This room started out stinky, and quickly morphed to messy…
We stained the floor that dark brown color after we ripped out the carpet, but we did a bad job, and craved a lighter look, so we sanded it back again and just used clear Varathane to seal them the second time around…
Around that same time, we discovered wood planks inside the closet, and decided to go Tasmanian Devil on the drywall…
Ah, the memories.
Now here we are, five years and LOTS of elbow grease later, and the room is finally DONE!
Ok, maybe not completely done. We still want to swap out the door and doorknob on the right in the photo above with something more cottage-y.
(PS- That’s the reading room back there in the distance, and this is the only place in our house that you can stand and see one completely finished room from another- ha!) #FixerUpper
Like the title of this blog post says, it’ll function as both Kevin’s office and our guest bedroom, so we basically just split the room in half and created separate areas for each “room”.
We tucked Kev’s work area in the most hidden corner of the room, that way, if when he makes a mess, it’s not the first thing folks see when they stroll past the door.
(Especially the folks who have offices on the other side of the hall from this one. #HeeHee)
Brian the Carpenter custom built Kev’s desk- A) because it was much less expensive to build it than it would’ve been to buy one this size, and B) because we could decide the exact dimensions.
His musical gear fits nice and neat inside the shelves, and he looks forward to finding a keyboard to use on the (currently empty) desktop on the left in the photo above.
It was pretty simple construction, and Brian and I just kind of dreamed it up as we went along. The front and top are wood, and everything else is MDF.
My favorite part are the cord channels smarty pants Brian added to the inside/back walls.
He drilled holes everywhere Kev thought he might use a piece of equipment with a cord attached to it, and instead of having to look at hang-y, messy cords everywhere, they’ll all lay inside the channels! #LoveThat
Kev hung his “vision board” on the wall straight in front of his chair, and placed a wooden desk organizer to the right of his computer. It came from a local flea market a few years back, and I picked up the Lettered Cottage-y notebook at Walmart the other day…
My favorite part of this side of the room is a teeny tiny accessory, mounted to the closet door next to his desk…
Shortly after I met Kevin, I told him about a story I had heard about how John Lennon met Yoko Ono. It was at one of her art shows. She had set up a ladder that led to a painting, which was hanging on the ceiling. It was a white canvas, suspended by chains, and there was a magnifying glass hanging on the end of it. Lennon said, “I climbed the ladder, looked through the spyglass, and in tiny little letters it said, YES. It so was positive.”
I love passing that kind of positivity onto him, and I hope it helps to remind him that he can do it whenever he needs a little reminder.
He keeps his guitar picks in an old Bingo tin, and because he’s a greenery guy, we also popped an easy-to-take-care-of plant on his desk.
The pencils came from Pottery Barn ions ago, and because he’s also a pencil guy, we plopped a bunch of those and a pencil sharpener (that looks like a camera!) on his desktop, too.
I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to see him in there, surrounded by all his gear and guitars…
Music is his passion and I’m beyond thrilled that all of his favorite things are finally out of storage, dusted off, and alive and crankin’ in his room!
We pulled in a little flea market stool (that was previously in the kitchen) so that when I go in to listen to what he’s working on, or need to run something by him, etc. – I’ve got a sweet little spot to sit for a spell.
Over on the other side of the room, I had fun pulling together a camp-y/cottage-y sleeping space for our guests…
I went with a bunch of different patterns and colors that appealed to both me and my mister’s sensibilities.
We haven’t had an overnight visitor yet, but Kit-Cat l-o-v-e, loves it…
…and that makes us smile every time we see it!
And speaking of smile-makers…I’m cuckoo for the fronts and backs of the euro pillows Kev got me for my birthday last month…
Cable knit on the front, plaid on the back? Yes, please! Canvas on the front, navy blue corduroy on the back? Yes, yes, yes! #Scrumpdillyicious
I’ve already blogged about the closet doors and bedside tables, and we’re still pleased as punch with how those turned out, too…
Brian the Carpenter did such a great job bringing our vision to life.
(Brian: We can’t thank you enough for being so much fun to work with on this project. We’ve enjoyed getting to know you and your son, and we feel blessed to call y’all our friends!)
And since this post is all about the finishing touches, I thought I’d include photos of some things in the room I’ve already blogged about, too. The ceiling light:
The wall sconces:
The window treatments:
(I cut the tabs off and used curtain rings instead!)
Last but not least, here’s a quick little video we put together last night…just for fun…
Clearly it was way past my bedtime.
