Hey there, reader! Does this wallpaper look familiar? Any chance you remember this MOTO photo (below) from my last makeover reveal? The one where I plastered the tinier of my two bedrooms in DIY fabric wallpaper, forced a queen bed in there, and called it mine? Or maybe you’re up-to-date and instead recall a more recent post, where I flashed you my scary second bedroom, aptly named “The Doom Room”, and contemplated swapping the two?

The TLDR version goes something like this– I loved my initial bedroom design and still intended to keep the furniture (and fabric wallpaper) forever, but I made a mistake in choosing the smaller room for my personal bedroom, leaving the bigger room to be my “office”. Instead, this larger space just turned into a dumping ground for estate sale finds, crafty crap, and miscellaneous junk I wanted to close behind a door and forget about. I was sick of my excess stuff, desperately wanted more space in my own bedroom, and hoped that by switching the two rooms, I could finally free up the smaller one for guests. So I went for it, moving my bed and dresser to the larger room (which I’m loving btw), to free up the wallpapered room for a new project–a (hardly) blank canvas.

During the switch, a kismet opportunity to work with AllModern fell directly from the sky and into my lap. They were specifically looking to do a story about hosting visitors for the holidays. Like what?! This was my chance! A timely partnership paired with an insatiable desire to declutter and design a thoughtful guest space? It kicked my spare room dreams into high gear, and I can’t wait to show you how it all turned out.

Double-Sided Desk

When I first wrote the room swap post, contemplating how each area might look and function, I thought I wanted this second bedroom to double as an office space. Before the partnership, I had even picked out an AllModern desk (a piece I was eyeballing for its clever, double-sided, dual-purpose design). But the truth is, I like doing my daily computer work from my dining table and mostly use my vintage desk chair as extra living room seating, so relocating my “office” to this smaller room just didn’t make sense. What it did require was storage (and sadly, this cool desk was too big anyway).

Above all, I was craving a second sleeping zone that felt comfortable and spacious. A tucked-away oasis for any friend, parent, or first-date-mistake to have a place to crash for the night. A room that felt…roomy, despite its humble footprint. A private hang-out spot that could transform for guests but would still inspire me creatively anytime I needed to dig in the closet for art supplies. This old “wallfabric” isn’t coming down anytime soon, but with a hefty dose of some AllModern magic, I think we gave this familiar space a brand new feel…

Please, feast your eyes upon my new and improved GUEST BEDROOM! A funky lounge space by day, an artful bedroom by night, and with just enough storage to tuck my junk treasures out of sight. Let’s dig in, shall we?

Rug

One element I wanted right from the jump was a big hit of red. I knew this would help guide the design in a fresh direction. I envisioned a simple but interesting color-drenched rug, and it wasn’t hard to find a winner–I felt great about this one instantly! I love how its subtle, indented pattern references a similar repeat on the wallpaper, and I think the deep red color solidly anchors the space, don’t you?

Sleeper Sofa

Initially, I had imagined a green sofa bed in here. It had to be a sofa bed to save on space and maximize room function. But it’d need to be the perfect Goldilocks Green to work with the green on the walls, and I just didn’t want to chance it. I figured something more neutral, a beige, gray, or cream would be better overall. I was in-between sleeper sofas. Initially, I liked the 84″ Cleo Sleeper Sofa for its compact shape and long list of customizable colors. But ultimately I chose this one, the Savelle 88” Upholstered Sleeper Sofa (in Mink Chenille) because it shipped a little faster, had stellar reviews, and still looked just as good. Also, I was hopeful that a fold-down sofa bed over a pull-out mattress would better maximize space, even if the sofa itself was a little longer.

I am SO glad I went with this option. The oatmeal color looks so good in here and helps dial back the wild wall factor, allowing the rug to stand out a bit more. Plus, a neutral like this will work in just about any space I move to in the future–something I consider heavily with a piece like this. I want it to last!

But I also want it to be easy. So far, swapping between functions has been a breeze! From sofa to bed, you start by removing the two back cushions, drag the bench seat forward (it’s on wheels and works like a trundle bed), then flip down the solid back cushion to reveal a brand new, full-sized sleeping surface–just add bedding! Flip it and reverse it Missy Elliot style, and you’ll have a couch again in no time.

Ivory Sheet Set | Waffle Duvet Cover | Duvet Insert | Striped Yellow Shams | Pillow Inserts | Waffle Throw Blanket | Yellow Throw Blanket

The cushions are on the firmer side, but aren’t at all like a cheap futon. They feel more like a dense mattress, still with plenty of bounce. Two cozied-up friends or one Emily Henderson should have no trouble lying here comfortably! See? Actually, I’ve already had multiple guests stay over in this room (no, not my boss), and they all gave rave reviews on comfort. I mean, I did ask each of them how well they slept, and it is possible they lied to me… but I had the accidental pleasure of falling asleep on it myself recently, and can attest, it was a very solid slumber!

Gumdrop Throw Pillows | Wool Pillow | Yellow Throw Blanket | Side Table | Paper Trees

You may recognize some of the styling elements (like the throw pillows, side table, chrome lamp, upholstered chair, or paper trees) from our recent Christmas at The Carly decoration transformation. And well, that’s because I stole them for myself after the shoot. Actually, Em asked me to do a chunk of the shopping for that first holiday photoshoot, and instinctively, I pulled pieces from AllModern that I thought might also work in my space, hoping to cut down on the amount we’d need to style out both. I picked colors and textures I liked and could utilize here as well, so it’d make sense for me to just keep most of it in the end. Just some light, premeditated “stealing”. Like, I’m sorry, but I really wanted some of those jewel-toned paper trees for myself. This is meant to be a holiday guest story after all!

Wall Shelf

While I can cram most of my junky stuff away in the closet, I also wanted to include a few pretty storage pieces to round out the space. I found this super cute wall shelf to display a few of my favorite things, which finally gave purpose to this impossibly small wall next to my closet. It was super simple to put together and just as easy to hang.

Sideboard

Then I came across this beautiful thing. A storage piece in a wood tone I just loved, with beautiful lines… and a secret! To me, it echoed similar vibes to the double-sided desk I liked from before. At first glance, you think you know just what it is: A dresser with nine drawers. Now go ahead and move that little slider to the left for ultimate satisfaction. They’re actually cabinet doors! Boy, do I love a sneaky piece of furniture.

Side Chair

It’s a perfectly petite size, too, but with plenty of room inside. In my mind, having doors instead of drawers also allows for easier access to the stuff within, but maybe that’s just me? For now, this cabinet stores the guest bedding, but I’m sure eventually I’ll find a way to shove a hammer or a few vintage finds in there, too.

Mirror | Chrome Lamp | Vase | Pink Catchall

Above the sideboard is this funky, amorphous mirror. I love it. It’s a curvaceous walnut that pulls a little more red (exactly as I had hoped when I first saw it online). It totally complements the rug and accent pillows and pairs nicely (but not too closely) with the storage piece below. That lamp was also a Carly swipe. Its shape and material are just so sleek and reminiscent of the last lamp I had in here (which sadly broke).

Chrome Side Table

The little metal side table in the corner was a last-minute addition (eventually, a tall, spiky plant or narrow bookshelf might live here instead), but I love what these balanced pops of chrome add to the space. The platter sitting on the cabinet works great as a catchall, and the pink matches the flowers on the wall, but when visitors come to stay, I’ll likely clear the surface so they can use it to spread out and unpack. However, one MUST leave out a design-forward vase of flowers to properly greet your guests upon arrival!

We filled out the opposite wall with a few of my favorite artworks. The large painting is a piece my mom’s college classmate painted for her that I, yes, STOLE and refuse to give back. The bamboo-framed dancer print is one I scored years ago at a local Latvian rummage sale for just $10. And the newest addition is a piece Em commissioned for all of us by one of our favorite local artists, Purl. At our last team retreat, she surprised us each with a custom art piece for our birthdays. Mine is titled “Shopkeepers”. It was the final piece needed for this little gallery wall, which I think hangs so nicely over both the bed and the sofa. I didn’t even have to move the old swing arm sconce from my last makeover!

Well, folks, I think that about sums it up! In just a few weeks, I was able to carve out my little dream space for all future guests with the help of AllModern. The strong punches of color and wild wallpaper might be a bit much for some of you out there, and that’s okay! But I’m truly over the moon with how it turned out. It’s fun and functional, but the best part is there’s now SO much room for activities. Way more than before, even with the sofa in “bed mode”. I no longer feel like I’m tripping over crammed furniture or homeless piles of my “stuff”. Everything and everyone has a place now. So what are you waiting for? COME OVER!!! I’ll text you the address.

Sincerely, Gretch

*Design by Gretchen Raguse
*Photos by Kaitlin Green

We meet again! I first just want to give you all the biggest thank you for all of the kind comments on my living room. I’ve been walking on a cloud for two straight days. You’d think after six-ish reveals that the nerves wouldn’t get to you, but surprise, they never do. But maybe that’s not a terrible thing, I would hate to lose the excitement that comes with baring your design soul to the world, ha. So today we have round two, and dare I say the more intimate of the duo? Today’s the day I invite you into my bedroom, a space I love so much, and that helps to calm down and recharge me.

Where It All Began…

The first time my cousin saw my bedroom, shortly after I moved in, she said it was like a princess’s room. And that really is how it feels! The French door windows that lead out to the balcony are what really have me pinching myself every day. It will take a very special circumstance to eventually leave this magical room/home.

But as you can see, it had a beautiful base, but it needed some help. The ceiling fan was the first to go. I guess it could be worse, but I hated it. My AC unit is in the bathroom, which connects to my bedroom, so I really don’t have to worry about staying cool during the night. See ya, fan!

Those blinds were next on the list. I have heard that legally, landlords need to provide privacy on windows, but curtains would be good enough for me. Those blinds were far too sad and generic for this room. But boy, is that moulding so special!

