We just learned that our first overnight guests will be coming at the end of the month… and our guest room currently looks like this:
Not acceptable. Especially since our end-of-the-month guests are my in-laws.
Yep, Sherry’s mom and stepdad are headed from New York to Richmond for some much-anticipated Clara time so we officially have a deadline for making the guest room habitable. We don’t expect to make the room all that we want it to be in a mere two weeks, but we have some basic goals for it:
- Get all of the junk out of there (finally confirm the Habitat for Humanity ReStore pickup & move rest of stuff into the playroom)
- Buy a mattres & boxsping along with a cheap-o bed frame (for the interim at least, we might build a bed frame later),
- Dress said bed with already-owned bedding
- Add shower curtain & other bathroom essentials (towels, new toilet seat cover, etc)
Doing that much will at least make the room functional, since my nightmare would be asking Sherry’s sweet Italian mom and stepdad to sleep on the fold out couch in the office (mental picture: his name is Giacomo LaPadula and hers is Diana DeCesare LaPadula – they’re way too debonair to sleep on a fold out sofa next to our laptops in a room with no doors).
And since we occasionally welcome a challenge (and only crumble under pressure sometimes) we’ll toss out this list of “extra credit”:
- Painting the room
- Putting up curtains
- Adding a nightstand & table lamp
Not that we expect to accomplish all or even any of those extra ones, we just thought we’d toss them out there for fun. Or so you guys can virtually berate console us when we don’t get to them. We’d love for the room to feel nice and polished when they arrive, but really who are we kidding? The room looks like a bifold door convention and Nona and PopPop will probably only be focused on Clara anyways. Either way – wish us luck on our race to guest bedroom-dom!
Psst- We announced this week’s giveaway winners. Click here to see if you’re one of them.
Caity says
You can do it! And it will probably end up looking like something straight out of a magazine because you guys are so awesome! Good luck!
heather s. says
I was actually surprised you were focusing time on the dining room rather than the guest room since you already have a place to eat (in the kitchen) and you never know when guests will pop by. :) Good luck!
Cait @ Hernando House says
Good luck! I’m sure you’ll meet your goals, and I’m excited to see the result.
Shannon says
Perfect! I have a just-emptied-out 3rd bedroom that needs absolutely everything to turn it into the guest room of my dreams. I’ll give myself the same deadline, and maybe even invite my Mom down to visit for a real kick in the pants. Race ya!
Liz F. says
You could buy a cheapo bed frame now, and then upholster it later like Dan did! http://manhattan-nest.com/2010/07/23/a-whole-mess-of-staples/
YoungHouseLove says
Amazing!!!
xo,
s
Beth says
Wowsers! Going to bookmark that… I really want a leather or microfiber bed and that looks soooo good.
Traci says
That is awesome! If I had an IKEA close by, I would buy that bed and SO do this!
I have actually thought of using a blanket or matlasse coverlet to upholster a bedframe and slipcover a couch, before; I’ve collected several matlasse coverlets from thrift stores, discount stores, and Ebay for a slipcover project that has never happened. Been thinking lately of building a bed and just using my coverlets to upholster it. Much more economical than upholstery fabric, and richer-looking.
Dan @ Manhattan Nest says
Thanks guys! It also works with the Ikea RYKENE with some slight modifications if you wanted something bigger than a full bed!
Elizabeth says
I COULD NOT AGREE MORE with the comments about buying an electric staple gun! I love mine so much I think I shall give it a name like someone I know does to their furniture.
From now on, it shall be known as Stan. Heh heh.
Lauren says
I am doing this with the twin sized fjellse, but cut off both ends to make it into a platform daybed. Going to sew a matching mattress cover and back pillow to make it look more like a sofa. And I love how many great ideas there are in blogland that give me new projects to try! The creative generosity is amazing.
Jill Stigs says
OMG– that. is. freaking. awesome.
Want one. Love the gray too!!
Alison says
AMAZING! I love, love, love that bed! I seriously want to leave work right now, go to ikea, buy supplies and create my own version! Great job!
Liz @ Law Mama says
That is AMAZING! Thanks for posting the link!
Lisa in Seattle says
Liz, you’ve just hammered the final nail into the coffin for my productivity this morning. Just what I needed – another great blog to get sucked into! =)
Stephanie Phillips says
Woo hoo! Nothing like the threat of visiting family to motivate!