Here’s a resource list of everything we used in the room:
wall paint: Roycroft Mist Gray (Sherwin Williams)
ceiling and trim paint: Moonlight White (Benjamin Moore)
closet door paint: We had the red paint matched at Home Depot from Para Paints, “Orchard” paint sample card. (Orchard paint is only available in Canada.) Here’s the formula we used:
We brushed on (and immediately wiped off) some Mocha-colored translucent color glaze (from Lowes) after the red paint had dried to tone it down a bit and to bring out the imperfections in the doors.
floor stain: clear, satin Varathane (Lowes)
desk paint: “Graphite” (Annie Sloan)
ceiling and closet planks: Lowes
closet doors and doorknobs: Southern Accents (Cullman, Alabama)
curtains: Lenda (Ikea)
curtain rods: Walmart
curtain rings: Walmart
blinds: Home Depot
wall sconces: Schoolhouse Electric
ceiling light: Barn Light Electric
bedside corbels: Junk Bonanza (Shakopee, Minnesota)
carpet tiles: “Soft Spoken” in Linen (Flor)
bed: used to belong to Kevin’s parents
white quilt: Pottery Barn (Pick-Stitch)
blue and white striped blanket: Schoolhouse Electric
brown and white, buffalo check blanket: Schoolhouse Electric
euro pillow #1: Schoolhouse Electric
euro pillow #2: Schoolhouse Electric
bolster pillow: Schoolhouse Electric
burlap pillow: The Nest on Etsy
ticking stripe pillow case: Pottery Barn (discontinued)
stool: J&G Flea Market (Prattville, Alabama)
desk lamp: Target
“Oh How I Love Thee” burlap art: Burlap Art by Elizabeth on Etsy
bingo tin: Etsy
glass pencil container: Pottery Barn (discontinued)
pencils: Pottery Barn (discontinued)
blue “I love you” pen: ?
camera pencil sharpener: My Funky Camera
wood desk organizer: J&G Flea Market (Prattville, Alabama)
“yes” plaque: Casa.com
desk chair: Office Depot
desk baskets: ? (we’ve had them forever!)
baskets above closet doors: Pottery Barn (discontinued)
dog art: Shop Ten 25
guitar mounts: Sam Ash
It’s been a fun room to re-do, and we look forward to tackling another one soon. In the meantime, visit the Our House tab at the top of our blog for more makeover madness!
Wanna read about our home office/guest bedroom redo from the beginning? Here are links to all the posts we published along the way!
5/8/12- Wall Color
5/21/12- Closet Doors
5/23/12- Closet Construction
5/25/12- Closet Construction (2)
5/28/12- Closet Update And Ceiling Construction
5/30/12- Cottage Style Trim
6/20/12- Time To Paint
7/ 16/12- Schoolhouse Electric Wall Sconces
7/18/12- Barn Light Electric Sky Chief Ceiling Light
Looks awesome! What did you do inside the closets? Or did I miss that? lol As always you are silly & funny & just plain ol’ loveable!
Thanks, Kristi! You can see the simple shelves we used on the inside of the closets by clicking on the “Time To Paint” link at the end of the post. We put our camera equipment and extra blankets inside them! 🙂
Layla ~ it’s been a labor of love and I’ve enjoyed watching it unfold. Love the results! We’re all anticipating the formula for your red closet doors color. I want it for my front door! Thank you so much for sharing the process! WONDERFUL! 😀
Thank you! I promise to dig out that formula and post it here asap! 😀
I love the red doors they are so warm and inviting…Where did you get the door knobs on the red doors I love cottage look it gives.
Karen
Hi Karen! They came from Southern Accents as well. Here’s a link to the post about them: Closet Doors 🙂
five years?! well, all i have to say is this room was totally worth the wait. you did a tremendous job!
would it be awkward if i used your color scheme on a room in my own home? i really am in love with the gray, white, and red combo with a room that has wood floors and several baskets.
Oh my gosh – I love EVERYTHING about this room!!! This is going to be the inspiration for our study when we finally get around to fixing it up. I love the L-shaped desk and guitar mounts. They’re perfect for our space! I’ll have to add an L-shaped desk to my ever-growing list of furniture projects.
I knew this room would be the perfect blend of beauty meets function (just like you two). I have to say for as handy as you and Kevin are I love that you utilized a carpenter in this project. People who work in the trades are nothing short of amazing. Craftsmanship adds so much character and personalization to a space. Nice work!
Thanks, Shawn! 🙂 We decided we wanted to get it done right, the first time around! Brian was an absolute delight to work with, and his rates were super affordable too. We’re looking forward to working with him on our guest bathroom next! 🙂
I really, really love it, and I would really, really like to be your guest! but more so, you gave me many ideas and lot’s of inspiration on how to decorate my guest room / office!
Thanks so much for sharing this, both of you! have a good weekend!
What is the size of the room? I’m moving soon and have a guest room to redo that needs to function as a sewing room also. I love the cozy look!