Oops! I Designed My Balcony First:)

And just for fun, here’s a little reminder of what the balcony looks like. I did have to spruce it up for the shoot, just in case (aka re-spray paint some of the tiles with a makeshift cardboard barrier). As proof that there’s always one DIY per reveal that nearly does me in, for this balcony, it was these tiles. But after I was done, I was thankfully so in love with how they turned out. While I didn’t totally consider the design of the balcony when designing the bedroom, I have to say I think they work pretty well together – a little vintage, a little new, and a checkered pattern:)

Ok, back to the room at hand!

The Layout

This is the layout with some measurements in case you were curious. How I was going to lay the bed out was always pretty clear since there are only two usable walls, and only one where I could have two nightstands. Having two nightstands was my dream because this was my last “bedroom”…

My full-sized mattress slid right into this little nook in this apartment. It was “quirky” for sure, but honestly, I was so grateful that my studio had a layout in which I could pretend to have a sectioned off “bedroom”. But now you can see why the idea of nightstands and even a queen-sized bedroom was THRILLING.

The First Big Idea

This was my first mood board. One thing you should know about me is that, for myself, I want a fairly simple bedroom. Mostly light neutralish colors, some pattern, but nothing too intense. Everyone is different, and for me, I feel calmest in a grounded yet airy bedroom. But the tricky thing about designing a bedroom that will go on the World Wide Web is that those kinds of rooms don’t always read well. And while none of us here ever “design for the internet,” I think it’s natural to want to make sure your room doesn’t feel too boring, to have ideas that are a little unique. It’s kind of a specific issue, but it was hard not to have that on my mind. That’s where those green tiles in the mood board above came in.

My thought was that I could create an individually installed tile border underneath the crown moulding. Oh, and they would be angled down (see silly drawing for the gist). It would be a creative visual punch, but not too colorful or overstimulating for my eyes. I was PUMPED! Then I talked to my dad about it. I think you know where this is going…anyone else thinking about a certain fireplace cover?? We walked through a few different options that either changed my vision too much and I didn’t like it, or I needed to attach them in a way that wasn’t renter-friendly. A dead end. I was pretty bummed because I didn’t have another idea that I was equally as excited about. More on that later.

Baby’s First Queen Mattress

This is how my bedroom looked for at least three years. Yes, a full-grown, design-obsessed adult was sleeping on the floor. I just didn’t want to get something I didn’t love or choose something before I really pulled a design plan together that ultimately didn’t work. Did I tell myself, “Jess, it’s kind of an airy, sexy, loft-chic look,” aka a totally made-up style to make myself feel better? Yes. But was I any better than the headboardless men my friends and I try to avoid? No. No, I was not…until…

The Mint Hybrid

Here she is on the bed!! Now, when I was ordering, a few of my friends were in the king-size mattress camp. Could I have fit one? Yes. But it would have been tiiiight. Also, my parents were always of the belief that they didn’t need or want any bed bigger than a queen because they didn’t want that much space between them. I know that is not everyone’s feeling for multiple reasons, and I totally get that. However, I have always loved that sentiment so much. And given that, for the foreseeable future, this bed would just be for little ole me, and it would fit better in my room, a queen was the obvious choice. If I meet someone who can’t comfortably sleep in a queen-size bed, we can maybe talk about it, ha.

The Nightstands!

I did write about the nightstand search saga here if you want to fully go on that journey. But ultimately, I had my heart set on vintage to help give some more soul to the room. I searched high and low and then came across this beautiful burl wood 1970s set. I was able to get them at $550 and am so happy I did. I, of course, have to give a huge thanks to Julie again for coming with me (safety first, but also the seller was so lovely) and for helping me bring them upstairs to my apartment. I really owe her a fully paid vacation at this point for all the help she’s given me over the years. These beauties are hefty but give the perfect amount of weight to the room.

The Custom Bed Of My Dreams

I think it’s time to talk about the bed:)

BuildLane graciously accepted my near plea to build me a bed. I didn’t want anything wild, but I also wasn’t seeing what I was looking for on the market. I mean, this was going to be the first real bedframe (with a headboard) I was going to own since college? I wanted it to be both special but also something I could easily reuse for future bedrooms. So I put together the design above, a classic upholstered low, rectangle headboard, and a skirt with corner pleats. But what was going to set this sweet, fairly common-shaped bed apart, design-wise, were the fabrics:)

I think this was the most stressful part of the bed designing process, the height of the headboard. I wanted it low but not too low so that I could stack two sets of pillows, but still see some of the headboard at the top. So naturally, blue tape got involved. Thankfully, the height turned out perfect at 38″ from the floor to the top.

During the design process, Frank at BuildLane introduced me to the people at Kravet, who kindly agreed to gift me the fabric. I think it’s fair to say I was insanely excited and slightly overwhelmed to be in their showroom…

See what I mean?! My big eyes will always tell you everything. Choosing between all of these incredible options wasn’t going to be simple.

But like any design lover in a fabric showroom, I got the hang of it and found such special fabrics! Plus, that little phone-looking device that’s in my hand is a scanner. It’s like what I imagine wedding registry shopping to be like (or how the movies make it look), you scan, and then a beautiful little sample goes into your sample pile. Here’s what I initially chose…

Man, I love looking at these all together. The solid linen (Kravet Basics x Thom Filicia in Sweeting – Ivory) and gold velvet (Clarke & Clarke in “Honey”) were for my bed, but the other two were for a bench that THE Katy Skelton offered to gift me. Another insane pinch me moment. So that bench has a fabric seat that’s customizable, which I took them up on. So the two “checkered” fabrics were for that. Unfortunately, the Kelly Wearstler embroidered square fabric (Chalet Emb – Ivory/Black) was backordered, so I decided to go with another solid linen (Kravet Basics). That way, I could have more freedom with the bedding by not choosing a different pattern. But what I loved about the Kelly Wearstler one was that it was neutral, textured, and a different scale than that perfect green fabric (Gaston Y Daniela – Santa Eulalia – Verde Oscuro). All of these are stunning in person.

Here she is being built! And let me tell you, she is SOLID and heavy. The quality is so spectacular. Don’t worry, the fabric got tightened and steamed out:) I took this photo a little prematurely during the setup.

And this is when the bench got delivered! After these two pieces were in, I did call this room “50 Shades of Beige,” which would be rectified. I also think this shows that putting together a neutral room is an art. That’s not what I was really trying to do here (more of a temporary issue), but a good reminder that not all creams and whites in different textures automatically look good together. This room looked a bit sad to me, and I wanted to change that asap.

But one more shot of that amazing green checkered fabric and wood grain!

Bedside Table Lights – Part 1

Like the nightstands, I wanted vintage table lamps to sit on top of them. In the room, there are brass and crystal sconces, so it was important to me to get a more modern style nightstand lamp. These Italian MCM types were the ones I originally wanted, but most of them were either too expensive online or didn’t come in a set. It wasn’t looking great until I went to the Rose Bowl.

I happened upon these Japanese MCM table lamps for only $80 total! I fell for them immediately, paid the kind vendor, and the rest is history. The Rose Bowl is always a gamble. Sometimes you come home with nothing, sometimes you spend way too much money, and other times you find a truly great deal (At least it felt that way. Please don’t burst my bubble!) They give off the prettiest glow, and the shape is actually better for the room (helps offset all of the rectangles:)).

The “New” Wall Color

I believe I have the world’s kindest and most wonderful landlord. However, I am fairly certain this room did not get repainted before I moved in. The ceiling had a discoloration spot, and overall, it just needed a fresh coat. I emailed her, asking if I paid for the paint, would she be willing to pay for the labor. I showed her the areas of concern, promised her it would be another white (lol) as to not do anything crazy/non renter-friendly, and she kindly agreed. PHEW. Next stop was getting my Samplize paint stickers.

Here they are – one in bright daylight and one much later in the day. It still shocks me that a color can look like a fairly standard white on a paint fan deck, but then you get it in the soon-to-be-painted room and it completely transforms. Those “whites” range from white to blue to green to yellow. Let this be a reminder lesson to test your paint before you buy. Paint (especially trim paint) is not cheap. My bank account will tell you! So if you can, we truly love Samplize, and they will help you make the best decision with zero mess. The dream, right?

And this is my best decision – White Flour by Sherwin-Williams.

Understandably, some of you might be thinking I’m a crazy woman – “Jess, is that new white going to make that big of a difference to spend $300?” I can tell you emphatically that it made a HUGE difference. But this was also a lesson in timelines. I really wanted the bed in the room before I finalized the paint color. I wanted to feel 10000% confident that the color of the paint would look beautiful with the color of the nearly white linen. After seeing this, I was.

And see! Those two whites are pretty freaking different. Can you tell I’m really trying to justify my decisions? 😉

Curtain (And Rod) Call

Next up is the wall of French doors and the curtains that cover them. The blinds that were up when I moved in came down within the first couple of days. I kept up the curtain rod that was there, but knew I would at least be replacing it with something nicer. Those curtains were also my IKEA ones that are sadly no longer in stock, to be a placeholder. They now live in my storage unit because good, affordable curtains aren’t easy to find.

The next question was rod placement. I felt pretty sure I wanted to go higher/above the door moulding, but just to be 100%, I did this little mock-up. I knew the room would feel taller if I went higher, so this helped me confirm that.

In addition, I was trying to find the right curtains. I had the urge to try a light blue. Sure, it’s on trend, but curtains can be perfect for that. Plus, light blue wouldn’t be that intense, right?? Well, I ordered this panel from Quince to test out. While I was impressed with the quality, the color wasn’t 100% what I was looking for. Also, it would have been one thing if I had one smaller window or two windows flanking my bed, giving the curtains some breathing room. That would not have been the case in my room. I feared it would look like a wall of light blue coming at you, overwhelming your eye, and taking all the attention in an otherwise light neutral room.

So, What Curtains Did You Choose??

I found the perfect “natural” linen curtains from Anthro, who also gifted them! I was so grateful! I did, as you can see, need to get them hemmed. The next size down was too short, so I marched them over to my very wonderful dry cleaner to fix them up. Fun fact, my ceilings and/or floor are slanted, so I had to give them three different length measurements. Second, it did cost me around $300. Linen is hard to hem, FYI, so I knew it wouldn’t be cheap. But now they look great with the custom-length curtain rod I had to get. This room may look simple when you see the pretty photos (and boy did Sara outdo herself), but this room added up QUICK.