And, no matter what, it will be amazing. Not that grandma and grandpa will notice, all they’re going to see is Clara. :) At least that’s how it works in my world!
Julianne says
Do I spy old ceiling fans parts in the corner of the room?? Looks like either your master bedroom or the great room are going fanless!
Can’t wait to see some updated pictures, I am sure it will make a huge difference!
YoungHouseLove says
Eagle eye! We have some lighting projects in progress for sure! Deets when we’re done (and pics galore!).
xo,
s
Liliana says
Sounds exciting! to have to make the room nice in a short time. How about adding a couple of low light/maintenance plants? I think plants can add a nice touch to a room.
If I may ask, where are you planning on looking for a mattress/box spring?
~ L.
YoungHouseLove says
We’re always plant fans so we’ll see if we can squeeze them in. As for the mattress, we have no idea. We’ll probably hit up a ton of discount mattress places and hunt down the best deal. Details when we get there!
xo,
s
Page says
Be careful, John and Sherry. We bought from a “reputable” discount mattress place, paid half, and thought we had a steal. Six months later we found out it wasn’t such a great deal. It looked great on the outside, but it started breaking down in the middle. We counted it toward our stupid tax, but it’s a painful memory.
Meredith says
I agree about the cheap-o mattress outlets. I tried that when we needed to get a second twin for my girl’s room when they were sharing. The first came from Costco years ago and is amazing. The second from a “cheap mattress outlet” is crap. No one wants to sleep on it. It doesn’t support you on the edge when you sit down to put on shoes or read your kid a story. Go Costco. You know it will be great quality at a fair price. For what it is worth, the sales guy at the cheap mattress place was entertaining – he could play “Sleigh Bells” with his teeth. He was even on jay Leno. :)
Jennifer says
Can’t wait to see the paint color you select for the guest room!
Tiffany T. says
I second that!
Heather @ REOlisticRenovation says
We just finished our guest room and Grandma arrives next week! You can do it! I think the old saying is make your guest room comfortable enough that people want to stay with you only not too comfortable that they want to stay longer. :)
ALittleBite says
Looks like a fun challenge, can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Paige Jones says
wow good luck! Can’t wait to see posts. I think the first piece of the puzzle that I’m most anxious to find out about is PAINT color. Now I know that’s on your “ambitious” list, and might not even get to that…but I bet you guys can do it…haha.
But I promise I won’t berate you if you don’t get to that just yet…
Paula says
This type of situation, for us, is how we get most of our projects done. When we redid our mudroom/ laundry room our dead line was by the time we have our yearly Christmas party. Well it was September when we started, so no problem! Well we were still doing some final touches the day of, and we still have no light fixtures, lights yes, but they are just the bulbs. Who looks up anyway, right?
Good luck, I have no doubt that you guys will “git’r done”!
steph says
Guys, I don’t think it could’ve been summed up better than at the end of your post. Nona and PopPop are going to be mesmerized by Clara, so don’t stress too much about perfecting the room – it’ll probably be the last thing they notice with that sweet little grandbaby taking up all their attention!
Deb says
You got this!
Kelly B says
So do Sherry’s parents go by Gi and Di?
;)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha. I wanted them to go by MoMo (we call Giacomo MoMo sometimes) and DiDi (since it sounds good with MoMo). But Nona and PopPop seems to have stuck for now.
xo,
s
carolinaheartstrings says
Good luck. However, as the mother of a grown son and new daughter-in-law with grandchildren in the future. They absolutely do not care if they are sleeping in the garage. They are seeing their “children”. Can’t wait to see what you come up with though.
JenWoodhouse.com says
For your mattress/box spring hunt, might I suggest Sam’s? They have great (name brand, if you’re into that kind of thing) mattresses for cheap. We scored a queen size Serta (or was it Sealy?) for under $400 and it’s uber-comfy!
Rachel says
Yep! We looked at mattresses at Sam’s and were impressed with the prices and offerings. Also if you guys are looking for another eco-friendly mattress, Apt Therapy’s most recent review in the Year in Bed series sounds awesome. Personally, we ended up getting a great deal on a king size name brand mattress from a local store. It was a model being discontinued so it was less than $500 for the mattress and foundation (originally over $1200).
annabelvita says
I bet you’re looking forward to having guests and still being able to use your office!
renee says
Better get crackin’ on that project! Every time you walk by the room, grab a handful of something. Before you know it your room will be cleared out. Can’t wait to see the finished product!
