Guest Bedroom Planning; Inspiration And First Draft Plans.

It may have been a couple of weeks since I last posted… but it doesn’t mean that I haven’t been busy. It’s just that what I’ve been busy doing would be of no interest and definitely not blog-worthy! Tales of sorting, tidying and organising doesn’t make for great reading, however, the reason for it, does. Tired of having a three bedroom house, but nowhere for visitors to sleep, I’ve decided to start on the guest bedroom planning. Not the actual decorating… yet. Just the planning.

But thinking about it is a start, right?

Guest Bedroom Planning; Where It All Began.

It all started about two years ago. Whilst ripping out the butt-ugly fireplaces downstairs, I decided to do the same with the one in the guest bedroom. As lovely as it is to have an original fireplace, this one was badly damaged and had a weird tile ‘thing’ done to it. Also, the room is a good bit smaller than the master bedroom, which meant limited options for furniture. So, out it came.

At that time, my parents were visiting. As a surprise they very kindly took it upon themselves to strip the entire bedroom when I was at work. Maybe I should have taken this as a hint that they wanted to have a nicely decorated room for their next visit. That would have been lovely, wouldn’t it?

Instead, I piled it high with crap and rendered it pretty much unusable. Aren’t I a good son?!

Then, about 10 months ago, I decided to start forming a plan. At this point, none of the other rooms had been completed and the master bedroom was still in it’s original shade of blue. Remember that mistake? (see here). As a guest room, I wanted to keep the colours pretty neutral. I figured that this would be a nice contrast to the dark bedroom and would provide a good backdrop for my latest purchase; that rug!

That Rug!

Image via La Redoute

Have you heard of that rug?

What I’m referring to is the La Redoute, ‘Afaw’ Beni Ourain (remember the DIY bench post here?) style rug that Instagram has gone crazy for. So much so that it even has it’s own profile!

Image via Instagram

Now, had I been aware of this before I bought it, I probably wouldn’t have made the purchase. Don’t get me wrong, I love it, but the shine has kinda gone, knowing that nearly everyone and their (very stylish!) granny has it.

Anyway, ‘that rug’ was the starting point from which I developed the ‘first draft’ of my guest bedroom plan.

Guest Bedroom; First Draft.

Unlike the other rooms, I didn’t really research any bedroom styles as such; perhaps because I had a fair idea of what I thought I wanted, from looking at items that I already owned. Shortly after I purchased the rug, I spotted a gorgeous bed that I knew would be perfect in this space so I went ahead and bought it. To save money, everything else would be up-cycled or sourced from charity shops.

As lovely as this neutral grey room with turquoise accessories and pops of colour would be, I’ve kinda gone and done that elsewhere now. This would just feel like an extension of the hall. I don’t want that. I want something… different. However, the bed and the rug have to stay.

Guest Bedroom; Inspiration

I have an idea of what I would like, but haven’t quite pinned it down just yet. I know that I want an eclectic mix of 60’s/70’s style, with some slightly more traditional elements. As if a traditional Victorian, ornate style is being updated with the more modern mid-century elements. I’m fully aware that I have aimed for this style elsewhere, but I really want to emphasise it in this room.

Here are some of the images I have ‘pinned’ so far…

Image by Wichmann and Bendtsen Photography via Gravity Home

I love the traditional architecture of this room and the ornate rug and stool, being contrasted with the oversized contemporary elements and geometric patterns. I love the blue/grey walls.

Image via Pinterest

I know…it’s not a bedroom! But it doesn’t have to be to be inspiring. I love the deep green of this room and the contrast of the warm toned. The simple retro styling of the lamp and table (nice use of mixed metals!) balance out the ornate framework of the room and add a bit of fun to what could be an otherwise oppressive room.

Image by LSD Casa via Pinterest

A bit more subtle in the contrast between styles but a gorgeous image and I love the layers and colours. Maybe slightly too ‘formal’ and ‘hotel-like’ for me.

Image by Hotel Panache

Then there’s an actual hotel. The hotel Panache in Paris is beautiful. I wonder how much it would cost to stay there for the rest of my life?