Guestroom ideas: the ideal guestroom

What's the ideal guestroom? Well, I actually don't think there is One Perfect Guestroom. So much depends on the personality of the homeowner and of the house.

I do admit that I like it when a guestroom is a little different from the rest of the house. Like if the house is bright and colorful, the guestroom is soft and soothing.

If the house is all about neutrals, the guestroom could be floor-to-ceiling wallpaper.

Or shocking pink.

Or maybe you want the guestroom to be the showplace of the house, the place where you perfect the lovely combination of grays and creams you have going on in the rest of the place. Why not? It's your house. Just because I tell you to be different doesn't mean you have to be.

Guestrooms tucked into the eaves can be especially comforting. A room-as-quilt sort of thing. These always make me think of Anne of Green Gables and Anne getting so excited over Aunt Josephine's spare room. Why do you think I call MY guestroom the spare room?

Guestrooms are also the perfect place to try out that slightly scary design idea you saw on Apartment Therapy or Design*Sponge. Much like powder rooms, one doesn't spend a lot of time there so you can go a little crazy. Like painting the walls deepest navy or even black. It's very dramatic but also quite cozy.

Or be like Martha and paint all of the furniture in the room the same shade. I kinda really love this.

I'll always remember the spread where she painted all the furniture in her Turkey Hill guestroom black. And the result was surprisingly restful and cheery since everything else was light (also love the darker trim!). Bonus is that it all could be cheapo thrift store finds with the scratches sanded down and the not-so-great wood hidden under the paint. It doesn't look matchy-matchy because each piece is a different style.

And if you often have singles or kids staying over, why not have two twin beds instead of a queen or full? They can be pushed up against the walls since only one person has to get out of the bed and they can also share a single nightstand for more room. And you know, a couple can deal with not sleeping in the same bed for a night or two. They might even relish not having to share the blankets!

I know I've been lax about getting pictures of the spare room in my house on here. Seems like every time I get the room somewhat presentable, I go on a trip or start a project and that room becomes a glorified storeroom again. But it is a lovely little room with cucumber-green walls (I won't listen to anyone who calls them sage!), my childhood bed, a big bookcase full of books and the loveliest Northern light. It's very different from the rest of my house and makes me completely happy.

What's your guestroom like? Or what do you wish it were like?

All pictures (except Martha's) from Pinterest Are you following me there yet? You should. I pin some fantabulous stuff.

Guestroom ideas: supplies

My friend, Melissa, asked me for some blogs for inspiration for her guest room. I, of course, ran with it and decided to add her to my blog. I don’t expect her to follow my advice, but it’s fun for me to try to decorate a room with her sensibilities in mind.

I’ll get to the actual decorating in a day or so, but this morning I had some ideas on what would be good additions to a guest room.

Several sealed bottles of water

I adore those chic glass decanters with a glass-as-topper, but that requires one to fill the decanter before a guest arrives – and to check in to see if it needs to be refilled during the visit. Sorry, we’re not running a B&B here. A single bottle of water on each nightstand would be lovely, but even better is a whole tray of them. Then your guest doesn’t have to ration the supply. He knows he can grab one on his way out for the day and there will still be plenty to drink at night. And you don’t have to think about replenishing during his stay.

Normally I am not one to promote use of bottled water, but in certain circumstances they are incredibly useful. You can still encourage use of your filtered water system (or not filtered, depending on your disposition and water supply) in the rest of the house. But one doesn’t always remember to bring a bathrobe, or even decent nightclothes, and this way your guest doesn’t have to pad down the hall in his skivvies to refill a glass of water.

I’m envisioning these on a pretty lacquered tray on top of the dresser, all neat and in a row. 

But a basket would be nice, too. Wire or wicker. They could stand up in a long breadbasket or be jumbled purposefully in a taller one. What about an antique ice bucket? An oversized terracotta pot painted a jaunty color? Your imagination is your only limit.

An array of used books

How often have you traveled to someone’s house only to realize you forgot your book? Or finished the one you brought earlier than expected? So you borrow one from your host only to find out that she detests dog-eared pages and bent spines – after you took it into the tub with you. Ack. Or you only get halfway through Rebecca and end up buying another copy at the airport for 3x what you would pay for a book that’s so easily found at a used bookstore because you MUST FINISH IT NOW. Why not spare your guest these (admittedly minor) problems?

