We’re so impressed with how much style Marianne packed into such a small room. So for anyone out there struggling with the small space blues (our last bedroom was tiny with no closets – so we can totally relate!) hopefully this will inspire you! Enough chit chat, here’s Marianne’s letter:
I gave the smallest room in our house a total makeover. And when I say small, I mean small:
The room is barely even 4 square meters big (about 43 square feet if I’m not mistaken) but I feel I still managed to give the space some oomph and character. Since I know you guys love living a ‘simple’ life without a lot of unnecessary clutter I thought you might appreciate it too!
The bookcase I used is an old Ikea Billy bookcase that I gave a new life by turning it into a built-in.
Almost all of the other bigger and smaller projects where done using thrift shop finds or by revamping old objects that I found in my own basement or attic.
Since I live in the Netherlands I don’t think sharing paint names or resources would be of much help to you, especially as I ended up mixing my own colors anyway. But I hope you and your readers enjoy it! – Love from the Netherlands, Marianne
Oh and you can get more info on Marianne’s blog. Of course we were crushing on the subtle striped walls (they remind us of the ones we added to our first house’s bathroom). Ah memories. Oh and did you notice there was also a key leaning in front of a map in a printer press letterbox? This room’s just a few dozen white ceramic animals short of the Dutch version of us!
Psst- Just wanted to make sure that everyone in or near Portlandia is planning to check out The Portland Bazaar (Grace Bonney is one of its founders) this weekend on the 10th and 11th! We hear it’s going to be full of crafty slash DIY goodness, so we wanted to shout it out for you West Coasters. Wish we had time for a Portland road trip...
Jamie says
Thanks for the heads up on the Portland Bazaar. Will have to check it out. I knew there was a Crafty Wonderland going on this weekend… And whaaaat?? You guys are coming to P-town? How awesome is that? Can you bring Burger too? ;)
P.S. Loooove the tweaks to the living room, especially the rug!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- I’m sure Burger would love a trip to P-town!
xo,
s
Jen says
Very cute room, wish I’d seen it years ago. We spent three years in the Netherlands and had a similar room for awhile. As soon as I saw the radiator and the door handle in the first picture, I started wondering where in Europe it was.
Keri says
LOVE! It’s so simple and gorgeous! I think I might go this route for my own guest room.
Paige says
Aaaah! Love it! Just put it all over Pinterest.
Tia says
Great room! And yay for the Portland shout-out! :)
Laura says
Thank you for sharing the images of this absolutely adorable and great job! The room looks totally amazing! I am impressed how much Marianne achieved by making this tiny room feel like a piece of Paradise.
I have a very tiny guest room as well. Now Marianne has set a benchmark…
Janke says
As soon as I saw the radiator and the door I knew Marianne must be somewhere in Europe, haha!
Love this cozy little room! Good job, Marianne! I might need to pin all of the pictures.
Greetings from Germany! :o)
Regan @ RenovatingRothenbergers says
Gorgeous!! That cubbyhole is terrific! :)
Manda says
I love the map detail as background for some of the cubbies on the wall shelf. Great job reader!!
Emily says
Totally inspiring! Makes me want to go give one of our closets a makeover.
Stephanie says
I like it a lot. However, why does everyone re-doing a small space make it a reading nook/guest bedroom with the same stripes on the wall as Layla at The Lettered Cottage??
I think it’s great they use Layla’s talents as inspiration, but I swear the small space reading nooks that look identical to Layla’s just keep popping up. Great job, but I can’t wait to see the next one think outside the box.
heyruthie says
i love the fact that in the U.S. lots of people wouldn’t even call this a room: they’d just call it a hallway. it’s basically two door with a passthrough and an alcove *barely* big enough for the twin bed. But in the Netherlands, it’s a bedroom! Our first house had a bedroom that same size, and when we tried to sell the house, lots of people made rude comments about how it was “the size of a closet.” I just like to see how people in the rest of the world live, becuase it gives me great perspective, and because it also shows that a teeny tiny space that might go unnoticed or undecorated can not only be beuatiful, but incredibly functional (an additional bedroom? that’s function for a family with 4 kids, like we have!) lesson: you may have a lot more to work with than you think.
YoungHouseLove says
Such a great lesson! A cozy room like Marianne’s might make a believer out of people who think they need more space!
xo,
s
Bethany says
Such a sweet little room, I’m jealous of any guests that get to spend time here!
Wom-Mom Ethne says
Despite being crammed in there, that bookcase makes all the difference; loads of storage space. Once again, Ikea saves the day!
John@Our Home From Scratch says
Big fan of the paint stripes… very subtle.
Jessica says
I wonder if that suitcase is spray painted? I just picked up some old antique suitcases and never would have thought to paint them….but that white one looks soooo pretty!!
YoungHouseLove says
Here’s hoping Marianne can enlighten us! That’s such a cool piece!
xo,
s
Marianne@Songbird says
Yes that suitcase is painted. In this particular case I used a combo of spray paint and regular paint.
I did a how to on painting suitcases here:
http://www.songbirdisnesting.com/2011/10/how-to-paint-suitcases-31-days-day-12.html
YoungHouseLove says
Amazing!
xo,
s
Nessa@{CasaBraaflat} says
love all the white. its just so lovely and crisp!
Laura says
If ya’ll ever make it out Oregon way, please email us! You would be super welcome to stay at our house in Eugene for as long as you would like. We’re in the process of settling in after moving in on November 11th and I’m sure you both would have some words of advice on how to make this place feel more homey!
Thanks for all the kitchen updates! I’m so excited for you!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw that’s so sweet of you! Hope you’re settling in comfortably! We remember moving around the holidays last year and it can be a doozy!
xo,
s
Whitney Dupuis says
What a cozy and beautiful little room. I would feel very comfortable as a guest here. Good job, Marianne!
Caitlin says
Makes you realize that no room is too small or unimportant for a fun makeover!!
Can’t wait to head to the Bizarre this weekend!!
Caitlin in Portland :)
Ari Z says
The striped walls definitely make the space feel longer, especially since they are horizontal. I like that she didn’t bother trying to make the bottom shelves of the bookcase accessible, and just built up.
Chrystal says
I absolutely love everything about this room. :)
Cathy Pascual says
I love this makeover! Wow!