Also, a big ole thank you to my wonderful friends who helped me put this curtain rod up. There are certain things you simply need more than one set of hands for. This and that ceiling medallion were two of them:)

Bedside Table Lights – Part 2

Before we get to the pretty bedding, I want to talk about my other MCM sconces. I was feeling that this room needed a little more modern edge. I wanted softness, I wanted a sprinkle of a traditional feel, but I also wanted freshness, and that’s what these sconces gave me.

I found them on Facebook Marketplace and asked my design sounding board what they thought. I knew I wanted them, but they were *gulp* $400 (down from $475), so I needed some confidence boosting. They all agreed they were cool, so I just did it, and I’m so glad I did. Again, blue tape really comes in handy for measuring! Arlyn was the person who came over to help me decide on the ideal height. But they are vertically adjustable!

You may also be wondering why I needed two lights on each nightstand. Well, I didn’t, but I wanted them all for two reasons. Reason one is that I knew it would look great. Reason 2 is that the Japanese ones can be a little annoying to turn off and on since they look best on the outer part of the nightstand and the cords come out from the back of them. This means the switch is kinda far when you’re in bed. As I write this, I know it sounds pathetic, but I also look at lamps as sculptures/art, so if nothing else, I have 4 pieces of functional art that look great together. In case you are trying to count, I have seven lights in my singular bedroom. I tell you in every post I write about lighting that I’m obsessed, so at least you know I’m telling the truth and really walk the walk, ha.

Finding Bedding That Isn’t “Neutral”

Y’all might remember that I really wanted to get light mint colored sheets. When used well, mint is so exquisite yet extremely cool. Well, that didn’t happen for me because the way the color palette was going, it was not going to work. I bought three sets of sheets, and because I took so long finding the bedspread, I just sold them in a garage sale for a fraction of the value. Lesson learned, again!

Another purchase, not by me, was the wonderful quilt in the photos above. I had a very similar one from my mom’s side of the family that I used when I lived in NYC, but I haven’t been able to track it down since my big move a decade ago. I asked my dad again, who also hadn’t seen it, but also happened to be at an estate sale and found a very similar one for $50! I really thought I wanted to use it, but I really needed color.

Cotton Velvet Quilt | Large Hand Quilted Velvet Throw

Anderson Velvet Quilt | Hand Stitched Velvet Quilt

At first, I had my heart set on a velvet quilt. The one in my mood board was, of course, no longer available in the color I wanted, so I thought maybe a blue? My heart wasn’t as into it, but I was getting desperate. These were the top contenders I was considering. I’m happy to see that more places are making good-looking velvet quilts. I smell a trend coming:)

Indian Black Suzani Cotton Handmade Floral Bedspread | Hand Embroidered Suzani Wall Hanging

But then I decided to look at Suzani blankets on Etsy. I’ve loved these for a long time and thought this was potentially a better and more exciting direction to go in. I bought these two to see, and they both looked a bit different in person.

The description of this one said black, but the photos gave it sort of a gray-blue undertone. Let’s just say it was very black, and the embroidered part was much grayer than in the photo. I knew it wasn’t a fit. But the other was actually perfect, like spookily perfect. I will say it’s much brighter and warmer-toned in person, in case you want to order one.

The Rug(s)

As I said in yesterday’s post, I tried the Greek Long Hair Flokati rug, but it wasn’t it. Plus, I didn’t put a rug pad under it, and I almost slipped and took myself out a handful of different times. Then we had our collaboration with RugsUSA, so naturally I really wanted to make one of those work. I decided to be safe to go with…a beige Starke. I love the rug, but it also wasn’t right. So when the partnership ended, I decided to peek at Etsy, and boy, did I find the MOST magical rug. There’s a sneak peek below!

I also had to ask my other kind neighbor (with also my best friend because we needed 3 people) to help me get these rugs out and then back under this very beautiful but very heavy bed. I’m afraid he’s now probably even more excited and motivated to buy his first home. Needy neighbors are so annoying, huh?

Blank Walls No More

Since my cool tile idea was in the trash, I needed to come up with something I liked but didn’t feel too much for these walls. Oh, and if you’re curious about the little plate above my bed, I think it was some kind of call system when this building was a single-family home. So cool.

I decided to do a vertical galley wall. I needed to do at least some kind of gallery wall in this house:) So I laid it all out on Photoshop, and it’s honestly pretty realistic!

My sweet cousin came to help me again (she was my co-art hanger in my last living room), so this only felt right. Her sweet, perfect baby simply did not need her more than I did in this moment:) But before she came over, I made nearly exact cardboard cutout sizes of the pieces I wanted to use, so it was really easy to visualize. If you don’t have too many pieces and you’re putting together a gallery wall, I highly recommend this method.

I just wanted to give a special call out to these wooden shapes I bought at a Downtown Modernism flea market, and really wanted to hang them in this room. Actually, above my bed (but kinda low), off to the left. It wasn’t ultimately the best design decision, but there will be a future home I will definitely use them in.

The DIY That Nearly Killed Me

You may have clocked the hardware that’s on my French doors. I didn’t mind the finish, but some of them had paint on them from years of old paint jobs. I decided to soak all the good ones (some had missing parts that I would try to replace) that just had paint on them…

…and they turned out worse! I was able to get the paint off, but I realized I needed to polish them since they look so dingy now. I just could have never imagined what I would uncover.

Unlauquered brass! I guess I thought they were a dark bronze, but as I polished those long arms, it was clear it wasn’t bronze. Actually, at first I thought they were copper, which was not the look I wanted and I was kind of panicked. But I kept going and all of a sudden that gorgeous brass came through! Then I did a couple more pieces, and they were all brass. What freaking luck. Look at those transformations!

What I will say, though, is that it took at least 9 hours over a few days of constant polishing to get these all done. Those door locks were THE WORST because they didn’t come apart. I just had to keep doing the best I could. I used almost two bottles of Brasso, this buffing kit that attaches to a drill, this Metal Cleaning Compound Set, a lot of rags, and cotton swabs.

I knew my landlord shopped at Pasadena Architectural Salvage, so I stopped by to see if they could help with a few missing pieces I needed. Lucky for me, they had exactly what I needed. Less lucky for me, they were $55 each. I had to get three, if I remember correctly. But also, this is an old, special house that I am part of being a keeper of. While I’ll put my style twist on some things, for the real “house” details, I want to make sure I’m being really thoughtful and will leave it better than when I moved in. And don’t worry, I still had to polish the new additions too.

I think it’s time we finally see these finished photos.

The Reveal

Custom Bed | Bed Linen Fabric | Bed Velvet Fabric | Custom Bench | Bench Linen Fabric | Bench Checkered Fabric | Nightstands (vintage) | Sconces (vintage) | Table Lamps (vintage) | Pendant Lamp | Ceiling Medallion | Rug (vintage) | Curatin Rod | Curtain Rings | Curtains

It really doesn’t matter how many transformations you do or see; I’m still in shock every time. It really did feel like it came together all of a sudden…after years of slowly figuring it out. So, from “50 Shades of Beige” to this makes me feel beyond proud and so so so lucky.

I have to also say that I found that vintage rug first, and then when the Suzani blanket came, I was practically in shock at how perfectly they worked together. And in case you are unfamiliar with Suzani patterns, Arlyn wrote a beautiful post about the meanings behind popular fabrics. Here’s a little excerpt from her post:

“Suzanis are elaborate embroidered textiles whose name stems from the Persian word suzan, or ‘needle,’ as I mentioned earlier. They emerged from the nomadic cultures of Central Asia, mostly what is modern-day Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan, where embroidery was a key expression of identity and artistry. There aren’t many surviving older textiles, as these groups were nomadic and lived on the move; most of the original and authentic suzanis we have today date back only to the 18th and 19th centuries, though some believe the art form goes as far back as the 15th century.”

Before we move on, I need ot talk about the ceiling medallion! Can you believe it’s from Anthro? I knew that a medallion would look so beautiful in this room, so when I saw this one on their site, it was a done deal. Well, it was actually a done deal when they agreed to gift it to me. Oh, and the painters painted it with the wall paint, so it matched perfectly!

Sham Pillows (unavailable) | Blue Pillowcases (in Dusk) | Pillow Inserts | Sherling Lumbar Pillow | Sheet Set (in Mist) | Duvet Cover (similar) | Duvet Insert | Suzani Blanket

Let’s first talk about the bedding. My duvet cover is actually the one that Arlyn also used in her bedroom reveal, and I didn’t even clock it when I bought it on a Black Friday sale a couple of years ago! Great minds, as they say:) It has a very delicate rust colored stripe. The touch of warmth is perfect. I am also sorry it’s not available. The sheets are actually linen from Quince. Here’s what I’ll say. The color is stunning, the price is great, but they aren’t the softest linen sheets I’ve ever tried. Marlee really loves hers, so maybe after more washes, it gets softer? But if you’re sensitive, be wary of these. The blue linen pillowcases are from Parachute, and you immediately notice the difference. It’s a classic “you get what you pay for,” but I’m not upset with the Quince sheets! I just want to give an honest review. So in conclusion, they are good, but not great. The raisin colored shams were Bowser’s and are old Parachute. Why they don’t sell the color still is insane. BRING IT BACK. I did a little search and was able to find just the simple linen pillowcases in that color on Poshmark (a little hack from me to you), so my bed still practically looks like this. And that tan shearling lumbar pillow is everything. I was planning on returning it because it wasn’t cheap, but I couldn’t bear to part with it. It’s also just so soft and adds some needed brightness and texture.

Bolster Cover | Bolster Insert

I’m sure people who actually design with lots of color will give a little smirk and a side eye with this next statement, but y’all, this feels like a color breakthrough for me. This might be the most colorful rug I’ve ever owned, and I might only get colorful rugs going forward. In a perfect world, it would be a little bigger, but it’s vintage, so those sizes aren’t always standard. It’s a 6×10, and I was willing to make it work because it’s just perfect.