Have a small bookcase or floating shelf full of books you bought at yard sales, your local library’s sale or at Salvation Army. Books that only cost you a dollar or two so you won’t mind if they get trashed or taken home. Have a variety of books – classics, mysteries, poetry, and some potboilers in case your guest doesn’t feel like thinking too much. Whatever looks interesting to you or you think might be interesting to your guests. Maybe add a little note (framed?) saying that they should feel free to take a book home if they haven’t finished it.

The bonus to books rather than magazines is that they don’t have to be updated before a visit. Because, again, no B&B here!

Somewhere to sit other than the bed

Ideally this would be a chaise or chair & ottoman with a sturdy end table & reading lamp to make the room a true retreat. 

But there often isn’t room, so maybe a smaller upholstered chair (sans ottoman) or even one of your extra dining chairs with a cushion on top that matches the linens in this room (so it’s not so obviously a spare).

A bench at the end of the bed is another option –it wouldn’t be a reading spot, but could be a good resting spot and also serves as somewhere for your guests to put their luggage as they unpack. Some folks are iffy about putting luggage right on the bed (and you might be one of them). 

Of course, a luggage rack is the obvious choice, but a person can’t sit on it. However, if you have space for a chair elsewhere in the room, twin luggage racks at the end of the bed is a really nice look, much like these twin benches.

Fresh linens

I read recently in Martha Stewart Living that one should change sheets in a spare room every two weeks.  If you frequently have guests – or frequently have spur-of-the-moment guests, this is a terrific idea. If your guests are more seldom, you could just make the bed right before they arrive (though do wash them every so often so they aren’t musty), but sometimes it’s nice to have an extra made bed available for you. What if your partner is sick and coughing all night long and you need a respite? With clean sheets on the guest bed, you can escape to it at 2pm (or banish your partner – I don’t judge).  How much would it suck to have tried to tough it out for a few hours only to then have to make the bed? If you knew there were clean sheets, you may not have toughed it out at all. See? It’s not really about your guests; it’s all about you :)

I like the idea of leaving towels folded on the bed all wrapped in a bow (an idea I also got from Martha), but have found it can be confusing. What may be better is to have them at the ready in the linen closet and when you’re showing your guests to their room, you can pull them out and hand them in a neat pile. At the same time, you can mention that they can grab any other towels that will be necessary and by the way, this is where we keep the aspirin and Band-Aids. Figure out the method that works best for your household, but do remember to actually give your guests towels – don’t leave them floundering after their shower!

An ideal set-up would be one bath sheet, one bath towel, one hand towel and one washcloth per person. Some women like to use a separate towel for their hair and everyone loves extra large and extra fluffy towels. 

Lots of space for clothes

I know, I know, it's hard to keep the guestroom closet empty. All that wasted space! And in my 800 square foot home, it's just not possible So delegate half of the closet to your guests - and make it a very obvious half. Have lots of hangers for both shirts and pants and have them match, please. Nothing says leftovers more than mismatched hangers. My favorites are black velvet flocked and I buy them at Marshall's. Think they're usually $10 for 12. No need to get fancy and spend hundreds on wood and padded hangers (though feel free to do so!).

No closet at all? If you have the space, an armoire would be tres romantic. Buy one at a thrift store that originally was for TVs and add a rod. Line the inside with some pretty paper or paint it a gorgeous color. 

If your spare room is also the smallest, as most spare rooms are, put up a few hook on the back of the door and hang some flocked hangers from it. This might be the time to spend the cash on the really nice wood hangers since they’re visible at all times (and are easier to dust than velvet).

Then you also need some drawers. A small dresser with maybe three drawers and a mirror above is good.  I’m a fan of the Hemnes chest from Ikea. It’s small, inexpensive and you can slide some pretty paper under the glass on top. 

Thrift stores can also be great places to find a small chest of drawers and if it’s beat up, you can always paint it. Or decorate the room around it. The whole Belgian/Danish style of decorating is practically centered on weathered wood furniture (see the latest Restoration Hardware catalog for examples).

If you have room for a large dresser, then you can leave just a few drawers open for your guests and hog the rest for yourself. If you’re doing this, leave the top drawers empty since that’s the ones your guests will open first. If they have to go through three drawers of out-of-season sweaters before finding the sad one at the bottom that’s free, well, that’s not very welcoming, is it?

While we’re on the subject, keep that dresser clear so your guest can put out his items. It’s one thing to have the tissue box and some other essentials there and another to have it littered with knick-knacks and tchotchkes and vases and stacks of art books. Sure they’re pretty and make for a blog-worthy vignette, but clear it all off before you actually have someone stay there!

