

Glitter and Goat Cheese - Wedding photo canvas by Raw Photo Design
This photo, taken by Raw Photo Design, is one of my favorites from our wedding. We used our entire photo credit for Pictage to purchase this canvas, and it was totally worth it. It makes such a statement (it looks much bigger in person), and I like that it showcases some of the prettiest parts of our day without actually featuring our faces. I don’t think we’d be comfortable with a giant photo of our faces on display … It’s just not our style.

Glitter and Goat Cheese - DIY spray-painted plant pots from Ikea
Both of these plants and pots are from Ikea, but I added the yellow and gold stripes myself with spray paint and painter’s tape. It was SO quick and easy – I sense a new DIY addiction coming on!

Glitter and Goat Cheese - Cape Cod Indian Neck print by Heidi Gallo
My mom bought this beautiful Heidi Gallo watercolor print in Cape Cod and had it framed for us for Christmas. It features Indian Neck, the beach our cottage is on. We also have a framed oyster print by the same artist – she uses such gorgeous colors.

Glitter and Goat Cheese - Dayna Decker gold candle with wood wick
This amazing Dayna Decker candle was a gift from my cousin and his fiancé. In addition to being GOLD, it also smells like heaven and has a wood wick that crackles when it burns. It is wonderful.

Glitter and Goat Cheese - DIY spray-painted peach oval mirror
This mirror isn’t actually new, but it’s newly peach! We got a great deal on it at Home Goods a couple years ago, but it was cream, which didn’t really match in here. I wanted to paint it soft coral, and this Valspar shade from Lowe’s was the closest I could find. I think it’s called “Brushed Rose.” Brad doesn’t like the color, but I think he’s crazy.

Glitter and Goat Cheese - DIY watercolor painting in spray-painted gold Ikea Ribba frame
I think Brad should be more supportive of my work – I’m certainly supportive of his! He painted this with watercolors, and I put it in a custom-made frame (a.k.a. an Ikea Ribba frame that I spray-painted gold) and featured it prominently in our downstairs bathroom. I really, really love it. Figures – I watch countless YouTube videos and read online articles, and I still can’t paint watercolors for shit, but he takes one try and makes this masterpiece. WHATEVER. You can’t force the creative juices to flow, I guess.

Glitter and Goat Cheese - Fiddle leaf fig tree from Ikea
I’ve wanted a fiddle leaf fig for some time now, and I finally got one! It’s actually from Ikea. I’m going to do a separate post about this baby, but can’t resist sharing it now. It’s going to live inside, but I let it spend some time on the deck this weekend. I think it liked it.

Glitter and Goat Cheese - Gold dog biscuit container
And this – THIS – is my gold dog biscuit container. I did not spray paint it. It came that way. My best friend Alisa found it at Home Goods and gave it to us for Christmas. I think it was made for me. And my dog, I guess.

We still have a lot of Christmas gifts and recent acquisitions to unpack and display, but there’s only so many hours in the day. In fact, it’s my bedtime now, so that’s all, folks.

What’s the prettiest gift YOU got over the holidays?