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Reading Room Redo

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Remember when this odd little 6′ x 6′ space…

…became our reading room?

Well, it needs to act as our guest room now, so a couple weeks back, we started clearing it out…

…and patching the walls…

…and talking about how to build a bed with a little more storage, and create walls with a little more character, and a little less stuff on ’em. I started having crazy visions of a sunburst mirrors landing on my Mom’s head in the middle of the night, so it was time for them (and the shelves) to say buh-bye!

After the room was completely clear, we loaded the car up with a bunch of wood from the home improvement store…

…and (spontaneously) decided to take a 2-hour road trip to Cullman, Alabama for some old gymnasium flooring from this place…

source

It’s called Southern Accents and they carry all kinds of awesome architectural salvage.

What a fun day that turned out to be!

Back at home, and after some hardcore rub-a-dub scrubbin’ with mineral spirits and soap & water, we started attaching the old floor boards to the back wall in the room…

Here’s what we eventually came up with…

(Note: We’ve still gotta add some trim molding below the baseboards.)

Simple, Moonlight White-painted board and batten on the side walls, a rustic gym floor back wall, a Moonlight White-painted plywood floor, and little cheery pops of color and texture here, there and everywhere!

The daybed we built was inspired by Pottery Barn’s $749 Stratton Daybed…

I think we spent around $75 to build, caulk and paint ours. If you’d like info on how to build one too, click HERE to visit Ana-White.com.

(Note: Because Kev and I each have the attention span of a gnat when it comes to directions, we didn’t actually use any plans to build our bed- but if you’re lookin’ for some rock solid instructions, and wanna cut out all the guesswork, definitely check out Ana’s plan!)

On the left side of the room, we used our leaning ladder / magazine & book rack. We haven’t secured it to the wall yet, but we do plan to do that in the near future…

For the board and batten on the side walls, we just used pre-primed MDF 1×2’s from Home Depot. They were super simple to put up with our nail gun, and because our baseboard and crown molding are flat, everything finished out nice and neat. (After a couple of tubes of caulk!)

I got the little green and yellow bucket from Ashley and Myra during our trip to Nashville this past January…

I’m such a sucker for brightly-colored vintage metal! I got the red, white and blue Bingo tin on Etsy a while back…

I’m SO gonna hide surprises in that sucker every time my Mom comes up for a visit!

We got the Pottery Barn Stratford wall sconce on eBay…

I camouflaged part of the cord by hanging one of our framed quotes on top of it…

The light has a dimmer switch- which I love. It looks so warm and cozy in there at night!

The rest of the frames hanging on that wall were also swiped from our old guest bedroom…

(My Mom’s birthday is June 13th!)

We decided to go with a more random arrangement than usual this time, and we’re really diggin’ the way they play with the board and batten.

It was such a fun little redo to work on together!

Just gotta add that trim below the baseboards, and attach a curtain rod and some curtains on the inside of the doorway for privacy, and we’ll be done!


I think.

Source List:
 
Paint on ceiling: Sea Salt – Sherwin Williams
Paint on side walls: Moonlight White – Benjamin Moore
Paint on floor: Moonlight White – Behr Premium Plus Porch & Floor Paint (Home Depot)
Pottery Barn Stratford Wall Sconce: eBay
Rug: TJ Maxx
White Pick-Stitch Quilt and Euro Shams: Pottery Barn
Floral Pillow: Ikea
Red Stripe Euro Pillow Cover: Ikea
Natural and Red Stripe Lumbar Pillow Cover: eBay
Ceiling Light: Ikea
White “Ribba” Picture Frames: Ikea
Wood Picture Frames: Walmart
Large Seagrass Baskets: HomeGoods
Blue Step Stool: J&G Flea Market, Prattville, AL
Ivory Throw Blanket: gift from our realtor
White Storage Containers: Ikea
Side Table: HomeGoods
Ladder: Nashville Flea Market
Green & Yellow Bucket: The Rare Bird Antiques, Goodlettsville, TN
Red Bingo Tin: Etsy.com
Blue Button Tin Photo: Etsy.com
Red Door Photo: LetteredCottageArt.com

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Layla

    Hey Dana!