Extra blankets and pillows

This summer I stayed at my friend’s in-law’s condo in Florida (follow that?) and in their guest room, they had lots of extra blankets and pillows in the closet. I was able to swap out the too-soft pillows on the bed for firmer ones and to exchange the duvet for a more moderate blanket since it was always warm in there at night. It made for a very comfortable weekend.

Give your guests some options. If you don’t have room for these options in the closet, tuck a storage box under the bed (and point out its existence). Or layer the bed. Have sheets + blanket + bedspread and then fold a duvet at the end. 

Or sheets + duvet with a quilt or afghan folded at the end. Play around with the layers – it’s also a great way to add color into the room. 

Have different firmness of pillows in the shams vs. cases. It’s also a good idea to have all of your pillows be synthetic. Those will allergies will thank you and those without will still have their heads nicely cradled. Again, no need to spend lots on these – Marshall’s, TJ Maxx and other discount stores all have very nice pillows available. Check the labels because pillows are usually machine washable. And if not, they can at least go for a tumble in the dryer to shake off the dust.

Other essentials

Every bedroom needs a box of tissues and a wastebasket. I prefer the wastebasket be lined with a bag so your guest doesn’t have to worry about what he puts in there.

An iron & board is a nice touch, but that’ll take up even more of your closet space. If you have the room, include it. If not, let your guest know where you store yours. And remember to empty the water reservoir before you store it.

Bonus items

Collect trial sizes of shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream, toothpaste, etc. and have them out in a basket. Cotton swabs and cotton balls are useful in the bedroom as well as the bathroom, especially if the bathroom is shared. Store these in pretty canisters or boxes right on the dresser.

Buy a few extra toothbrushes and a box of floss. Maybe some single-use razors, men’s and women’s. If your guest room has its own bathroom, fill the medicine cabinet with pain relievers, bandages and cough drops. Keep a box of tampons under the sink – even if you are a single man with only male friends and relatives, what if one of those men brings his wife or girlfriend?

Fancy hotels often have plush bathrobes and while I’m still chanting the not-a-B&B mantra, I’m definitely not opposed to stealing some hotel ideas, especially if they’re as good as this one. Hang two XL robes, or even XXL. Just as it’s extra cozy to wrap a humongous robe around oneself, it’s extra sucky to have it not meet in the middle. No need for them to be white, either. If they’re the same color story as the linens and towels for this room, they can all be tossed in the wash together after your guest leaves.

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Overall, just think about what YOU would like in a guest room. Don’t make everything too twee or too fancy because you want your guest to be comfortable in the room, not worrying about how he wrinkled the sheets by sleeping on them.

All pictures (except the IKEA dresser) from Pinterest and I have even more pictures pinned there!

small updates to my bedroom

My mom was over for a visit last week and commented that every time she comes over, my bedroom is different and it's true. I had a general idea in my head of what I wanted the room to look like, but it was pretty vague, which has left a lot of space for switching things up. The constants have been my pink bedspread, the purple end tables and the overall layout of the room. And then the bed and chiffonier aren't going anywhere. The bed is 12 years old, from Ikea and threatens to break with every move, but when it does finally fall apart (for good - I've repaired it twice), I will run out to Ikea and buy their new version of it. I just love it.

So what changes are the accents. First I paired brown & orange with the pink. I kinda loved it, but the comforter was too hot and then I discovered my love of patterned sheets. I tried out some green and white ones, but I didn't like the consistency of the fabric. It was just too slippery.

Then I found a pink paisley Ralph Lauren sateen set at Marshall's. I was a little concerned about the sateen - would it also be too slippery?  Nope, it was just as crisp as crisp could be - and doesn't wrinkle a bit. I do feel like it's starting to fade, but that could be my imagination.

I also swap out the pillows. Seems like whenever I tire of a pillow in my living room, it ends up being perfect in my bedroom and then I'm always on the hunt for the perfect rectangular pillow so I can have just one long one. For now, I'm down to two small rectangles which give the right effect.

To add warmth and the weight I love, I have a gray quilt from Target. Maybe it'd be a darker shade of gray, but it works. And I'm a big fan of gray with the brown furniture and the gold pulls.

See how a bigger rectangle of just one pattern would be better? Now if I can only find it...