So a fun story about that long bolster. Bowser came over a few weeks before the shoot so we could make sure I had time to order any extra things if needed. Well, I thought I wanted a patterned throw pillow for the bed, so she found this one and we both loved it. I ordered and picked it up that day. I was fully in love with it, but I felt it was a little too tall to work, and the blue was the exact same blue as the pillowcases. I decided to keep it till the shoot because Bowser is magic, and I would have been happy to be wrong. Well, she agreed it wasn’t a fit at the top of the bed, but I had been keeping it on top of that amazing bench, and we both decided it should stay there. It almost acts as a back to the bench and adds the perfect extra punch of pattern. I love that the colors work with both the blanket and the green on the dowel fabric. Serendipitous if you ask me:)

Mirror (vintage) | Sconce (vintage) | Acyrlic Box | Candle | Wood Tray | Table Lamp (vintage)

Welcome to my side of the bed. That mirror has been in my family for at least of few generations and was in our home growing up. You might remember I had it in my last kitchen🙂 But it felt right in here. I also have to sing the praises of that garden mint candle by Tatine that Sara introduced me to 6 years ago? It’s so fresh, so potent (but in the good way), and I don’t even have to light it to get those amazing moments when I breathe in, and it’s all I can smell. That sweet little box is hard to see, but I got it at the Pierce and Ward shop. The tray was from Emily, and how cool is that sconce?

Black and White Abstract by Inka Bell | Vintage Collage by Steve Tierney | Man Painting (vintage) | Figure Drawing (vintage) | Cathedral Sketch (unavailable) | Table Lamp (vintage) | Checkered Dish (unavailable)

And this is how my vertical gallery wall turned out, and I’m so happy with it! Three of the pieces (the top and the bottom two) I had. The vintage collage was from a trip I took in Oaxaca, and I found it at a gallery called El Tinglado Gráfico. I just felt immediately connected to it, so I brought her home:) The man painting was from that sale Bowser did last December, and the frame is a grasscloth, which I LOVED.

Now, I don’t think I’ve told this story before, but that cathedral sketch was a piece my dad bought for me at this small local outdoor art show in the town I grew up in when I was home from college in probably 2007. I just really loved it. Fast forward to me living in LA, looking more closely at the sketch, and putting a lot of money on it being a drawing of the Santiago de Compostela. For those of you who aren’t familiar, that’s the cathedral you end at when you complete the Camino de Santiago, a pilgrimage route in Spain. My dad, brother, and I did the Camino back in 2015, which was 8 years after I got this drawing. It was a very special and important trip for the three of us, not in the religious sense but in the reconnecting after my mom’s death. I felt very overwhelmed in a good way, and that buying this sketch was almost like a bittersweet, if not a positive, omen for the future I didn’t know would happen. I will have it forever.

Custom Bed | Bed Linen Fabric | Bed Velvet Fabric

Here’s a closer shot of the bed and fabric. It’s truly exactly how I imagined it. Perfect.

Cailtin gifted me that checkered dish a few years ago for my birthday. I love that it has a permanent spot in my bedroom. Thank you again, sweet Caitlin!

Custom Bench | Bench Linen Fabric | Bench Checkered Fabric

I just don’t know how I got so lucky. That bench is so special. When Katy emailed me asking if I’d be interested in this bench, I’m sure my jaw dropped to my desk. A Katy Skelton piece is a forever piece.

Pendant Lamp | Ceiling Medallion | Rug (vintage) | Curatin Rod | Curtain Rings | Curtains | Hardware | Leather Tassel (unavailable) | Bolster Cover | Bolster Insert | Chair (vintage) | Basket (vintage) | Chagall Poster (vintage)

And another shot I LOVE. That chair you might recognize from my last living room. It was a Rose Bowl find for $100! It’s definitely a better plant stand than a chair:) See how warm and beautiful those tan/taupe curtains are? When I wrote about the taupe curtain trend, I had already been inspired…especially after the blue curtain fail. Oh, and that large leather tassel was from our team retreat in Todos Santos! I promise I don’t only travel to Mexico lol. But it is my favorite country, so I travel there more than anywhere else<3

I have a funny story about the basket. There’s a big antique mall where I grew up, and the last time I was there, I found this basket and the metal orb planter holder that’s on my balcony. As I was checking out, the woman who worked there looked at my loot and said, “You sure like weird stuff.” I just smiled and laughed to myself. If only she knew all the other “weird” things I’ve picked up, she’d be STUNNED.

Before and after sliders, anyone?

Well, this is where I leave you (for today), staring at you in a dress that I didn’t clock til we shot these portraits, kinda looks like a night gown, ha. Again, thank you for all of your support, your kind words, and the fun stories you share with me in the comments. I hope this post was as entertaining as the last, because if you can believe (which I’m sure you can if you’re still reading), it’s actually longer than the living room post. OOPS!

Love you, mean it.

*Design by Jess Bunge (me!)
**Styled by Emily Bowser
**Photos by Sara Ligorria-Tramp

Timing is everything, and that’s also true in design. A little over a year ago, in April, to be exact, I revealed my first Makeover Takeover–my bedroom. I had moved into my place a few months prior and was so excited to have the opportunity to design my room from the ground up, so soon after moving in. It felt like perfect timing.

I was (and still am) absolutely in love with how the space turned out. I scored some incredible furniture pieces from Article (a sick storage bed, the coolest floating headboard, and the dresser of my dreams), plus enough fabric to completely cover my walls and then some. It was awesome! But a year and two months of living in a space, even in a room you LOVE, can tend to reveal some things. Namely, how wrong I was in making the smaller room my bedroom, with the stubbed toes to prove it. 

I consider myself lucky to reside in a two-bedroom apartment, alone, where both rooms are mine to do with as I please. When I moved from my last spot, “more livable space” was high on my wishlist. I’d had a garage previously, which was AWESOME but very dangerous–not in the sense that anything could harm me (except maybe the rats, damp/crumbling walls, and broken/exposed pipes…okay maybe it was a little sketchy). But when you have a ton of extra space, especially the kind disconnected from daily life, ie: a garage, it is alarmingly easy to fill that extra space with extra stuff. And for me, that is indeed very dangerous.

When I had the garage, I was working a variety of freelance creative jobs and was heavily into flipping furniture and selling vintage decor on Facebook Marketplace. Having a workshop space was ideal and necessary for how I made a living. But soon enough, I started working for Em, and that garage space just wasn’t needed anymore. And yet somehow I convinced myself that most of what lived inside still was.

A handful of unfinished projects, paint cans with some life left (debatable), a huge collection of vintage wares (and soooo much more) came with me to the new spot. When it was time to choose which room would serve as my bedroom and the other as my “studio”, it made more sense to me at the time to pile my mountains of crap into the larger space, thinking I would eventually turn it into a state-of-the-art creative zone and office, with plenty of room to spread out and work. Fast forward a bit, and I can barely walk inside. The in-home studio I envisioned earned its new name, The Doom Room, in record time. A place where all of my extra things went to die, disappearing out of sight and out of mind as soon as I shut the door. No systems, all chaos.

And when chaos lives next door, even the dreamiest of bedrooms will begin to suffocate you. After a year in my beautiful room, I began to feel the walls closing in, and not because of the wallpaper–no complaints there–but the lack of wiggle room, in both spaces. My storage bed is so functional, but not if the drawers will only open when all of the dresser drawers across it are closed. Then there’s my clothes closet–the true catalyst for the switch up. If I hang up one more romper, I promise you that wooden rod will SNAP. I literally have to fist fight my t-shirts daily to get them back behind closed doors. And I’m sick of it!! Sick of traversing the narrow walkways of my tiny room, carved out by my big, beautiful bed. Sick of the piles of stuff ignored next door, filling the room with more and more doom every second. Sick of the overall lack of breathing room, accidental injuries, and impenetrable wall of garments.

Caitlin’s closet confidential had awoken something in me. Em’s recent prop/carriage house assessment inspired me. Tripping one too many times in both of my rooms drove me insane enough to need a change. Sometimes you really just have to empty everything out, take stock, trim alllll the fat and put back only what’s really important to you, with care (and a bit of a cut-throat mentality) while trying your darnedest not to add more stuff to the stuff. Then step-and-repeating every few years because consumerism has us in a chokehold, and this is a lesson I never seem to be done learning.

So that’s my plan! This is the official kick-off of my MOTO: Take 2. A reassessment. And my first step is to purge. My neighborhood is having a garage sale this weekend, and it’s the perfect opportunity (hell yes, deadline) to decide what really deserves to take up space in my life and home. Then it’s another small room challenge–this time a guest room/office that is actually useable and inspired. I want to live in a livable space! My biggest priority is having a bedroom I can actually walk around in, and plenty of room to sit back and admire the pieces I love so much, with the ability to use the drawers (all of them, at the same time) without stubbing my damn toe!

I don’t have a solid design plan for either space. Concepts of a plan, sure. What I know for a fact is that all of the major elements of my first MOTO design will live on. I will not be parting ways with my bedroom furniture, only migrating it. I am not exaggerating when I say: these are some of the best pieces I’ve ever owned and still look as good as the day I got them. The headboard, storage bed, and dresser–they’ll live on in the bigger room for a chance to really shine! I will also NOT be touching the wall fabric in the smaller room. This hasn’t budged since the day I installed it (a year ago! With just liquid starch, a bucket, and a paint roller!), and I don’t intend to remove it anytime soon. But it’s totally renter-friendly, and when I am ready to take it down, I can re-use the fabric elsewhere (shameless DIY post plug)!

I actually can’t fathom designing a space without adding a little DIY mojo to the mix. The wall fabric is the foundation of the smaller room, so it should be a fun challenge for me to pick pieces that work well with the existing vibe. But the DIY element in my new bedroom is yet to be determined. One big idea on the brain is: stencils. I’ve been vision boarding a lot lately and find myself continuously drawn to the vintage magazine images of stenciled, folky flowers on the walls (or the ceiling, perhaps?). It’s not necessarily renter-friendly, but I’m a friendly renter and could always paint over it when I leave.

