Cozy English Guest Bedroom

What was once a sad and unused room is now a cozy English bedroom. Come and take a look at the great before and after! 

I truly didn’t know if this day would ever come. For the past five years this room has been a junk/storage room, an office and then storage room again. I had always hoped that it would one day be our guest room and one that was actually worth of guests. At the beginning of the year I decided to really dive in and make it happen and I’m so glad I did! 

What was once a messy and sad room is now a cozy English bedroom for our guests. We’re so pleased with it and can’t wait to host friends and family in the future. Before I share where it is today, let’s take a look at what it looked like when we purchased our home. 

After cleaning out the room and removing the carpet, we installed new hardwoods, a new fan and painted the walls and trim in a warm white. It was quickly filled with leftover furniture and random items that didn’t have a home any other place in our house. It sat that way for over 4 years.   

In March we decided to scrap the textured ceilings in our home. You can read about that HERE. Afterwards I installed beadboard wallpaper. You can read about the wallpaper HERE. I chose a rich green color for the walls. It doesn’t read totally accurate in photos. It’s much deeper in person but you can get the idea.

The Guest Room Today

I really wanted this room to be warm and cozy for our guest and I think that this color is just those two things. 

After choosing the wall color I went on a hunt for drapery fabric. For the last few years I’ve found it to be difficult to find ready-made draperies that I’m drawn to, so I’ve been making my own. It takes more time and effort, but it’s worth it. 

I found this vintage drapery fabric on Etsy. It reminded me of Sister Parish’s Dolly fabric, which was a bit out of my budget for this project. This vintage fabric was similar and much more affordable. Sadly, the seller did not know the name or designer. She only had 8 yards, so I purchased all 8. 

I was also able to use the fabric to make a pleated lampshade for the ginger jar lamp. I’ve had a few people request a tutorial for that on IG. I hope to share a how-to really soon. 

Last year I began hunting for an antique brass bed for the room. It wasn’t until February of this year that I found one. The headboard was much taller than most headboards I was finding, which I loved and for less than $100, I was sold. It’s originally from Savannah and was restored a number of years ago. The finish is just beginning to patina again and I’m so thrilled.

I knew that I wanted to stick with older art pieces. This painting has moved around my home over the last couple of years but I think it has finally found it’s permanent home in this room.

The sketch above was purchased from an antique store for $12 and originally had a burgundy matting. I used some sample paint I had on hand and painted it a warm cream to fit the room’s color scheme a little better. 

I wanted to keep this room and it’s décor simple. While not everything is perfect, it’s cozy. It has such a quaint homey feel to it, which I love. Most of the pieces are items I already owned or from yard sales, thrift and antique stores. This was a budget makeover that I spread out over time.

Some items I would love to swap out in the future, like the area rug. This rug was originally in our dining room and later in our den and now here. Although, it’s not my first choice for this space, we’re working with what we have for now. 

This room may have taken a little more time to complete but I think it turned out just right. I wanted a place where our guest could relax and feel at home. I’ve always thought that the English country style combined with a cottage feel embodied the cozy feeling so well. My hope is that our guest will feel the same way we do about this room. 

Thanks for stopping by and taking the tour. I hope you all are having a wonderful holiday season. Merry Christmas friends! 

 

Room Sources

Wall & Trim Color – Calke Green by Farrow & Ball

Antique Brass Bed – Second hand find from Savannah, GA

Antique Pine Chest – Local antique store

Ginger Jar Lamp – Thrift store find

Pleated Lampshade – DIY

Vintage Framed Artwork – Local antique store finds 

Drapery & Lampshade Fabric – Vintage fabric from Etsy

Curtain Rod – Thrift Store

Slipcovered Wing Back Chair – Yard Sale

Rattan Foot Stoll – Antique Store in Louisville, KY

Blue & White Check Throw Pillow – DIY

Antique Pine Wardrobe – Yard Sale

White Quilt – Pottery Barn over 10 years ago

Windowpane Duvet – Ballard Designs (sadly, it’s been discontinued)

Block Print Throw Pillow – JSH Home Essentials 

Gift Wrap – JSH Home Essentials

Antique Ironstone Platters – Yard sales, thrift stores & antique stores

Vintage Baskets – Thrift & antique stores

Brass Sconce – Local antique market

Pleated Sconce Shades – Hobby Lobby

Boxwood Wreath – Homegoods 6 years ago