Megan Carlisle says
Hey! I used to live in the Hampton Roads area (amoung many other places) and because of ALL the military moving in and out the craigslist in your area is GREAT! Beyond great! Before we moved to PA we were able to score a couch & love seat set ($130), a sectional ($175) and a recliner ($75) all in great condition, nearly new! Because so many of our low ranking military folks find it easier to sell their furniture when they are re-assigned (if they are unmarried and low ranking they don’t get a large moving allowance)you guys are in a PRIME place for finding excellent barely used furniture (ie – bedside table, bed frame) on the CHEAP!
Kim Olson says
With all those doors you could make a platform bed and paint it in a high gloss color. Maybe even a huge headboard and then you could hang some of your fab art from it. Whatever you two come up with it will be great…can’t wait to see pics when you are finished.
Elisa says
Sounds like ya’ll are going to be doing some serious Craigslisting! :) Good luck!
Kay says
I think that you can pull it off! Go Team P!
Agent Scully says
I simply have to ask: why even bother with a boxspring? Most beds don’t even need these anymore, and I have to say that I find boxsprings incredibly bulky. I know you guys aren’t completely modern, but you’re not traditionalist either, so why the boxspring?
(Don’t mind me, I’m bored this morning.) :)
YoungHouseLove says
We have a boxspringless organic mattress in our bedroom and it was hard to find non-low platform beds that worked with it. And since some of our guests are older we know they’ll appreciate a higher bed so that’s just our first thought. Who knows what we’ll end up with though!
xo,
s
Sally says
Big Lots actually carries some decent looking beds–and mattresses too for that matter. We got our guest room bed frame on clearance for $150 and it looks identical to a PB one. I wish it came in King or we would have gotten it for the master instead! It only comes in queen. Big Lots calls it the Madison bed. Good luck!
pam says
Can’t wait to see it!
Laura C says
Did you guys have a plan in place for designing the room for the long-term?
YoungHouseLove says
We try to take things one day at a time and let rooms evolve so that’s the plan. Haha. Usually one choice (like paint color or curtain fabric” informs the next choice, so that’s how we’ll tackle the guest room’s evolution for sure!
xo,
s
Katrina says
In the short term, do I forsee a little yellow being pulled into the room thanks to the tile in the bathroom? Perhaps your beloved rug from the family room?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes- that might even be a long-term solution. We love our yellow rug so it’s here to stay… and the guest room might be the perfect place for it!
xo,
s
Brigid says
Nothing like a scheduled visit to kick you guys into (an even higher) gear! Can’t wait to see what you are able to accomplish in a short month.
Little typo – you wrote fold out coach instead of couch :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha. Good catch. Off to fix it!
xo,
s
Kyle says
WOOWOO! You can do it! It’s guest bedroom marathon time! :)
Don’t stress though; I’m sure they get that you recently moved and they’ll be so excited by Clara that they won’t notice anyway :).
Cristina says
Good luck with your guest room makeover!
ps. It’s “Nonna”… ;)
YoungHouseLove says
My mother in law signs cards as “Nona” so she’s the boss. Haha. We figure the person who owns the nickname should get to pick the spelling.
-John
Kristina says
Eek good luck! You can do it. I predict that you will get all the first list done and then one or two on the second. I have a two-month old so if I brush my teeth at some point in the day I consider myself productive. It’s nice to see other people getting things done with a baby. Gives me hope.
Nichole@40daysof says
I can most definitely sympathize. Our good friends are finally coming to see our “new” house and we only had two weeks notice. There are about 10 things I want to get done. So not going to happen! I know you guys will will get nearly everything done on your list. :)
http://40daysof.wordpress.com/2011/02/10/lighting-makeover-before-after/
Jen @ The Decor Scene says
I’m sure any place that Nona & PopPop will sleep will be good for them, because they just want to see you guys. Can’t wait to see how the room turns out for now. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself though, but then again I think you guys work well under pressure. I have a feeling you might get a couple of the extra credit ones done. ;)
Kristen says
Good luck, guys! I know it’s going to look fabulous and I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Christy Panzarella says
I just got my queen size mattress from Ikea. Super Cheap. And its grey, so it will hide any dirt it picks up from life <3 Check it out.
