A SHARED GUEST BEDROOM AND NURSERY

September 18, 2017

I thought I’d try something a little new for sharing one of the rooms of our home renovation. For our nursery and guest room, we’ll go in reverse order; all the photos, sources, and budget breakdown are below! Then in the coming weeks I’ll share the expanded details of a couple of the individual projects. This room was previously a straight guest room, but fell guilty of breaking my home philosophy that every space must earn its keep.

By that I mean, if there’s a room we don’t use much, we need to rework it so that it does something for our family that makes us want to be there. I think of it as if we paid for square footage, we should use it.

Formal dining rooms and guest rooms are I think the most common violators of this idea! Our guest room got used maybe once every other month, which is a fair amount, but not carrying its weight for my standard. I decided to make it a nursery plus guest room so as to first have a space for when we have a newborn before they get sorted to the boy and girl big kid rooms. And second, we get the perk of being able to accommodate a guest with a baby.

A NEUTRAL, SOPHISTICATED SHARED GUEST BEDROOM AND NURSERY-2

A NEUTRAL, SOPHISTICATED SHARED GUEST BEDROOM AND NURSERY-4

metal bedblack & white bed sheets | white knit blanket | white faux fur throwgray patterned rugrug pad | green seagrass basket |  wooden stacking toy | yellow ring dish (similar)mint vase | dried craspedia flowers (similar) | white ball lamp | ceiling light fixture | ceiling medallion

I envisioned it reading a little sophisticated (for when adults are lodging here), but with enough touch of whimsy it feels sweet to bring a little newborn into. And gender neutral too to keep it ready for the long haul. Right now it sways a little more boy since that is who we have in here right now, but I will tweak accessories for a girl.

I love white rooms, but to keep them interesting I like to add in good architectural details. We installed board and batten (diy of it here) and this great ceiling medallion.

The other thing to do when going monochromatic is lots of texture. That white fur throw from target is I think my favorite find of the whole year. I was meaning to buy the well known ikea sheep skin for a long time, but then I saw this much larger throw at target, with the same great texture (super soft) for only $20. AND I DIDN’T HAVE TO DRIVE TO IKEA. I may buy more for around the house, they are just so good. They come in warm gray and blush too.

A NEUTRAL, SOPHISTICATED SHARED GUEST BEDROOM AND NURSERY copy 2

I picked a white metal platform bed. It is such a great pice ($135!) and the look is classic and lovely. It was good to have a different material and color for the bed to go with our wooden crib. The mattress is a $70 one I ordered online from wal-mart. I KNOW. I am a little miffed because it is more comfortable than the expensive one we have in the master – and ONCE AGAIN IT WAS $70! I love buying online, but I love buying online even more when it’s from a retailer that also has a brick and mortar nearby for easy returns.

I keep my crib bedding really simple. I don’t mind even skipping a crib skirt. For the adult beds, I usually do the pillows minimal, for ease. To keep the cost of bedding from adding up, I like to do patterned standard pillowcases because they are cheaper than decorative throw pillows. Just pillows from ikea for $2 and then a pair of standard pillowcases aren’t much at all and can add just as much color or pattern. At first I had these subtle striped blush pink ones and these that came with our sheets, but I took out the blush because they were making everything too girly (but I still love them).

A NEUTRAL, SOPHISTICATED SHARED GUEST BEDROOM AND NURSERY-5

 jenny lind crib crib sheetsnavy arm chair (similar) | large white frame | hands art print 

A friend recently asked me my general strategy with window treatments and I have lately become a real fan of roman shades instead of curtains. I used to associate roman shades as being expensive, so that deterred me from usually thinking to use them. Of course when you add up the cost of multiple curtain panels and hardware, they are usually less expensive.

The shade here is from home depot and only $50. But even more than considering price, I am just in love with the really tailored look of a crisp shade perfectly fitted on a window. Also – those are cordless! David really likes not having tangled cords all the time.

A NEUTRAL, SOPHISTICATED SHARED GUEST BEDROOM AND NURSERY-3 A NEUTRAL, SOPHISTICATED SHARED GUEST BEDROOM AND NURSERY-10 A NEUTRAL, SOPHISTICATED SHARED GUEST BEDROOM AND NURSERY-9

 changing table (similar) | roman shade | white storage boxes | step trash bin (similar)

This might be a little obscure, but I have been DELIGHTED about finding baby wipes that come in a plain white tub because every other brand I know of comes in bright teal or something garish. These white tub ones are this really inexpensive brand from amazon(!).

For a changing table I kept things especially neutral. Since it is a hard thing to make look attractive, I prefer to have it blend in and go more unnoticed rather than trying to dress up diapers and wipes stuff. Our table is a hand me down from a friend (similar here). It was that glossy type of furniture that is hard to paint, but I have had great results with getting the paint to stick using this zinsser bullseye primer. Just follow the application directions exactly as they’re written and we have been totally pleased.

A NEUTRAL, SOPHISTICATED SHARED GUEST BEDROOM AND NURSERY

The main expenses in here were the light fixture and ceiling medallion ($480), crib and mattress ($254), rug ($235), bed and mattress ($217). Then there was the building materials – board & batten ($110), crown moulding ($58), and paint ($80), plus accessories ($114), bedding ($85), and window treatments ($50). That is about $1,700 total.

In other posts I shared about how we diy-ed the board and batten, using wallpaper samples as inexpensive art, and building that wall mounted nightstand (only $30!).

SOURCES

metal bedjenny lind crib | black & white bed sheets | white knit blanket | white faux fur throw | crib sheetsgray patterned rugrug pad | changing table (similar) | roman shade | white storage boxes | step trash bin (similar) | ceiling light fixture | ceiling medallion | green seagrass basket | white laundry basket | navy arm chair (similar)large white frame | hands art print | small white frameseascape art print | wooden stacking toy | yellow ring dish (similar)mint bud vase | dried craspedia flowers (similar) | white ball lamp

SaveSave

SaveSave

Leave a Comment

Comments

  • Rachel

    I love the changing table and I want one like it! The link you have didn’t work. Can you send me info on where to find that changing table or one like it.

Copyright © Rachel Schultz 2024

PRIVACY POLICY