Then I FINALLY hung more art in the room! I've always had the small painting above one of the end tables, but the other side of the room was just hungry for something big. And then my mom offered up a painting of my grandfather's that had always hung in our cellar (he was such a prolific painter that we had 1/2 a dozen paintings in the cellar growing up, just overflow from the rest of the house). The colors and size were right and it even has a gold frame! How perfect!

This side of my bedroom is never perfectly styled and even though my box of scarves is overflowing, I consider this a fairly successful shoot. At least all of my camisoles and tank tops are actually IN the baskets in the little white bookcase at the right!

Still need to paint and I still want to make it a super pale, almost white, inside-a-shell pink. Now that I have the painting, it's really helping me narrow down the options. Stay tuned!

things that get me ridiculously excited

I went to Target last night on a mission.  My bedroom is a mess and has been for months, pretty much since I painted my spare room (need to do a post on that...later).  I'm uninspired and unorganized and it's incredibly frustrating.  I also haven't been sleeping well and I think it's partly from all the clutter.

My list:
* boxes for the small bookcase
I keep my camisoles and ribbed tanks here and when I'm in a mad rush in the morning (every morning), I just throw them back on the shelf.  If I had nice containers, at least I wouldn't see the piles

* hanging shelves for shoes

I have too many shoes.  I hold on to ones I've never worn or haven't worn in years just in case.  I keep them in their boxes because when everything is in a box and they're all nicely stacked, I find it very pleasing.  The problem is that it's annoying to put them back in the box in the mad morning rush or at night when I just want to go to bed.  It all ends up a jumble of boxes:

And I end up wearing the same few pairs of shoes over and over again anyway, why not keep them more accessible?  Out of season shoes can stay on the top shelf of my closet, but I'll pare down the collection so the lower shelf can be available for jeans and sweaters.

I tried having hanging shelves for jeans and sweaters, but I just have too many.  I had to stuff too many onto each shelf and it made pulling them out difficult.  I'd have to pull out the whole stack and then you can guess what would happen - a pile on the floor instead of them put neatly away.

I was moderately successful.  I got the shoe shelves and hung them up - and love them.  They aren't going to work for my city boots and my athletic sneakers each need their own cubby, but they're perfect for flats and Chucks and the moderate heels that I wear most often.  Yay!  It will take a while to see if I can actually keep this up, but it's SO nice to have my shoes easily accessible yet not on the floor (or under the bed, under the bureau...)

Online, what I bought is being sold for $25, but at the store, it was $12.  The Thomas O'Brien version was $16 and slightly prettier, but not enough for me to spring for the extra $4.  I was definitely in a frugal mood last night.

And I did get some boxes, but they're not right.  They're basically like these except magenta:

Love the color - just about the same as my nightstands, but the sides are angled so they look awkward on the bookcases. Bah.  So on with the search.  But at least now I know that Target does not have what I need.  Maybe Ikea?

I also bought some stuff that wasn't on my list.  Is it possible to go to Target and stay to your list?

Remember my plan for my bedroom?  The gray/pink/magenta/brass look?  I had abandoned it because I couldn't find anything charcoal gray.  Pale gray, sure, but that wasn't what I wanted.  Well, last night I saw a charcoal gray quilt and matching charcoal gray sheets.  And I bought them.  I didn't even bring them upstairs so will have to see how they go with my pink coverlet, but they seem to have a tinge of pink to them so should coordinate nicely.  And I'm thinking that if I add a cushy blanket, it should be all warm and cozy without having to deal with a duvet.  Because I'm over my duvet.  It shifts too much, falls off the bed too easily - overall just isn't right.  I think this idea will be much better.  Yay!

summer bedding

I needed to change my sheets this past Sunday and didn't feel like doing laundry so that ruled out the brown sheets currently on my bed, and my yellow ones are also dirty, so I pulled out my white ones.  I haven't used white sheets in forever.  Definitely not since I moved and possibly not since 2008.  I used to be a 100% white sheet girl.  I had three sets because I hated going down to the basement to do laundry so would let it pile up.  It was great.  Crisp, cool, white sheets year-round - ahhhh, heaven.  But I've been so used to the warm coziness of my brown sheets and really wasn't a fan when I tried out my yellow last month - could I go back to white?

I try really hard to not turn on my air conditioner until Memorial Day and I figured I wouldn't change my bedroom color pattern until then as well, but with the recent warm nights, I would end up tossing my duvet on the floor anyway and with my new Liberty pillows, I decided I was ready for my summer bedroom 6 weeks early.