But also, I’ve been dying to play with the color stain trend I’ve been seeing everywhere lately and might need to test it out on an older piece of mine that could use a refresh (my garage workshop mentality will never die). It’s a beautiful etagere I’ve been using (and not really loving) in my bathroom, which I think would serve me better in my new big bedroom. Better yet, if the wood was stained…burgundy? Or maybe a denim-y blue? I don’t know! But I want to try. So look out for that DIY sometime down the line.

That’s it for now. The grunt work comes first, hopefully followed by clarity and tons of radical vision. I’ll keep you posted as I move the needle. All in due time. Until then…

Sincerely,

Gretch

Opening Image Credits: Photo by Kaitlin Green | From: Gretchen’s First MOTO Reveal: A Tiny Bedroom Comes Alive With The Perfect Pieces From Article (And Fabric On The Walls??)

Nine years ago, we designed this bed for our then-primary bedroom, and I have a lot of unresolved feelings about it. So Bold! So Fun! So Big! So Expensive! The reason we are talking about it now is that you may or may not know the custom bed that is in our current bedroom was actually designed for our guest room, not our bedroom, but the bed we had ordered for our bedroom was having some shipping delays so with the photo shoot looming (2 years ago) we put that bed in our room where it hasn’t moved and cancelled the one that was on its way. That’s all to say that I’m just now getting around to figuring out what is the perfect bed for our bedroom (I don’t love the design of the room as a whole) and I’m toying with the idea of doing something custom, which reminded me of this big bold lady that we had made almost 10 years ago. But as I was picking out fabrics, I remembered that I had some regrets/learnings with this one, so it deserved more of a deep dive, with the help of some hindsight.

Before The Custom Bed…

Prior to designing the new bed, I had recovered this vintage tufted headboard with a navy blue fabric. It was fun, but I suppose I wanted something even more fun, LOL. BOY DID I GET IT.

The Inspiration Of The Shape

I loved the idea of a modern wingback design, but fully upholstered – it felt cozy and simple. At the time, one of my design assistants, Remi, pulled the dimensions from a lot of these above to work off of.

I went through a huge Rebecca Atwood phase (still love her so much) and my love of blue was perhaps at its peak (never gone away, TBH), and I LOVED this marble-y pattern so much. I don’t think I really debated it too much (I was a lot braver then, not sure why!) and make the final decision pretty quickly.

The Drawings To Get A Quote

Remi drew it all out for the guys to get a quote.

This view was specifically important to see how the corners joined within the design that we wanted.

The frame was solidly built and helped us visualize it more.

I remember us debating how to orient the fabric, but not for long – it was pretty clear that the marble should run horizontally on the bed like water. Something to definitely think of for anyone customizing with patterned fabric.

Installed, But Not Styled

Here is what she looked like before we finished the room – it’s a lot of bed. I loved it, but I had some momentary fears of it being “too much”.

It turned out beautifully and exactly how we had asked for it, but it wasn’t a quiet bed. She was LOUD.

The details were really rad though… we did a good job designing it and our furniture guy executed it perfectly.

The Styled Out Room

When I revealed it on the blog, I think it was close to unanimous that it was awesome. Once styled out with everything more balanced it it still had a huge presence but worked a lot better.

I can’t tell if this room is dated or not. I still love it! Sure, there is that still bright/airy midcentury vibe that was so big in the late 2010s but there is nothing in here I wouldn’t own again (and I still have those lamps, that painting, that bench, and that rug).

So Why Did I Sell The Bed Only 1 Year Later/My Learnings?

The easy reason is that we moved into our house in Los Feliz, where our room was much, much smaller, and the bed had to be in front of a low window. This was a high headboard, so even if we could get the bed into the room, it would look EXTRA MASSIVE. The way we designed the side rails and the “wings” added another 12″ overall to the bed, so I don’t think that would have fit with nightstands.

But secretly, I was having a lot of internal doubt about my love of color and pattern, and felt insecure that what I liked was silly. This was 2016, the beginning of Amber Interiors, Studio McGee, and of course, the Modern Farmhouse vibe Joanna Gaines popularized. I think I felt like bold choices like this would look too amateur, young, and silly — not sophisticated, refined, or neutral enough like what was about to happen. Of course, that “warm, neutral California casual” vibe would reign supreme until 2021, where everything has certainly flipped (color and pattern are certainly back). I sold this bed for $1,500 – INSANELY LOW PRICE for what I paid and how new it was. And I’m not saying it is the exact bed that I would want right now, but I do love the boldness and the no apologies that it had. It made a statement with a big side of bravery. I think it’s pretty typical to let the outside trends of the world affect the opinion of your home, while I wish we didn’t. I’m obviously not placing blame on anything or anyone, the zeitgeist is just so strong and at times outside of our control (especially when we are young). I LOVE this bed now, it represents a time when I took chances in a really bold way. Of course, spending $3k on something that you might not love for 20 years is actually the biggest risk of all, and I tend to be a lot more cautious now (taking more risks in smaller pieces or art, rather than large custom patterned furniture).

*Reveal Photos by Tessa Neustadt

I wouldn’t exactly say Ken asked for a pink and dare I say purple guest bedroom but here we are (and we all really love it). But the thing is, bedrooms are my favorite, and guest rooms (and kids’ rooms) are my most favorites – you can lean into an idea, a theme, or a style without as many functional constraints (like living rooms or even “storage” stuff with everyday used grownup bedrooms). It’s a luxury for sure, and one that we had so much fun designing – AND IT WAS SO EASY!! We pitched this to AllModern, and almost everything in the room is from them. They hand-vet their designs for quality and pretty much everything was delivered fast + free. See? Easy. So let’s take a tour 🙂

Bed | Blue Pillowcases | Shams + Quilt | Green Lumbar Pillow | Duvet Cover

We started by choosing the perfect bed – we needed a bed that would be low, i.e. a platform that didn’t have a high headboard blocking the window. I loved that the Liza Upholstered Bed from AllModern not only checked that box, but the shape of the headboard complements the more rigid squared-off window and is a softer transition in front of that big square. The fabric is a really warm light caramel that works as a neutral (that I think could go with so many color palettes). It also comes in a few neutral boucle fabrics as well. And BTW the bed was super easy to put together, FYI – just clips into place.

Blackout Curtains | Curtain Rod (similar) | Rug

The rest of the room came together in textures and tones with a few bolder patterns. The blackout curtains are so excellent – They are 100″ wide and 108″ long which fit this room almost perfectly (there is a bit of a puddle behind the bed) and the width of them made it so easy to cover the huge window. Shout out to our Rowena rug, which we chose because it gave a nice graphic, but simple pattern and a bit of lightness and balance to the room.

Nightstand | Lamp | Bud Vase | Sconce

The nightstands are simple, but we chose them for the mixed material (marble and walnut) and we liked the depth of the wood tone (versus just choosing white oak). I felt that this room could handle deeper, warmer tones since it got the least amount of natural light and was tucked away in the house. The nightstands are super heavy and solid, FYI – if you are into high-quality furniture (and need two people to move them) just know we are so impressed with these. The lamps are also really heavy (cement) and brought a pretty texture to the room, as well as a graphic shape of the lamp.

Paint Color | Art | Black Vase | Mirror

It’s likely time to talk about the paint color which I didn’t realize I’ve used before!! It’s called Cocoa Berry by Sherwin-Williams and I just LOVE it because I randomly chose it twice (our powder bath too). It’s a really warm dark mauve that can definitely lean towards “purple”, although we try not to use that word because people have FEELINGS about purple, but this color is just gorgeous.

Painting | Marble Box

The incredible painting is by MaryAnn Puls – they bought it from the OG Portland project years ago. It works so well in the family room downstairs, but once we brought it up here I knew we had to hang it.

Blue Pillowcases | Shams | Green Lumbar Pillow | Beige Fringed Pillow | Brown Lumbar Pillow

All the bedding and pillows are from AllModern (I also love that brown-toned pillow from the Chris Loves Julia collection on Wayfair).

Faux Tree (similar) | Black Planter (similar)

The room really came together so quickly – we chose the paint color last, which is not how everyone’s process works, but in my mind it’s the easiest way to do it. Choose the furniture or conversation pieces first (like the bed, rug, and art) because there are more color limitations on those things, and then make the paint color work with those (not the other way around).

Bench Fabric

The architect, Anne Usher, designed all of the bedrooms to have bench niches in them so we added this beautiful Pollack fabric for the bench cushion – the deep blue felt like a really pretty complement to all the warmer pinks (and we used the green colorway in the dining room so its a call back to that).

Denim Blouse (size down) | Jeans

I truly LOVE how this bedroom turned out so much – the colors, tones, textures and the overall vibe really hit a 10/10 of cozy. And yet it’s so livable, comfortable, and inviting. It’s an absolute retreat of a room, and perhaps we’ll be crashing here after many a summer BBQ gone rogue 🙂

A huge thanks to AllModern for partnering on this room and making it all so easy with excellent modern furniture and decor that mixes so well together. AllModern keeps things simple with hand-vetted modern collections. Their designs are made for real life (which I can attest to!) and are made to stand the test of time.

*Architect: Anne Usher
**General Contractor: JP Macy of Sierra Custom Construction
***Interior Designers: Emily Henderson (me!) and Max Humphrey
****Styling: Emily Henderson (me!)
*****Photos by Kaitlin Green

Purchasing a mattress is a big deal. We spend so much time sleeping (or laying) in our beds that making the not-ideal decision for our wants and needs would be SUCH a bummer. Not to mention so cumbersome because it’s not a small little thing either. We’re here today to help you make an educated decision on the mattress that’s best for you! Over the years, we’ve tried a handful of really popular mattress brands and wanted to give our real-life, tried and true opinions. Five brands, lots of thoughts. Let’s go!

Tuft & Needle

T&N Original Hybrid Mattress

From Julie: “Five years later and I’m still as in love with this mattress as day one. You know that feeling of getting cozy in a great hotel bed? That’s how it feels every night and it has great support while also being cushy. You will love a hurkle-durkle morning with this mattress.”

