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A Small Guest Bedroom Revealed - One Room Challenge Week 6

It's the most wonderful time of the (blogging) year. It's One Room Challenge reveal day! Over the last six weeks, we've remodelled our sad and scary guest bedroom. Where it was once red and unwelcoming, it's now bright and relaxing. Let me show you around our cozy guest bedroom and share our best small guest bedroom ideas!

Welcome and thanks for stopping by! If you're new here, I'm a Toronto-based blogger and plaid enthusiast who mixes DIY with traditional design. 

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Note: this post contains affiliate links.

As far as renovation projects go, this one has been easier than most which allowed me to talk more about the actual process. I've shared lots of FREE renovation templates and spreadsheets over the last six weeks so don't hesitate to look back at these weekly recaps and grab the free downloads for your next project:

  • In Week 1 I showed you the Before of this neglected bedroom
  • Week 2 was demolition, installing the bifold doors and closet system, and all about the project plan.
  • In Week 3 I dove deep into the design, sharing the free online tools I use to design a room 
  • On Week 4 I analyzed the renovation budget
  • And in Week 5 I wrapped it all up talking about the renovation timeline

Let's take a look back at where we started:



This room was so IN YOUR FACE before. If rooms have a story, this one was screaming and saying Do Not Enter. The red was a leftover from the previous owners and I don't know why it took us so long to get rid of it. But finally, we have a new bedroom story... one that is calm and welcoming.

hudson valley lighting girard floor lamp, navy blue curtains, ikea hemnes desk, homepop swoop arm velvet chair, velvet green chair

Small Guest Bedroom Ideas

Designing this room was fairly easy. I simply asked myself, if I were a guest, what would I want in a bedroom? How do I create a small cozy guest bedroom? How do we replace this tragic room...


And turn it into a room like this? We transformed this room with minor structural changes and many guest bedroom decor ideas.

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Display Space and Decorative Touches

Let's start with the desk area. One of the big changes we made in the room was removing the dresser. Figuring out a small guest room layout can be a challenge. You really need to consider what is absolutely necessary and what can be removed. By making one change and removing the dresser freed up floor space and allowed me to add in this desk. 

In a guest room especially, I think it's nice to have something that is decorative. Something a bit fancy or unexpected. It imparts the feeling that this room is special, a bit like stepping into a small boutique hotel. A desk can achieve that, and in a small footprint too.

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The moment I saw Rainsford Company's new Berry Branch botanical prints I knew they had to go in this room. They had a vintage feminine feel and would juxtapose perfectly with the masculine textiles and patterns in the room.

I love symmetry, particularly with art, and thought the four prints would work nicely above the clean-lined IKEA Hemnes desk. I've outfitted the desk with unexpected comforts like design books you can browse through, a pilea plant that adds a natural touch, and just a few decorative accents like these tassel beads.  

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To complete the feeling of escape, there's also a Paris coloring book and a Google Home. I thought guests would enjoy using it to set alarms or to listen to a Spotify playlist as they wind down for the night.

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Multi-functional Furniture

In a small room (this one is 10'9" x 10'9"), you want pieces that are multi-functional. Beneath the desk I've placed a pair of Charcoal Plaid X-Base Ottomans from HomePop.

I have quite a few HomePop pieces in my home and always appreciate how well constructed they are. These ottomans are a generous size and work great as a seat at the desk, as a footstool, or as a spot to place your luggage. When they're not in use, they tuck away perfectly. And of course, they bring some plaid into the room! Side note: I have plaid in EVERY room. Ha!

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Ambient, Task, and Accent Lighting

One major improvement in this room is the lighting. Can you believe what gorgeous natural sunlight this room gets?? It's the sunniest room in the house. The former red paint did nothing to capitalize on all that sunshine.

In this corner, I've created a cozy spot for reading. The chair (the Swoop Arm Accent Chair in Green Velvet from HomePop) paired with the Girard floor lamp from Hudson Valley Lighting provides the sweetest spot to settle in. It's important to have different sources of light in a room, to help you both see what you're doing and to change the mood.

I love how the brass of the lamp stands out against the navy curtains too! The curtains are blackout of course - you'll want to sleep in when you're a guest in this room ;)

hudson valley lighting, mark d sikes lighting

But if you must have light, this stunning Painted No. 1 fixture from Hudson Valley Lighting is the one to have. It captivates you the moment you walk into the room. I'm in love with the deep blue, almost black, shade and the classic brass details.