Curious how you liked working with the Annie Sloan chalk paint?? Did you finish with the wax?
Everything looks so comfortable and welcoming…Don’t know about you, but even though I always get anxious for a project to get done I feel a little sad at the same time, because the process of creating it is so much fun – it’s so cool to see your vision come together isn’t it?
Thanks for the inspiration – we need to tackle our home office one of these days too!!
Leah: )
I have been dying to see the finished room and it’s even better than I expected. I love everything you’ve done … and of course, I’m super pleased to see you’ve used my pillow cover in the room – thanks so much 🙂
When you were first doing the closets I couldn’t quite imagine them not dominating the room and squashing the bed in which of course, they don’t – they look amazing and the pops of red on the doors really makes the room. The whole space looks fantastic!! I know I’ve said this before but when I win the lottery I’m flying you two over here to re-do my house!!
Sam x
Truly amazing, beautiful, tasteful and classic! (I hope that is what you were going for!) One question (actually two, but I can’t remember the second one!) Tell us about the carpet/rug you put down. It looks great and I love how it goes around the closets!
it’s really a beautiful room, layla and kevin.
you guys did a great job bringing the room to life and making it your own.
very impressed with your mad skills.
Oh I remember now! Second, tell us about the log lamp. Love that, too! I am a mother of 5 sons and I have a husband so it has been a challenge to decorate in a way that suits both sexes in our house. You, my dear, have done exactly that!
Hi Layla, The room is beautiful! I actually have a question about the desk. I have been looking for the perfect L-shaped desk for months now, and they are either expensive or really poorly made. I had never even THOUGHT of having one built. I don’t know if you are comfortable sharing this, but I was wondering how much it cost to have it made? I am trying to decide if it would be worth it to look into having one built. Thank you!
Thanks, Alana! We paid around $250 for the wood and materials, and Brian charged $200 to build it. All of the desks I looked at before we hired Brian cost between 600 and 1200 dollars, and wouldn’t have been the right size/configuration. Custom was definitely the way to go for us! 🙂
What a thoroughly beautiful space! Really well done and I’m sure many of us would love to have that room in our homes. I’ve come in at the tail end of this project but still enjoyed it and look forward to more!
Oh! I love it! You are SOOO good at details and bringing it all together. I admire both of your styles. :). (p.s. adorable how Max and Kit-Cat had to be part of the video!)
Perfection! Inquiring minds want to know what YOUR office looks like now!! Please share!:)
~Kim
Oh boy. It’s not quite ready for it’s close up yet (it looks almost exactly like the “during” photo at the beginning of this post!) but we hope to have it gussied up by the end of next month!
Looooooove it!
Love your new guest bedroom/Kevin’s office! Especially the red closet doors. You guys are so talented and hard working! Cute video – you should have your own show on HGTV (they are so stupid to not have you). You and Kevin are better than any of those so called designers on Design Stars.
Love, love, love this room!! Great use of space and it’s the epitome of cottage chic! Bravo, Layla!
xo Heidi
Thank you, Heidi! 😀
It looks so good…I truly love EVERYTHING!! I would like to pick up this room and plop it in my house…minus the music gear…only person who likes my singing is my 13 month old 🙂
Congrats on the gold record Kevin!
Thank you Sarita! 🙂
In case no one else has told you yet, that plant is poisonous to cats! I check the ASPCA’s list before I buy anything!
Hi Kate! Thanks for the heads up! I just checked with my (horticulturist) mom and she said it can cause intense burning and irritation of the mouth, but that it’s not fatal unless they eats lots of it. Time to move that sucker to the top of the fridge! 😀
Wow…so cozy, so warm and inviting…lurve it! Makes me want to redo every bedroom in that style!
Fabulous!
OH my. I love it so much!!
I love it; it looks fantastic! Great idea splitting the room up that way and it looks like it works really well. My favorite part of the room is all the layering on the bed- very pretty!
Layla, you couldn’t be any cuter if you tried!!! Lauri
Lauri, you are too sweet! 😀
What a great place for a guest!
The room looks bagorgeous! I, too, have a guest bedroom/office and am in the process of renovating it. Such a challenge to make a functional space that still feels cozy and inviting to overnight guests. You and your team did a great job. You must want to hang out in there all the time now 🙂
I love everything about this post… love the room too 😉 I will be saving this and referring back to it – thanks so much for sharing your life and incredible talent with us!
Thank YOU, Sharyl! What a sweet comment you left for us to find! 😀
I love how this turned out. Especially all the great fabrics you used on the bed. I was waiting to see the Swiss Army blanket that you featured earlier, but even though you didn’t use it (that I can see anyway), I do see the inspiration.