T&N Mint Hybrid Mattress

From Emily: “This is a ‘100% satisfactory mattress’ as in it’s a solid choice. There are a few inches of softness but still pretty firm. I also love that it doesn’t feel like it’s going to lose its shape fast because of the firmness. I just feel that it’s a great middle-of-the-road softness that can please most people and guests.”

From Jess: “Suprise! I have this mattress too and I really like it. While I love the feeling of a cloud-like mattress, my back has a different opinion. So like Em, I agree that it’s a medium softness which is ideal for me! I got to go to the Tuft & Needle store to try them all out so I was super confident about my decision. My only VERY silly and not important “complaint” is that the fabric cover does sometimes leave indents when I sleep on my side but clearly they go away fairly quickly. And actually this mattress is made for side sleepers like me:)”

Leesa

Original Mattress

From Gretchen: “I was in dire need of a new mattress when it came time to makeover my bedroom and thankfully I scored with this Original Mattress from Leesa. While I can sleep comfortably on virtually any surface, I will say I truly LOVE this bed. It’s on the firmer side, but because it’s made of foam, it hugs your body just right. I sink in just enough to feel like I’m being cradled without being sucked in. I’ve had it for just about a year and it’s held up incredibly well – it still looks and feels brand new!”

Sapira Chill Hybrid Mattress

From Emily: “Honestly, I’m super jealous of this mattress. It is insanely soft and plush and is like sleeping on a cloud. The quilted topper lets you really sink in but it’s still very supportive. If I were to buy a new mattress for me and Brian now I would buy this one. A true surprise hit! So if you’re into sleeping on a cloud, this is your mattress. We have the “chill” version but haven’t noticed the cooling aspect but love it regardless.”

Saatva

Classic Mattress (Firm + 14.5″ Mattress Height)

From Ken (Emily’s Brother): “My wife and I generally prefer a firm mattress because of our back problems and this one is perfect. So ya, it’s firm but does have a little spring. Since sleeping on this mattress, both backs feel so much better! And I know this is kinda random but the fitted sheet stays on so nice. Our last mattress was a super expensive memory foam and every night the sheet would pop off. It drove me nuts. Sleeping on this mattress is a night and day compared to that one. We are so happy with this new one.”

Avocado

Avocado Green Mattress

From Arlyn: “I’ve had my Avocado mattress for three years and I still feel good about it specifically because it’s organic and doesn’t have so much yuck that traditional mattresses do have like fiberglass and fire retardants. In terms of comfort, it’s a pretty firm mattress and hasn’t gotten much softer over the years. That’s actually what I was looking for, but do sometimes miss the cushiness of my old memory foam mattress. It has helped my back greatly, but am considering swapping the firm mattress topper I got from them to a softer one eventually.”

Casper

Casper Dream Max

From Mal: “I’ve had my Casper Dream Max for about a year and I LOVE it. When I laid on it in the store it was the cushiest, comfiest mattress I tried out by far – the lady at Casper told me it’s great for side sleepers (I sleep on my side, back, and front honestly but have noticed it’s much comfier to sleep on my side than other mattresses). It doesn’t have a ton of spring to it so if that’s your thing maybe skip Casper as a brand since their mattresses are more thick, cloudlike and sinkable (while still being supportive) but it does have the technology where if you’re sleeping with a partner you can’t feel their movement in the mattress as much if they get up or shift around in the night which is awesome. I really love this mattress overall and I think it’s so so comfy while still feeling very supportive. Plus, it comes in a box to your door so it’s nice not having to deal with the hassle. BTW if you’re looking between the Dream Max and the Snow Max – I personally felt the Dream Max was way softer/comfier even though they say they’re both Medium Soft (maybe it’s because the Snow Max has 2 extra layers?). Thought I would throw that out here because I genuinely love cooling elements as a hot sleeper so I thought I would like it more but turns out I’m team Dream Max!”

That’s how we all feel:) Do you all like these kinds of reviews? Let us know!!

Love you, mean it.

Opening Image Credits: Photo by Kailtin Green | From: Riverhouse Primary Bedroom

I don’t know you guys – it just feels like the all-white hotel-style bed is not really doing it for me, but perhaps it hasn’t for a while and I’m just now ready to announce it. Is it the fault of my year-round spray tan that leaves a body-shaped orange glow on just my side of the bed when I use white sheets? Well, yes. But even despite that, I have been drawn to slightly patterned (but not textured) sheets for a while because they tend to be more forgiving and therefore last longer. TBH I don’t understand splurging on white sheets or white towels for everyday use because they never stay bright white. But even beyond the practicality it just seems like we are moving towards a pattern-on-pattern aesthetic that is making me want floral duvets, striped sheets, plaid anything…little prints, mixed with ruffles, with quilts layered at the end. I actually pitched this post last October and recently we had a bedding refresh partnership with Anthropologie (who does the non-white bedding so well) so we snapped some photos of this extremely fun and soft floral set. It confirmed what I wanted because it just added so much life, and such an immediate impact. So today we figured we’d round up other patterns we love (and yes, you can absolutely mix a big floral with a small stripe like I did).

Big Floral Patterns + Smaller Prints

Sheets | Duvet Cover | Shams | Velvet Quilt

The large-scale floral with the tiny-scale stripe is really working for me (I know that the stripe will work on Elliot’s bed and our bed – and yes, I put king bedding on queen beds all the time and have stopped buying queen so that we can easily interchange them all).

Organic Cotton Percale Printed Sheet Set | Jawahar Duvet Cover & Shams | RHODE Thistle Sheet Set

All these prints are giving “grannycore” or “cottagecore” or whatever trendy core means old world and more decorative – and I love it. It’s just so sweet. I think one of the reasons our bedding got boring was because we wanted the ease of everything matching (true story) and having bespoke bedding for each room might be too labor-intensive for you to keep track of (also true story). But again it’s just so sweet and maybe you could come up with a capsule collection of different prints that work for all the beds to mix and match?

Poppy in Sunburst Quilt | Luxe Sateen Core Sheet Set | Scalloped Edge Ditsy Floral Sheet Set

Here are some more warm-toned and equally cute/happy options!

Stripes

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of stripes. Simple and can go with anything and any style. So yes, I LOVE how this looks and even though it’s light the stripe adds so much and is forgiving to dingyness. It was from a bedroom we designed for one of my best friends who wanted a modern organic look…but not a boring one. I think we nailed it.

Stripes also work so well with florals. Since both of these rooms have floral wallpaper and we didn’t want only solid-colored sheets, stripes were the perfect contrasting accent! Here are a few shoppable options on the market:

Pine Green Pembroke Stripe Linen Blend Duvet Cover | Organic Cotton Percale Sheet Set | Navy Stripe Linen Sheet Set

I tend to mix stripes with solids or stripes with florals, but if you love a stripes on stripes look it can absolutely look awesome.

European Linen Gingham Sheet Set | Printed Performance 400 Thread Count Sheet Set | European Linen Stripe Quilt Set

I would probably stick with warm tones with warm stripes and cool with cool for sheet and duvet combos.

Solid

For those of you who love linen sheets, there are so many pretty moody colors out there – Garnet Hill, Brooklinen, Anthropologie, and Parachute all have great options. Brian and I are not into linen sheets ourselves because we love a percale, but we do love this linen bedspread (as seen below) that we put on when we have parties and people want a tour of the house. Also, I made my brother buy bone instead of bright white percale from Parachute which is a great alternative if you still want a light neutral base but don’t want white bright…

Underneath those linen spreads are likely the rose or blue brushed cotton from Parachute which is my current favorite for softness and their color palette works so well in our room.

Classic Percale Duvet Set | Pale Blue Linen Sheet Set | 100% Linen Sheet Set

Here are some awesome cool toned colorful bedding options that I really like!

Pink Clay & Terracotta Bedding Bundle | Cotton Velvet Quilt | Raspberry Linen Blend Duvet Cover

If you go on Bed Threads site they have a bunch of really great preset color combos if you have a hard time deciding what colors you might want in your room. Also, velvet bedding accents are definitely having a moment and Quince has some great affordable quilts.

So this is your CTA to rethink the expensive white sheets and opt for a tone, a color, a print, or a pattern. Especially for a more basic room (like our pink guest room that doesn’t have its headboard yet) this bedding really livened it up and just looks so happy now.

Opening mage Credits: Design by Emily Henderson | Photo by Kaitlin Green

My brother (and SIL’s closet) technically isn’t my design but once I saw it all done by the incredible team at California Closets I was so excited to style and shoot it with my team. I’ve been so happy with our closet (also by CC) and while it’s certainly a luxury full-service situation, you get exactly what you want at the end with the final design solution being so functional and customizable. Have a lot of gowns and jewelry? They know how to maximize that. Do you have mostly utilitarian boots, jeans, and fleeces? They got you. It’s such a fun exercise to go through – to really list what you have and even more importantly what you wear frequently.

Ken and Katie worked with Amy Bodi of California Closets  – I was sooo happy with Amy’s design of my closet so I knew they were in good hands with California Closets’ Oregon team. One of the first steps Amy does is talk through their lifestyle, AKA – what their real needs are for clothes storage. Ken and Katie (like most PNW folks) are very casual, and neither of them have typical office jobs that require multiple wardrobes. Of course, you want to design it for universal functionality in case someone does have a lot of gowns, they will be able to store them. But for the most part, Amy took the information and designed the closet to meet their needs.

She sent through all the drawings where you can see clearly where the jeans could be folded and stacked, where the blouses could be hung, or where the full-length dresses would live. She might have even done the same exercise with them where I counted out roughly how many sneakers vs. boots vs. tall boots vs. heels and designed the shoe racks to make sure that there weren’t any major holes (I even have a place for my tall boots but this lady – and her husband – love some thigh highs, LOL). The customization and thought-through custom design approach is what you are paying for (well, that along with the incredible installation service – this closet took under 2 days!).

Here are some shots of it without clothes in it so you can see the general layout, materials, and how they match up with the design plans.

Ken and Katie chose black stained wood, with white faux leather handles, and brushed brass accents. They added a few bells and whistles you’ll see below and decided against adding extra cabinet fronts for easy access (the closet has pocket doors on both sides and can be shut off easily. They opted for a lot of drawers and shelves for jeans, and the hanging space is pretty flexible for hers or his (and some but not too many spots for long dresses or suits).

