Guest Room Renovation

The past couple months have been a busy time in our household. Early in March we decided to tackle a guest room renovation ourselves! It’s been about 12 years since we moved into this home and most upgrades were completed prior to us moving into it. Recently, it became clear that the carpet in this guest room was in dire need of replacing. This was the impetus to give the entire space a much-needed makeover. An family visit to celebrate my Mother’s upcoming 70^th Birthday was all the motivation we needed. The room needed to be painted, new flooring installed, new bedding and a furniture refresh before everyone arrived in early April!

Before:

12 years ago warm colors were very much the trend. We wanted our guest room to feel like a sanctuary, which would embrace many of our Canadian Family and Friends’ visits over the years. It was to have the vibe of a comfortable hotel room while feeling like you weren’t far from home. The goal was to keep it warm, comfortable and simple.

Come 2015, it was definitely time to refresh. The aim was to keep costs low, which meant doing as much ourselves as possible & hopefully end up with a brand new ambiance and perspective.

First up was paint. We choose Dunn-Edwards paint in a bright white and an almost turquoise blue. Once the room was painted, the new flooring was installed. We decided a greyish laminate would highlight the colors without overpowering them. Once the floors we’re installed, it became apparent that the furniture needed to blend better with the overall look and feel. To do this, parts of the pieces were sanded and painted white. We also enlisted our friend Joshua Kartsch to create some wall shelving for our smaller items to be displayed that would coordinate with the natural wood accents.

Josh also created a shelf for the framed art given to us by friend and fine artist Britt Randle. (His artwork melds so beautifully in this room).

Overall, the room now exudes a happiness and joy. We love the way the colors work together to create something uplifting and inviting. It also gave us more opportunities to display the things we love in a creative way!

Photos: Kelly Norris Sarno