By the way, I ended up ordering those blankets for my boys, and am loving how their room is turning out, so thanks for the inspiration!
Hi Ginger! The army blanket we got wasn’t quite the chocolate-y brown I was hoping for, and it was really, really musty stinky! 🙁 Glad you were able to find some that smelled good and worked for you! 🙂
OH goodness! I was thinking about ordering a Swiss Army blanket for my boys room… Are they too stinky?? Are they more green/grey than brown?? Thanks! LOVE the room and so jealous of the wood under your sheet rock!
Hey Haley! I don’t think they’re all stinky, but the one we ordered sure was! I would say ours is more “purple-y brown”. Not green or grey. Hope that helps! 😀
Well, done, It looks REALLY good!
Hi Layla! I LOVE how it all turned out. Two questions: do you have any other favorite grays that I can compare to Roycroft Mist Gray? We are having our great room painted and I’m fretting over choosing the color! Our current color is much more beige-y, and I’d like to stay in the griege family to keep it warm. Secondly, when you cut the tabs off of the curtains, did you do anything special to hang them up or did you just clip it? Thanks so much! Love everything in this room!
Hey Laura! I haven’t used another gray, so I’m not sure. ? Roycroft Mist Gray is very warm though, so you might want to try a sample of it! 🙂 As for the curtains, I just cut the tabs off and clipped ’em up! Easy breezy!
LOVE IT! I love this campy cottage style, its beautiful and well planned…yet comfortable and inviting. Bravo! Thank you for documenting it so well…very enjoyable!
A.MAY.ZING!
I love it! You better be careful… your guests might never leave!
Love the room, you guys did a great job! I like how you made up words, hahaha funny, I will forever refer to guitars hanging on walls at Gart.
Looks fantastic you guys! The red doors really make the room for me. Love the Sugarboo print and the Flor tiles as well. Love that you said it took 5 years, keeps things in perspective for me 😉
Thanks, friend! 😀 We’re hoping to have the guest bathroom done within the next five years, too! 😀
You two have done it again! The room looks amazing!
So excited to see it finally! And I have been lusting over the sugarboo dog art since I saw it in an Atlanta design magazine…it looks just like my doggie!
I love everything about this room. It’s amazing how your styles came together and complimented each other in the finished space. I can’t believe it is the same room your started with. LOVE!
oh my frick, that was an awesome video! put a smile on my face and i needed that today. love the room, love the office, the bed area, you guys did a great job. my kitties can come over and have a kitty sleepover with KitKat 😀
I love the room, and I LOVE the video 😉
The vet in me has to tell you philodendrons can be toxic to cats (vomiting, oral pain, etc.) and it looks like Kit-Cat is pretty interested in that plant (just like my cats would be. *sigh*) so please keep an eye on him!
Do you have any public appearances coming up??? I’m a southern girl who just got to move back to Alabama from northern NY, so I’d love a chance to come get an autograph!
Hi Shellaine!
My (horticulturist) Mom told me she’s going to swap out that plant for an “iron cross begonia” the next time she comes up to visit! 😀
No “public appearances” scheduled right now, but we have been talking with the folks at Southern Accents about doing an event with them sometime this summer/fall. Hope to meet you there!
I love it! Okay, I have those blinds, how do you hang them so the hardware does not show? Thanks for sharing all your GREAT ideas!
Hi Kelly!
The blinds we bought are inside mount blinds so they mount to the inside/top of the window. The hardware is covered up by the built-in valance. Nice and neat! 🙂
Layla – It’s beyond fabu. There isn’t anything I don’t love about it, and it looks so inviting by lamplight. Brian makes me want to consider relocating to Alabama. He is a jewel. I mean that in those most rugged, manly way, of course. 🙂 We’ve been trying to get the FLOR carpet tiles in Canadaland. So far…. no luck.
Thank you! And, you’re right- Brian the Carpenter sure IS a jewel, Elen! 😀
This is dynamite- really great job and I just love your furniture layout. It can be so difficult to combine an office and guest room and for the focus to still stay on the pretty bedroom part when you enter. You did this perfectly!
Thank you so much, Kelly! I appreciate your kind comment so much! 😀
A.Dor.Able! You guys are amazing! Love, love, love it ALL!
Thank you, Louise! 😀
Beautiful, adorable, useful, cozy, inspiring! Great job, Layla!
What a great space! I love the combination. Can’t wait to show this to my husband – he is currently working on turning our spare room into a ‘music room’ to house his guitars and amps, and I know he’ll get a kick out of seeing such an amazing finished space! All your well thought-out, unique touches make the room so special.
It looks soooo pretty. I will come stay anytime. I love the red doors, the texture, the bedding…sigh. You think of everything, too, with the pencils and the “yes.” It’s absolutely gorgeous.