    Nope- there’s no walls for a pocket door to slide into. 🙁
    That would be pretty cool though!
    🙂

    • Mary

      I was thinking about one of the barn doors that slide on a pulley or something like that. BUT since you said your mom was a ’70’s girl, it would be purely decorative!!LOL

  4. heidig

    Absolutely gorgeous! You both never cease to amaze me. I love it and so will your Mom.

  5. Kristy

    Wow! I absolutely love this!! Your posts are always so inspiring and make me want to get out my nail gun 😉

  6. Rachel

    We used to love going to Southern Accents when we lived in Hartselle. What a great shop! The room is beautiful. I was looking at the Stratton bed the other day for our guest room and thinking we could build it. Thanks for sharing the link to the plans!

  7. Sylvia

    I’m speechless, and that is saying a lot. I, also, couldn’t image the reading room being any more awesome. Why did it need a make over? Well, sorry for doubting you and Kevin. I agree with some others… y’all are my favorites. Hands down. Thanks for sharing your wonder talent with us.

    • Layla

      Thanks Sylvia!
      It just needed a mini makeover…the walls were pretty dinged up, and needed repairing, and I didn’t want my Mom to lose an eye to any of that sharp-edged while she was sleeping/moving around in there! 😀

  8. Debbie

    I’m so happy to find your blog 😉 You & Kevin are quite inspirational to me. I loved the reading room, but the guest room is just as lovely!

    I’d love to copy your Pottery Barn inspired daybed in our living/dining/kitchen room in our little cottage at the beach. Would you mind sharing the type mattress you used? Do you have any problem with slippage?

    • Layla

      Nice to meet you Debbie!
      We actually just used the mattress that Kev used as a child! 😀

  10. Jennifer

    Gasp!!! When I read that you were redoing your reading room I was bummed…until I saw the final outcome! Beautiful, guys! LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!!!

  11. Catherine Cook

    I absolutely love it … especially the platform bed with the great storage. My daughter and her husband are fixing up their little house and storage remains a problem. The bed in their guest room might lend itself to that treatment. I also love how much you love your mom.

  12. Kristi @ Creative Kristi

    Oh. My. Gosh! Layla!!!!! How could you take that gorgeous room & make it even more gorgeous?! Love! Love love love!! 🙂 (and I’m SURE it’ll get the Mom seal o’approval when she comes to visit!)

  13. Tracey

    Both rooms done are absolutely beautiful but I am a little confused as to which one is the after? I love everything in both but I see you listed one as the after but showed the steps to do the other but both had the same before.(If that makes sense)

  14. Melanie J

    Layla

    Its beautiful…you guys are so creative! I love the combination of rustic and crisp in the wood/white tones. Im sure you mother will have many sweet dreams in that room. Love the pics in the car, I thought I was the only one you had to take my headrests off on my junking excursions. lol

    MJ
    Lucky 7 Design

  15. Julie {CalleLillyCafe}

    I absolutely LOVE this re-do! I usually don’t like dark wood but love what you did w/it in this room! I would love to stay in this room! love those vintage metal tins too! awesome-ness from the cute couple. =)

  18. Leah

    When I read that you were re-doing that beautiful room, I was like, “Nooooooooo!”
    Then, when I scrolled down to the reveal, I was like, “Whooooooooa!!!”
    Keep on ‘trusting your crazy ideas’, Layla!! : )

  19. Courtney Henson

    You two are just amazing! You take a room that is perfectly beautiful as is and make it even better! The gym floor on the back wall is incredible….so, so pretty! Love it all…what a lucky and blessed Mom to get to visit and sleep there!

  21. Lucy

    Layla! I have been waiting and waiting on this reveal!! I absolutely LOVE what you did with the gym flooring! When you guys drove away in your cute little car with all that wood sticking in and out of every space, I was a little worried for ya! You did a remarkable job and I’m so glad I didn’t ask for any sneak peeks along the way! The final outcome is breathtakingly beautiful! Thanks for giving us the shout out! Come back and see us anytime!! xoxo Lucy

  23. lindajb

    You guys totally amaze me. When I started reading, I thought oh no, I love the old room don’t do anything to it. Well, shut my mouth, it is even more georgous. I love it and still want to borrow Kevin for a few years.

