Shortly after our youngest daughter turned 5, I realized that it was probably time to redecorate her nursery. A little late, I know. A part of me may have kept it longer than I should have because I didn’t want to let go of the idea that my baby was not a baby anymore. With the decision that our family was complete, we obviously didn’t have a need for a room with a crib or a changing table, so we finally agreed to turn that nursery into a guest room and I couldn’t be more pleased with how it turned out.
With family all over the world, we wanted to turn this room into an inviting, comfortable space for our loved ones to stay when they come to visit. I wanted it to feel like a home, but look like a boutique hotel. Easier said than done and shout out to those interior designers who do this for a living. It’s a lot harder than HGTV makes it look!
The Bed.
The most important part of the room makeover was the bed. It’s the spot that will make or break a person’s vacation. If you’re not getting a good night’s rest, you really aren’t going to enjoy yourself. I researched different companies and was excited when Leesa decided to partner with us. I had read and heard so many great things about the company and knew that it would be the perfect mattress for our new guest room.
The day the mattress arrived and we unboxed it, I was so pleasantly surprised. The Leesa mattress is beautifully designed and engineered with three premium foams for cooling, body contouring and pressure-relieving core support. It was just as comfortable as it was beautiful. The Leesa mattress is designed to cradle and support your body while avoiding the sinking feeling and overheating found in other foam mattresses. And it’s SO comfortable.
Just a day after the mattress arrived, our Aunt came to stay with us for a few weeks. She told me that her bed at home (which cost her thousands of dollars), left her with an aching back and sleeping on the Leesa mattress, after just one night, she found that her back pain wasn’t there. It was at that moment I knew that we had chosen the right mattress.
Color Scheme.
Next on my list was the color scheme. I knew that I was going with gray and white for the two main colors but wanted a bright, fun accent color. Our family is a huge fan of the song “You are my Sunshine” because it reminds us of our Papa, who sang it to all of us when we were children. I decided that yellow would be the perfect accent color so that I could also incorporate a sun and beach feel to the room (similar to the nursery decor we previously had). This also allowed for us to repurpose some of the furniture we already had in the house, as well as small decor pieces which is great when you’re on a budget like we are.
One of my favorite pieces that we were able to leave in the room from the nursery was our seashell mobile. I picked this gorgeous piece up in Key Largo about 6 years ago for under $20. There was something about it that I fell in love with instantly. It’s not only beautiful to look at, but it makes a beautiful, relaxing sound as the shells clang together.
Artwork.
Artwork was a big deal for this room. I looked at so many different websites and thought at one point about just making a large canvas of our family, but I wanted the biggest piece, over the bed, to have a strong message attached to it. For me, anxiety is something that took over my life years ago and I struggle to keep under control. Over the last 6 months or so, I’ve taken on a new perspective and wanted a message that would encourage others to tackle their fears head on, as well. I went on a stock website, purchased this background image and then added the words “if you never try, you will never know.” Once it was finished, I uploaded my artwork to photography.com and went with the modern, sleek, acrylic print option. The finished piece is absolutely the centerpiece of the room and really brings a fun, bright, positive message to the entire room.
Thinking about boutique hotels, there is always that one, beautiful, comfy chair where you can sit and relax, read a book or even get on your laptop. It didn’t take long for me to find the perfect chair for our guest room on Wayfair.com. It’s gorgeous, comfortable and goes perfectly in the room, adding a touch of class and taking up the bare space near the closet.
Workspace.
I knew I wanted to add a desk and was lucky enough to have one already in the house. We purchased this double desk and matching chairs for our two oldest daughters at Ikea years ago. While they used it for a bit, somehow they found that they’d rather do their homework on the kitchen table or on the floor. Go figure. So we moved this into the guest room, added some cute and decorative cloth baskets from Target (perfect for storage) and a lamp that we had also purchased from Ikea years ago. Voila… the perfect desk area for our guests! It’s also turned into my little working space lately which has been nice!
Memories.
About 5 years after my Grandfather passed away, we were at a local fair. We walked into the craft show building and right in front of me was this beautiful carved wooden sign. I knew we had to have it. It’s been proudly displayed on the wall ever since and goes perfectly with the new guest room’s theme. It’s like a part of him will always be with us, each time I look up at this sign.
Overall, I’m so pleased with how the guest room turned out. It’s become a room where the girls and I come in and lay down to watch a movie (and usually fall asleep because the bed is that comfy). I can’t wait to welcome some more guests.
So how did I do with the room? Comment below and let us know!
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This post was sponsored by Leesa but all opinions are my own.
It sounds like you did a great job re-decorating that nursery. The thing about getting a mattress in the mail is what do you do with the old mattress? I have three old mattresses that I need to replace but I’ll need to get rid of my existing ones. This Leesa mattress sounds awesome!
I love your new decor and color scheme! The grey and yellow is gorgeous! LOVE the pillows! I want to try a Leesa mattress too!
It looks great. We are trying to get a guest room ready for out of state visitors coming in May. I have to buy bedding this week and end tables and decor. It’s exciting, but expensive. I can’t wait until its done.
We got a Leesa mattress recently and love it! My back problems thanked me lol
I love the color scheme you chose. This is the color scheme i have in my bathroom. I also really like the desk. I’ll be moving on my own soon (graduating from college) and i cant wait to decorate. I’ll check out Leesa.
That looks like a great mattress! We just redid our guestroom. I actually like the ideas you have here with a yellow and gray. Those are some really pretty colors. That bed looks beautiful and I might just do that myself.
I love what you’re doing with the room. The colors and the storage are nice. I’m always a fan of neutral colors.