Ps. John, my inlaws are Italian too =)
You have a lot of work ahead of you.
Dianne says
Get what you can get done then throw in some fresh flowers…they will feel so special they won’t notice that they don’t have a rug on the floor.
Beth@Just{Heart}It says
Nothing like a little pressure to make things happen. :-) When will your table be showing up?
And a few posts back, when you did the caption contest, are you guys actually going through all those to choose a “winner”??!
YoungHouseLove says
The table will be delivered in around a week- can’t wait! As for the winner, we just picked the caption that had the most “votes” (amused replies) under it so you can scroll through the first page of comments to see our big winna!
xo,
s
Robin says
This is my kind of project! Since it’s more like our ‘master bedroom’ aka not that fancy and simple but functional! we have no head board (yet) and simple used dressers and 1 mirror and 1 piece of art.
DENISE says
Don’t forget Ikea.
Denise
Extreme Personal Measures
karen @ our slo house says
You can do it. Plus, I bet you get at least one of the extra credit items done.
It’s nice to have that extra kick in the pants. Right now, our “kick in the pants” is that our lease is up at the end of May…so our renovations plans have to be done by then!
Kathy A says
I thought I was the only person who uses the word egads. Glad to know I’m not alone!
Robin says
I wonder if you could diy those bi folds into a cool headboard for the guest room bed. Ideas?
YoungHouseLove says
I bet we could (with hinges and paint) but we have other headboard plans for down the road, so we’re excited to donate them to someone who needs them.
xo,
s
Tiffany T. says
Or maybe even some of those shelves I’ve seen people make out of bi folds…some look really good and some look terrible. I have faith that yall would make them look great though. But, like you said, donating to someone is always a great thing.
Chanelle says
Where did you get the leather ottoman? I don’t remember it from your other house, but I’m sure it was there.
YoungHouseLove says
That was in our mini mudroom in the last house (in the corner of the den with coat hooks over it). We love hiding paperwork and files in them!
xo,
s
Joan says
I called my Italian grandparents Nona & PopPop, so your post brought a tear to my eye. They were the best part of my childhood and I miss them so much. Have a great time!
Najlee says
Ok….it feels really good to know that you guys are human:) I know you’ve mentioned that you are other posts lol. This one just proves it. I’m sure you’ll do something great with the room within these two weeks. Can’t wait to see after pictures.
Megan says
You can do it! I recently tackled the same project for me guest bedroom as I had a roommate moving in. Not sure what you plans are for a mattress and if you will be wanting another organic one, but here is a low cost option that I went with. Anyone that has ever slept in my guest bedroom is in love with this mattress, and the best part about it – it came rolled up in a box delivered to my house! I know, sounds crazy, but its amazing! I have the full sized one, check it out here:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10812929
And since it doesn’t come with a box spring I went the alternate route of purchasing a really sterdy frame that also acts as a foundation for just a mattress. And you can add on a head board at any time :) Here’s the link for the frame/foundation –
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_021W193503110001P?prdNo=2&blockNo=2&blockType=G2
Erica says
I know it is going to look fabulous!
I’m hoping by “toilet seat cover” you don’t mean one of those fuzzy, germ-harboring, unsanitary rug-like seat covers- do you?!?
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, nope just a clean white one (the original one is 50 years old and yellowed- gross!).
xo,
s
Original_Ann says
This is a huge blessing in disguise! I’m sending you the mojo of a marathoner. You can do this! And then afterward, you can both jump up and down in a circle while hugging and laughing. :D
Stephanie B says
Hahaha – we had the SAME panic attack when we learned at the last minute that we were going to have guests over to our new house shortly after (well…maybe not so shortly after) we moved in. We had unpacked the main living spaces but our guest rooms were still collect-all type spaces!
You’ll get it done and I can’t wait to see it :)
I also DESPERATELY want a picture of your dining room set. My husband and I just bought one (after TONS of searching) and couldn’t be happier, although I wish ours was a little more scratch resistant.
http://www.alifemoresouthern.wordpress.com
-Stephanie B