And I love it!  It's like pretty pink candy. 

I'm also in love with crisp white sheets all over again.  It's been a bit cool the past two nights so I do have my afghan underneath the coverlet, but the duvet has remained off the bed.  I do need to get a new set of sheets - the ones I have left are years old and I used to use bleach so there are a few thin patches that are *this close* to becoming holes.  I find that Ross and Marshalls are great places for white sheets - you can get high thread count for a low price.  It can be frustrating when you're looking for a specific color or pattern, but basic white is usually a sure bet.  And hey, if they happen to have a pretty spriggy floral in 100% cotton, well, I'm not opposed to that either.  But definitely at least one set of all white. 

Now I'm all ready for summer!  Bring on the heat!

making my bed

I like to see how other people make their bed so I thought I’d share mine with you.

Here’s my bed fully made up:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

I prop my pillows up against the headboard with the shams in the back and pillowcases in front. Before I bought the orange duvet, I had the shams in front as I was trying to downplay the brown. But now I want to highlight the multiple colors so they’re out front.

I also have a tiny throw pillow. In all seriousness, it’s much too small for my bed. But the colors are perfect and I love the peacock feather. I hope to find something larger, but I’m not actively looking.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


So on top is my PrimaLoft comforter inside of a duvet. Comforter was bought years ago at Ross. I highly recommend discount stores for bedding basics. It’s so cheap and the selection just keeps growing year after year.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Underneath that I have an afghan. My mom made this for me when I was a kid and it was the perfect size for my twin-sized bed. As I grew up, the afghan came with me. When my bedding was all blue and yellow, I would keep this folded at the end of the bed. It doesn’t go anymore, but it’s warmth is very necessary.

Then under the afghan is the coverlet. I find that having these two items in this order is very important. I first had the afghan underneath the coverlet, but it would get all tangled up. No clue why having it on top keeps it orderly, but I’m not messing with what works.

Finally, under the coverlet is a blanket followed by a flat sheet and finally a fitted sheet over the mattress.

I know many have given up flat sheets and blankets, but I never will. I love the feel of a sheet right next to my body. And I love the process of folding back the top of the flat sheet. It makes the bed feel so done. And considering I only make my bed when I change the sheets or when someone’s coming over, when I do it, I like to do it right.

This all makes for a very heavy covering at night and it’s so perfect. I can burrow underneath all of this with the extra-long coverlet up over my ears and just sleep forever.

In the summer, I will store the afghan in my linen closet and fold the duvet at the end of the bed (or possibly in the spare room’s closet altogether). I may also switch out the sheets to something a bit happier. Maybe my old yellow sheets, maybe a new print. But for winter, this combination of colors and layers is absolutely right.

current state of my bedroom

My bedroom has been an organic process. I started with my bed, a chiffonier, one bedside table and the Venus mirror. Bedding was a light blue tone-on-tone duvet, brown sheets, navy dust ruffle and a brown and blue paisley lumbar pillow. Curtains were the short, sheer white ones that came with the house. The overall look was great in my old apartment, but kinda sad in my new house.

Here is my bed now:

I went for a layered look. I started with the pink coverlet from Crate and Barrel.  It was on sale and a great Barbie pink (no longer available). I bought it king-sized for my queen-sized bed so it would hang long and cover the boxspring. Once the coverlet was in my house, I thought I would go with a gray/pink/magenta/brass look – very luxurious and tailored. I painted my end tables to go with this theme and bought the tiny throw pillow, but then I couldn’t find the right gray duvet.

And I saw this orange one at Ikea and decided to go in a more eclectic, layered direction. Even better that it works with the brown sheets I already had.

Sidebar – go back to the picture above and notice how the stuff on my end tables is visually balanced. Balance is incredibly important to me in decorating and I’m really happy with how this turned out.

I already owned both lamps and was unable to find the right replacements for a reasonable price. The white lamp on the right originally had a pale blue lampshade. It was old and a little dirty and perpetually dusty. So I bought a new one at Target for less than $10. Fab.

On the left, I used a stained glass lamp bought at Ross or Marshall’s during college. It’s fallen a few times so the shade is crooked and cracked, but if I turn it the right way it’s not that noticeable. (Of course, I had it turned the wrong way in all of these pictures.) But it’s a lot shorter than the candlestick lamp on the other side.

