In 2017, my dad got divorced, and he wanted to make some changes. One of the things he really wanted to do was have more time with his granddaughters. The problem was that his guest room had one single queen bed, and the girls really hated sharing. So I convinced him to redo the guest room and add two twin beds that could be pushed together when my brother or sister came to visit with their spouses. We got Sleep Number beds to give everyone the benefit of choosing how firm they wanted their mattress to be. The added bonus was that we were getting rid of everything in the room and repainting. A clean slate for a new start, if you will.
I wasn't able to take before pics with the furniture because it was all gone when I got up there to paint.
This room had been painted that wheat brown that was super popular in the late 80's. It continues to be popular with Boomers, for some reason. While I absolutely love painted walls, I decided to embrace the whole "white" trend going on in the late teens of this century. I chose my favorite, Eider White by Sherwin Williams, and the whole room felt so different when I was done. The blue tape represents some elements we would put in later. We just wanted to make sure it was all going to work before we got started. This wall would be the two beds, a small picture above, and three shelves on the left.
This wall would have the TV and a retro dresser. We decided to embrace the whole "simple southwest" style that was ALL OVER every design blog and Insta feed. It's Vegas, so it IS the southwest.
Here is the design plan:
I started by painting the whole space Sherwin Williams Eider White.
I think it took me a day and a half to paint this entire room, hallway and sink area. I don't paint as often as I used to, so I am a little slow. Plus, I think these are 14 ft walls, that's a lot of up and down on a ladder.
I sewed some curtains for the space, and a large pillow. The long pillow was to be used when the beds were together, something that got completely lost on my dad. I'm not sure he ever put the beds together when my siblings came over, so this pillow, to my knowledge, never got used. I even found the king comforter on the queen bed in his room once as a "top sheet". I think I really should have taken the time to store and label everything for each set up.
We replaced the green chair with the STORSELE black chair from IKEA, which you can apparently still buy in other countries, but is no longer available in the states. I made the small pillow on this chair as well. You can read about the design plan and a complete source list here.
We added a "headboard". The set up here is with the two beds separate. We needed a headboard that would work when they were together as well. We debated just painting the wall, but decided on a piece of plywood that would work with both configurations to add some more texture in a very white space. We also added two small tables (you can see one of them here). The tables were small enough that they could move easily. So when the beds were together, there could be a table on both sides. The picture was a print we bought off of Etsy. The shop is no longer open. I made pillows out of a traditional Mexican blanket I got off of Amazon. I also added these Turkish towels at the end of the beds as a lightweight throw, perfect for a summer afternoon nap. A small succulent and the perfect lamp finish out this look.
On the other side of the room we hung the TV above the vintage dresser we got online. My dad used to have one of those old rear projection TV's that stick out like two feet from the wall. He put the monstrous piece in this room after he upgraded to a flat screen a few years before. It was so cumbersome and just did not belong anywhere. We were so relieved that he was ready to upgrade. And the girls were happy to have a TV to themselves. We are a one TV family, always have been. Having their own TV was just one of the many perks that came with going to grandpa's house.
Next to the chair is the other small table we got for the room. We painted both of them a deep teal that matched the pillows. We added a small art piece that I would absolutely change out today, but it was great for the space three years ago.
Next to the beds we added three shelves from Target. We styled them with stuff my dad already had, a small jewelry dish, and some pictures from our own stash and Etsy shops. We added two floor pillow underneath for when the girls are just hanging out.
By the sink, we added a couple more towels and framed a picture my husband took on a hike in the desert here a few years ago.
Here's a quick before and after glance.
Not bad for some paint and elbow grease! My dad was so excited, so were the girls. This space went from an after thought, to feeling more like a hotel suite. Which is great, because that's essentially what it is...the preferred suite at Casa Darrell!
You can see the design plan and the resource list here