I intentionally went with a dark shade to contrast against the pale walls (Paper White OC-55) by Benjamin Moore. Since we have a coved ceiling in this room and it's hard to stop and start paint colours, we painted all of the walls, ceiling, doors, and trim in Paper White in a matte finish. The singular colour creates a nice calm, cocoon-like feel.

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Storage

Your guests will need a place to store their things. It might seem strange, but these hooks and this horse print are among my favourite details in this room. They add an equestrian vibe to the room which I quite like. I've hung some throws to provide decoration but guests could certainly use these hooks to hang bags or jackets.

Our main storage is in the closet. This is what it looked like Before:



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And here it is After! Let me be clear: my husband Sean is the one who installed this closet and does a lot of the heavy lifting around here. I might be the design vision but almost nothing actually gets built around here without his handiwork!

This closet functions so much better. As I mentioned, we removed the free-standing dresser that was in the room and replaced it with dresser drawers in the closet. Not only do we have more drawers now, but the look is so much cleaner. I love being able to close the bifold doors (Logan doors from Metrie) and not see the visual clutter.

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The closet system is the PAX from Ikea. It provides ample functional storage, from clothes hanging rods to pillow storage and places to put extra shoes. If you want to learn more about this closet system, check out this post.

The windows, closet doors and bedroom door (which we did not change) are complemented by new trim. The baseboard and door and window casing are from Metrie's Very Square Scene II collection and match all the trim found on our main floor. We've been slowly replacing the old trim as we renovate each room.

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You'll find black accents repeated throughout the room, from door handles to picture frames and knobs. Unifying those details creates a cohesive look for your bedroom.

A Comfortable Bed

But what's THE most important thing in a guest bedroom? It has to be the bed.

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small guest bedroom ideas, cozy guest bedroom, guest bedroom closet, equestrian decor bedroom

The bed is one we've had for years and I highly recommend it. It's easy to move yet sturdy and the farmhouse style is a classic. I've outfitted the bed with plaid Euro shams, a striped duvet cover (similar here), a tartan lumbar pillow and a vintage wool blanket across the footboard, for those chilly nights. The simple gold wreath is all I needed to fill that empty space on the wall.

Beneath the bed, I've placed a flatweave rug in a cream and ivory pattern.  The darker colour grounds the space and balances against the white walls and ceiling. I've chosen a 6'x9' size to ensure that both the bed and the green chair were tied together visually by the rug and not floating about the room.


Can you believe this is what that corner of the room used to look like??

You'll notice that we've kept the existing cellular shades on the smaller window. They work perfectly and unless we have a guest in this room, we hardly ever close the shades anyway. There's no need to buy everything new when renovating, especially in a seldom used room like a guest bedroom.

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Bedside Conveniences

Beside the bed, I've put this side table which we already had and was in Chloe's room. Only problem is now I have to replace hers, ha! I've accessorized it very simply with a vintage photo, a small tray for jewellry, and a vase filled with greenery. Greenery lasts much longer than flowers and with a tendency to forget to change the water in my plants, this is a good and more budget friendly solution.

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As much as I love this guest bedroom in the daytime, it takes on an inviting cozy appeal at night. We don't have a sitting area in our master bedroom so I've taken to sitting on the green chair, tea by my side and my design magazines and pom pom throw on my lap.

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I hope you've enjoyed this tour of our new guest bedroom!  It's time to close the door and call this room done.

Now go visit all of the other One Room Challenge reveals! So many people have been working hard over the last six weeks and can't wait to show you their fabulous spaces!


***

A special thank you to Linda of Calling It Home for organizing the One Room Challenge and encouraging homeowners everywhere to transform their home into a place they love. Thank you to Better Homes and Gardens, Media Partner of the ORC, for supporting this event.

Thank you to Hudson Valley Lighting, HomePop, Rainsford Company, Schlage Canada and Metrie who have partnered with me on this project. I am delighted to be able to work with their products, showcase them in my home, and share these quality resources with all of you.

Room Sources:

Architecture: Logan bifold doorsbaseboarddoor and window casingdoor handles, Paper White OC-55 paint in matte finish

Furniture: Swoop Arm Accent Chair in Green VelvetCharcoal Plaid X-Base Ottomansside tablebedHemnes desk

Lighting: Painted No. 1 pendantGirard floor lamp

Decor: Botanical printstassel beadsJosephine pillowhorse printblack framehooks, rugcurtainssmall traycoloring bookGoogle Homelumbar pillowgold wreathpom pom throw 


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