  24. Candi Rodgers

    I love the room! I think you should totally build a sliding barn door for this room with the hinges on the outside of the room. I mean, wouldn’t it look perfect in your house? Yes, it would! I love the salvaged gym floors and the board and batten as well.

  26. Sandy A

    I didn’t think it could look better—it doesn’t just look better–it is beautiful!!!! I loved this room before and now, well, what is the word for more than love? You amaze us and I should not be surprised–you do it all the time. Thank you for sharing your home and talents with us. You don’t mind we copy do you?…..

  27. Melissa

    Layla,

    I LOVE LOVE LOVE the floral IKEA pillow. I have searched high and low for a up close image of that pillow since I read the post on the room. Is it possible to get a closer image or larger image? My handy dandy needle and thread are poised and ready to make the awesome pillow myself. I just cannot get a good look at the design..Please and Thank you!

  28. Kami

    Wow! Old gymnasium flooring on the wall?! I love it! You two really are so great at what you do. Thank you for the inspiration! I love the new room!

  32. Elaine

    LOVE IT! That is incredible, love the old wood wall, such a cool idea. The room looks so cozy and inviting – really an awesome job!

  33. Gail

    Oh my goodness you guys….the room looks beyond amazing! Great idea with the gym flooring back wall. I totally want to steal that idea. 😉

    Hugs,
    Gail

  34. Sara

    I am forever amazed everytime you guys work over a room. It looks like something plucked straight from the pages of Country Living or BHG, but with even more charm and character. I love it! What a neat idea to use old gym flooing on the wall.

  38. Charcoal and crayons

    And I thought I was in love with the reading room. I guess my feelings are a tad fickle because I think I love this guest room even more! The contrast between the wood gym flooring and the white board and batten is stunning. Plus, I absolutely adore your “Trust your crazy ideas” notebook.

  39. Rita

    three words; A-MAZE-ING ! Where did you get the idea to use the floor on the wall. I was surprised to see it there.
    Great look!
    Cheers!
    Rita

  40. Heidi

    All of you guys with your adorable southern accents make me wish I talked like you all……or should I say “ya’ll”? 😉 Anyways this room turned out beautiful as ever but I think watching the pictures of your fun day was maybe the best part. I love a good road trip!!!

  41. Lili

    It’s amazing to me how you 2 can transform “Beautiful” into “Stunning”

  42. Leah @ JustPluckingDaisies

    I really love how you don’t just convert add some extra blankets, etc. to make the existing room a nice bedroom. I love how you go ALL out every time. I am just too lazy for that. I hate clutter, and so I don’t have a stock of cool things to spice stuff up, and any “redesign” involves a new set of bed blankets. I am so inspired by your energy!

  43. Robin

    When you said you were re-doing the reading room I was so sad because I LOVE that room….

    but WOW!!!!! This is even better! Such a great job! 🙂

  46. Irene

    Are you serious? That bed is awesome! I’ve been looking for something like it for our small guestroom/office and this is PERFECT!!! Thanks for the link.

    BTW – That rooms looks amazing!!!

  47. Nita@ModVintageLife

    I didn’t want to see you change this room. This room has always been my favorite in your house. Then when I saw what you were putting on the wall…I freaked. But I have to say that reclaimed flooring looks very nice. It adds depth to the room. It makes the room look larger. I am wanting to make a window seat just like your bed and the pottery barn bed for a room in my house. I was just looking at it last week and thinking about making one. I have fabulous built in shelves on either side of the window and it’s the perfect spot to add a bed like this….although…I’d make mine narrow. Thanks for the inspiration!

  49. Wendy

    Wow! I loved it before and now I love it even more! Gorgeous! You 2 are amazing! Just wondering, how long did each section take? So I can convince my husband to do something similar!

  50. Heather

    Love! The gymnasium floor boards on the wall looks incredible. The little pops of red from the gym floor paint are just right!