We couldn’t believe that this went from blank to totally done in 2 days. Their crew are absolute pros. This is because they have their own designers and installers instead of using subcontractors, meaning they know this product. That ensures the quality is always extremely high. 

Before we get into the beautiful photos, here’s a little video walkthrough! (just wait for the ad to play:))

The finished product, as you can see turned out so easy to manage and keep organized, met all of their needs (and more) and I actually had to bring in a bunch of my clothes to help fill it, LOL. While Ken and Katie aren’t huge fashion folk they know that a house of this size and budget needs a really thoughtfully designed closet for future owners, so they still went for it.

Wallpaper | Art (unavailable) | Ceramic Side Table | Rug

As you can see it’s a pass-through closet between the hallway and their bathroom (I love a closet very close to a bathroom if you can lay it out that way). Amy and the California Closet team designed it so that the drawers and shelves are on one side, all the hanging on the opposite, and miscellaneous or seasonal shelving with bins up top.

The opposite view shows their Maddox wall organizer which is great for setting out clothes, or more realistically, steaming them or hanging belts and robes.

The finishes are all very high quality and coordinated. It’s a nice detail that puts the simple hook to shame.

California Closets did such a great job of allocating each shelf for different things (and please note the mirror that is tucked away by the dresses – you’ll see it down below.

The closet rods are wrapped in faux leather which is such a nice high-end detail (and makes it so easy to slide hangers).

Long Bins | Woven Baskets

Ken and Katie went with only one full-length hanging rod, the rest for blouses, jackets, or pants. Above, we bought bins for seasonal items (or things like Spanx, slips, and specialty clothes).

Secret Accessories FTW

Two things that Katie and Ken went with are the pull-out hamper and again, a mirror that slides out and pivots – GENIUS.

You could obviously use the hamper for laundry of course (it slips out easily), but they use it for dry cleaning.

I think one of the biggest benefits of California Closets is the drawer customization (which is harder to get off the shelf, obviously – ha, pun intended). It precludes the need for a dresser in your bedroom – underwear, bras, socks all the annoying little stuff can have designated areas as well as T-shirts, athleisure, etc. For Katie, we styled sweaters, sweatshirts, and shoes on the shelves, but could easily have put jeans if you didn’t want to hang them up.

When it comes to shoes, California Closets has a lot of different suggestions (for instance, Brian and I aren’t big shoe people so we did some pull-out drawer shelves and taller cabinets for my tall boots). For Katie and Ken, they wanted flexibility with the shelves so they selected shoe shelves on top (for heels or more occasional shoes) and we styled the rest of the shelves with everyday shoes, but those could easily be for stacks of anything, or baskets full of scarves, etc.

The leather and brass detail make it look so high-end and luxe. There are a lot of different options (or you can use your own like we did for our closet).

Quite possibly the best perk of this are these jewelry pullouts (that are lit with special lights). Listen, in case you are a robber you should know that these are all either my jewelry or props we bought for the shoot, but if you have fine jewelry this is such a lovely way to keep them organized, not to mention visually pleasing.

A huge thanks to California Closets for designing and partnering on my brother’s closet. It’s a total luxury because you get it all totally customized for your needs and installed by professionals. If it’s in your budget for even a simple design solution it’s pretty darn incredible. Thanks, Amy Bodi for helping my brother and SIL – they are extremely happy:)

*Architect: Anne Usher
**General Contractor: JP Macy of Sierra Custom Construction
***Design by Amy Bodi of California Closets
****Styling: Emily Henderson (me!)
*****Photos by Kaitlin Green

OK, I learned a LOT from doing Elliot’s bedroom which really informed the way I designed her best friend’s (and cousin’s bedroom) that you are going to see today. What I didn’t realize (first-time pre-tween mom here) is how much their likes and dislikes will change, like monthly. So with K’s room, I, of course, asked her her current likes and dislikes, colors, etc. but I intentionally left it so that if and when her styles or color preferences change, it wouldn’t be a big expense. And yet this room is actually full of a lot of color and so many high-quality pieces which are all from AllModern. I feel so grateful we got to give her these really special pieces that she will easily grow with. I can’t wait to show you.

The Room Before

The room has a great foundation – pretty white oak (Stuga, Shell) flooring and wood ceiling (Stuga, Drift). There are two large windows, so a ton of natural light, and two big blank walls for the bed and dresser.

Opposite the bed is a daybed with storage and a reach-in closet (that we already wallpapered and revealed for a partnership, HERE). So when AllModern reached out for a series of makeovers this year and my brother expressed that they had NOTHING for K’s room when they moved in, I knew that stylistically it would be perfect (and yes, this 10-year-old is getting really high-quality furniture that she can keep forever).

Without further ado, the reveal! We’ve also made a video tour of the space, which you can view while perusing the rest of the photos. (The player will shrink down into the corner, or, if you’re on your phone, it’ll play above the text!)

A High-Quality Base Layer – I.E. Good, Simple Furniture

Desk Area: Curtains | Flower Strands | Desk | Chair | Mirror | Lamp | Wall Shelf (no longer available) | Blue Tray
Bed Area: Wall Art (unavailable) | Bed | Sheet Set | Shams | Large Lumbar Pillow (custom) | Small Lumbar Pillow | Duvet | Throw Blanket | Bench
Side Table Area: Sconce | Side Table | Vase | Dresser

Now there are a million ways to build a room, of course. For this house and this room, I wanted it to have the same warm minimal vibe as the house -streamlined and organic, but with enough color to make it feel youthful and fun. Here were the functional needs that K requested:

1. Green and Purple – Ok, but we’d do a non-obnoxious, more timeless version of it and not, like a LOT of it.
2. Queen Bed – Great for sleepovers, snuggling with parents, and can double as an extra guest room.
3. A Desk – If they could go back in time they would have turned the nook into a desk (although I hear that teens love the idea of a desk more than they actually use it), but I also got a lot of advice from you that having it double as a vanity would be really functional for them.
4. A Dresser – While they have a reach-in closet, it doesn’t have drawers, and kids aren’t the best at hanging up clothes or stacking their folded clothes.

Because of these needs, the layout of the room and the furniture choices were greatly informed. We’d flank a powerful queen bed with a desk and a small stool (allowing space for the dresser without being too crowded) and achieve a sense of balance with the sconce on the right.

Desk Area: Curtains | Flower Strands | Desk | Chair | Mirror | Lamp | Wall Shelf (no longer available) | Blue Tray
Bed Area: Wall Art (unavailable) | Bed | Duvet | Sheet Set | Shams | Large Lumbar Pillow (custom) | Small Lumbar Pillow | Throw Blanket | Bench
Side Table Area: Sconce | Side Table | Vase | Dresser

So as you can see, while we dismissed symmetry (which I typically love in a bedroom) having it be asymmetrical not only gave them the function that they needed but also made it more playful (less serious). We wanted to get her furniture that she could easily grow with which meant high-quality and timeless — exactly what you’d expect from AllModern. But to make it feel perfect for a 10-year-old we shook up the layout and added a ton of color really which brought in that fun, youthful energy.

Desk Area: Curtains | Flower Strands | Desk | Chair | Mirror | Lamp | Wall Shelf (no longer available) | Blue Tray
Bed Area: Wall Art (unavailable) | Butterflies | Faux Greenery (similar) | Bed | Duvet | Sheet Set | Shams | Large Lumbar Pillow (custom) | Small Lumbar Pillow | Throw Blanket

AllModern’s pieces bring together everything I love about modern design—clean lines, unique details, and amazing quality. That desk, mirror, and sconce are perfect examples: sleek, functional, and anything but boring. The bed is another standout with its soft green boucle upholstery, fully upholstered frame, and solid build.

Wall Art (unavailable) | Butterflies | Faux Greenery (similar) | Bed | Duvet | Sheet Set | Shams | Large Lumbar Pillow (custom) | Small Lumbar Pillow | Throw Blanket

We knew that bedding was a place we could really add some color, so we took this awesome throw with cool very Gen Z colors on it (wait, is she Gen Alpha???) and accessorized with it. The green pillow is from AllModern and the purple and gold stripe behind it we had made (it works with the custom bench pad we made – keep scrolling). We didn’t want any white bedding (y’all, I think the decades of white bedding might be done!) and mixed this darker rose, light mauve, and powder blue. I love the mix so much.

Curtains | Flower Strands | Desk | Chair | Mirror | Lamp | Wall Shelf (no longer available) | Bud Vase | Camera | Blue Tray | Rug

You might be wondering what the art, butterfly, and ivy situation above it is, and I get that. We went BACK AND FORTH asking ourselves “Is this cool or try hard?” and every time we decided that we loved it! The art is a print that they already owned, and I really like it (we actually bought it for the original Portland project), but the white of the print with the white frame just wasn’t enough to “hold the wall”. So by adding faux greenery and whimsical butterflies (so affordable). It draws your eye there, definitely adds some youth, and it was cheap and will be very easy to remove.

Sconce | Side Table | Vase | Table Lamp | Dresser | Rug

On the opposite side of the room is this round side table which I think is the perfect complement to the desk and works so well with the adjacent dresser (a proper nightstand would have been too clunky next to this). This is definitely a case of the “matching set but make it cool” because yes, all the furniture is white oak, but it’s not boring and clearly feels purposefully designed, not just put in a room.

On the other side of the room, we have this awesome dresser, also made out of white oak with push-open drawers (so no hardware needed). It’s gorgeous and so well made. Above it, you have another one of our bulletin board DIYS (this is our third now). We are doing a full post about how we did this one but it’s so huge, fun, and so affordable. It gives 90s “Nickelodeon,” right??? Step by step coming soon 🙂

Table Lamp | Dresser | Blue Tray | Wood Tray (similar) | Clock | Green Pedastal | Bud Vase | Bulletin Board (DIY Coming soon:))

All the colors play off each other so nicely and the zig-zag just gives it so much playfulness and a sense of “now”.