I had scavenged the small painting from my mom’s cellar. She had it hanging over the work sink. I realized that the black of the frame would be a nice compliment to the black lampshade. And if I hung it low, it would balance the height. So perfect. I also had suggested to my mom that she hang a painting super low in her bedroom and she really doubted my wisdom with that. So this performed a secondary function – showing that I’m not off my rocker for telling others to do this.

But then on the left side of the bed, I have my alarm clock and always-present box of Kleenex. Again, it threw the balance off.

This all happened in mid/late December and my friend Anne gave me a gorgeous perfume bottle for Christmas. And that inspired me to create a little vignette with some old vases and the bottle on the other bedside table. The height of the green bottle balances the height of the alarm clock and Kleenex, the blue vase and perfume bottle balance the bulk. It’s not an exact match – and I didn’t want it to be – but it is comforting to the eye to have these straight lines.

And really, I didn’t measure when hanging the painting. I wish I were anal enough to do so, but I’m not. I eyeballed it and had to lower it once. I really should lower it another ½”, but then the first hole would show so I’m living with it. And it’s fine. It makes me happy and that’s all that matters.

Moving on.

To tie in all of the warm colors, I went with bamboo blinds from Target. Even shut they still let in a lot of light, which is great. I have no problem sleeping with moderate amounts of light coming in and during the day I usually forget to open my blinds but still like the sun.

Storage space is still at a premium in my house and I didn’t want to spent a lot of money on furniture that’s only so-so. I’m still using the chiffonier that was my dad’s from his first marriage. Growing up it served as extra storage in the cellar and was always referred to as the Ugly Chiffonier. When I moved out on my own, this was the first piece I scavenged from my mom’s house. And I really like it! The edging at the top is missing some chunks, but it’s just the veneer so it could be easily repaired. And it needs a good polish. But these things really don’t bother me.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

I have a jewelry box on top that now holds only my earrings. I love necklaces that are big, chunky and/or long and they were just getting all tangled up in the jewelry box. So I bought some small white hooks from Home Depot and jammed them in the wall behind my door, spacing them out to fit specific necklaces.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

My collection grows all the time and I didn’t want to be confined to a peg or bulletin board. If I ever paint this room, I’ll probably do something a little neater and more secure, but this totally works.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Underneath my jewelry wall is my solution for layering tank tops and camisoles. I have dozens. I love wrap dresses and low-cut shirts, but they aren’t appropriate for work or just running around on the weekend. So I have black camis and white camis and pink camis and yellow camis and blue camis. When I had a larger closet I was able to hang them all up (drawer space was always at a premium) and easily grab what worked for each outfit. But now my closet is teeny tiny and I can’t do that anymore. In a perfect world, I’d have money for an antique or antique-looking lingerie chest, but my world isn’t perfect. What I did have was an extra two-shelf bookcase that fit perfectly behind my bedroom door. Done.

I also have an undersized chair tucked between the chiffonier and bookcase. Perfect for throwing clothes on when I’m running late or just too lazy to hang things back up. It’s old and battered and in desperate need of a new coat of paint, but it’s usually hidden by the door so it will probably stay battered for a while yet.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Here’s my bed from the other side of the room. It’s all very lovely. The Venus mirror is angled such that I can see myself when standing at the back of the room, but one doesn’t automatically look into it when getting into that side of the bed.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 But then you look down and can see my storage boxes. They don’t fit through the tiny attic opening and it’s three or four fewer items to clog up my spare room. Not feng shui-friendly, but it’s a necessity in my house.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 Finally, here’s my closet. Small opening but it does extend to the right another two or three feet. If I’m honest with myself, it’s not a bad sized closet for one person. I can’t imagine sharing it with someone, but then my sister did it with her husband for ten years before their remodel so I know it can be done.

One bonus is that there are two shelves. The bottom one holds all of my in-season shoes along with a crate filled with purses and shawls. The upper shelf is out-of-season shoes and my old teddy bear. I can’t stick him up in my attic, but don’t want him in my bed every night so he hangs out here.

The walls are still the same white as when I moved in, but as you can see, in the right light they look pink. I would like to paint them this same pink – pale, delicate, inside-of-a-shell pink, but as I add more and more color to the room through textiles and art, the white walls don’t bother me as much.

If I do paint, I plan on making the walls, trim and ceiling all the same shade. Then once I replace the candlestick lamp and low bookcase I won’t have any white in this room at all. It’s kind of an experiment for me. I ADORE white trim and generally do feel best when there’s a good amount of white in a room. But this room just calls out for something warmer and cozier and a continuous color would give me the right feel. One day.