Curtains and Roman Shades | Flower Strands

Curtains and Roman Shades | Flower Strands

For the window treatments, they hired Decorview for the big windows, mostly because they wanted the top-down, bottom-up function (to block the view from the street that could see into her bedroom. You can’t buy them online, it’s a full-service situation and not terribly budget-friendly but certainly high quality and they do allll the hard work. They didn’t want blackout because they wanted to let light in should they want them closed during the day (plus K is one of those unicorns that sleeps til 10 on the weekends, 11 in the summer – TRULY WILD). So we added some additional curtains to frame the windows, but they stay mostly open.

Curtains | Sconce | Bud Vase | Wall Mirror

I’m absolutely obsessed with this shot – it’s just so pretty!!! The arch of the mirror is gorgeous (and you can see it walking down the hallway – so impactful). And I love how I designed the bench cushion – green velvet on top but that same purple and gold stripe on the front. Thanks to Ivan at Alexander Matthews for executing it so perfectly.

Curtains and Roman Shades | Sconces | Bolsters (custom) | White Checkered Pillow (similar) | Green Lumbar Pillow | Pink Checkered Pillow | Cloud Pillow | Purple Checkered Pillow | Bench Cushion (custom) | Bud Vase

Such a dreamy little nook. We had the bolsters made as well. The drum table was in her brother’s room and we just brought it in for the shots to have something in the foreground, but looks pretty cute.

Curtains and Roman Shades | Sconces | Bolsters (custom) | White Checkered Pillow (similar) | Green Lumbar Pillow | Pink Checkered Pillow | Cloud Pillow | Purple Checkered Pillow | Bench Cushion (custom) | Bud Vase

The sconces and ceiling lights are Rejuvenation. I LOVE them – they are graphic and modern, high quality and timeless. And I love the chandelier in here.

Chandelier

We needed multiple bulbs since there are no recessed lights, so this adds a lot of light in a really beautiful way.

Bench

I’m so proud of this room and K LOVES IT. They were out of town while we shot and listen, their kids didn’t ask to be on my social anyway, so no she isn’t here. And if you are wondering where all the “Purple” is, the answer is that our new Mallory rug (which is one of my favorites) got lost by FedEx coming from our shoot at the mountain house. And then we couldn’t get it in time for the shoot, but it’s the most gorgeous color of purple, IMHO, and I’m even considering it for my living room. I think we actually called it “Dark Brown” via Rugs USA, but if you know anyone who wants a very sophisticated purple it’s for you. We are going to reshoot this room with it in the new year (and add some posters for K, which she wants). But The Elliot in Rust is also one of my favorite rugs – just much mauvier and lighter. But still so soft and pretty.

A huge thanks to AllModern for having an excellent selection of furniture, curated for those into more modern design for sure, with pieces that will last forever (think heirloom modern pieces). Sure, there are some more trend-forward pieces (like that bench) that can shake it up and help make a room not feel so safe, but as a whole, I think the room turned out so curated, fun, and easy for her to grow, change, add to and swap out the colors and accessories. Oh, and I was so happy with how fast everything arrived. Fast and free shipping means a lot these days:)

Blank To Beautiful 🙂

Here are all the links to products if you are interested:

All Furniture: Desk, Chair, Bed, Nightstand, Dresser, Bench – All AllModern
Flooring: Stuga ‘Shell’
Ceiling Wood: Stuga ‘Drift’
Paint Color: Alabaster, Sherwin-Williams
Hardwired Lighting and Switchplates: Rejuvenation
Rug: The Elliot in Rust from EHD x RugsUSA
Window Treatments: Decorview
Upholstery: Alexander Matthews

*Architect: Anne Usher
**General Contractor: JP Macy of Sierra Custom Construction
***Interior Designers: Emily Henderson (me!) and Max Humphrey
****Styling: Emily Henderson (me!)
*****Photos by Kaitlin Green

Hi! Happy Tuesday. I thought it’d be nice to kick off this new week with a bright, happy, inspiring makeover from our dear friend, Hilton Carter. Shall we step inside? (Take your coat off. We’ll catch up.) Now, you might know Hilton from his series of hit books, his incredible Plant Rants, or from his fabulous Target collection…but today, we’re hanging out inside his newly-renovated attic. It’s the hit of positive energy and cheery light that we could all use on these dark fall nights – you’re going to love it.

Let me catch you up to speed: with a second daughter on the way, Hilton needed to carve out space for a usable guest room. “Before this, the third floor was mainly used for storage and my Peloton,” he says. “It wasn’t insulated and of course was the hottest room in the house. Great for working out, but not for having guests stay over. Two of the dormers were used for storage and the other for HVAC.”

Hilton needed to make it guest-ready as quickly as possible – “mainly [for] in-laws visiting to help with the kids at the moment,” he says” – and undertook a few key transformations. He replaced the falling plaster with new drywall; he removed the carpeting and had the floor insulated; he updated the HVAC; he chose to open the ceiling to give the room more height (such a wise call!); he removed a dormer; and he carved out space for two new skylights. “I can’t exist in space without plants, so in order to make sure any plants brought into this room could live their best life, I needed to add more daylight. So we added two skylights and let the skies in!”

“For me, it was exciting seeing the roof getting cut open and seeing the light fall into the room.

And then: design inspiration. “The carpet covering the floor had to go and just as you would expect, there was nice wood flooring underneath,” Hilton says. “But it would have taken a lot to restore them to look as nice as the floors and the rest of the house.” He turned to a trusted friend, Leanne Ford, who “convinced me to paint them white…like, Leanne Ford white…like, WHITE WHITE,” Hilton says. “And as she does it, ALL WHITE EVERYTHING.”

He complemented the monotone look by transforming his newly-revealed beams into a design element. “I knew there would be beams there, but it was unclear if they would be right to keep exposed,” Hilton says. “I’m very happy we did – it really helps the look and feel of the room.”

“The goal was to make the guest room bright and welcoming,” Hilton continues. “It felt like such a dark space and the addition of skylight filled the room with natural light. Now that they’re in, the room is just full of joy.”

We’re also no stranger to skylights here – we’re Velux loyalists, having installed them in more projects than I can count! – so I was happy to see that Hilton opted for the same high-quality product that we love. (PS. ICYMI, I’d urge you to enter the Autumn Glow giveaway! You can win two solar-powered Fresh Air skylights – that’s the kind you’ve seen in our projects over the past few years – plus shades and installation. Someone has to win and I’d be so excited if it was you!)

Once the room had been painted, Hilton added a bit of charm and architectural detail back to the space. “I decided on the shiplap because with making the decision to paint the entire room white, I thought having two walls with shiplap would create a nice accent but also mimic the lines of the wood flooring,” he says. “And no, it wasn’t DIY. They were purchased.” (Great news for those of us who lack the tooling and/or focus to cut our own planks for our walls!)

“As someone that can stare at a blemish on a white wall until it drives them absolutely nuts, painting my floors white seemed like punishment,” Hilton says. “But after thinking about how I wanted the room to feel bright and vibrant, having the entire room white could create that instantly, especially when reflecting light from the skylights…with so much white, it’s time to add color!”

And on that note…are you ready to see how he styled his space?

HOW CUTE IS THIS? Do you not just want to cuddle up here, grab a book from the shelving unit, and watch the clouds pass overhead? There are so many smart, thoughtful details – let’s dive in, starting with those graphic layered rugs, which served as the jumping-off point for the color palette. “With them covering so much of the room, I knew that I could fill the room with bright vibrant colors,” Hilton says.

I love how the flat weave and the plush woven rug work together here – they’re a big statement on their own, but they’re balanced here by the quiet white backdrop. Certain hues of yellow can come off as loud or overpowering, but this warm ochre base tone leaves Hilton’s room feeling luxe, cozy, and comfortable. (“I doubled up on the rugs because I love a good layered look and because I just couldn’t make up my mind,” Hilton says.”)

Be sure to clock the outlets and switches that flank both sides of this king-sized bed, too – those are some of the smart, thoughtful details I mentioned! If you’re hosting guests regularly, rethinking the placement and positioning of your lighting and outlets will take your guest room experience to the next level.

None of Hilton’s spaces would feel complete without a few well-chosen plants…so naturally, we had to get the lowdown on how he landed on the plants for this room. “My plant styling process always starts with the amount of light that is coming into the room,” he says. “With the addition of the skylights, I was able to place whatever plant I wanted up there because the room is full of light. With my options being endless, my next thoughts were what would fit under the vaulted ceilings perfectly.”

He ended up sourcing a Schefflera, Snake Plant, Satin Pothos, Monstera Thai Constellation, Philodendron Florida Beauty, Philodendron Xanadu, and a Ficus Tineke for this room. (And I urge you to watch this clip for more plant styling tips. You can see how Hilton is training some of his vines to grow up the beams – it’s super neat, but also super helpful for those of us who struggle with trailing plants!)

Guests are already returning with rave reviews. “The room has been enjoyed by my mother-in-law, brother-in-law, and a few friends. All have loved it and have overstayed their welcome,” Hilton kids. “I’m joking. We wanted to make a guest room that would make our family and friends feel at home. We’re lucky that they want to stay with us. Especially with a toddler and infant in the house.”

Weary guests can open or close the skylights’ shades with the tap of a remote, so a good nap (or a restful night’s sleep) is never too far away. “Once it was completed my wife and I were very jealous that it wasn’t our bedroom. Good thing we made plans to make sure our bedroom was also going to be renovated and styled so that we wouldn’t feel too bad about it,” he jokes. (It turned out super cute, too – catch up on their primary suite here!)

But wait, there’s more! “We decided to remove the wall and door into one of the dormers to open up, giving us a nice little nook,” Hilton says. You can take a peek at this secret area (and the adorable bistro set that Hilton sourced) by checking out this video tour. It looks great in the photos, but the warmth and care just shine through this clip.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Hilton Carter (@hiltoncarter)

Thanks to our pal Hilton for the tour of his inspiring home, thanks to Velux for the tip-off on the giveaway (don’t forget – you have til 11/30 to apply!), and thanks to you for being here! I hope that this bright space can make your day a little brighter, too. Any thoughts?

*Design and Photos by Hilton Carter