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…
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
Hi Layla & Kevin,
Your guest room looks so beautiful and cozy – you have done a brilliant job! The old floor boards look amazing – what a great idea! I love what you have done in your house – your are both so very talented.
Keep on inspiring me!
Greetings from Australia 🙂
Layla, I absolutely looooove this space. I read the post yesterday and just cannot get the reclaimed wood wall out of my head. I love the clean white and neutral aesthetic and the pops of red! Absolutely love it. Great job!
LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!! You always do Beautiful work!! I wanna come be a guest in the guest room for a night now! 🙂
Holy guacamole Layla & Kevin – once again you ROCKED THIS!! Who would have ever thought about using old gym flooring on the wall- LOVE IT! And I think I have just been inspired to re-do my daughter’s room using the daybed idea. We moved from a 2000+sq ft home to an under 1000sq ft farmhouse that we remodeled and she’s really missing her big room with room for all her dolls and playthings….I think the extra storage and a cute daybed would give her more room to play and the extra storage that she needs to keep her room looking tidy. Thanks guys – seriously love y’all and your over the top ideas!
Wow, this is just lovely! This is my favorite of all of your makeovers. Fantastically creative! Well done!!
I love it! So absolutely charming. Makes you want to grab a good book or magazine and get comfy! Great use of space!
Thank you Janelle!
Wow! I was impressed with your reading room and now blown away with your guest room. I love the dark wood wall. It’s a great focal point. Your guests are going to love staying there.
As always, you are an inspiration.
Keep those ideas coming!
my FAVORITE redo so far!!!!!!!!! scrumptious…..mumptious!!!!!!!!!!!!
I went away on a little holiday to a hotel that specialized in naturally hot mineral pools. So as I was soaking to my heart’s content, my mind kept wandering to this room. Your room. And how on EARTH you get the pictures to look so bright and white. Killer photography to match a killer room.
I’m dyin’. Kevin, please hurry with that advice! 🙂
Donna
First I have to say that your blog is my absolute favorite among all the blogs I read each week…. I always know you will post something interesting, full of character and right up my alley style-wise! LOVE LOVE LOVE your stuff, girl!
Second, quick question on the flooring in your new guest room. I noticed you said you painted the plywood floors. Well, I have seriously U-G-L-Y linoleum in my kitchen, original to the house (which, might I add, was built in the FORTIES!!!!!). And I’m on a serious budget. Do you think a kitchen is a practical space to have painted plywood floors until we add tile? How easy would they be to clean?
Thanks for all you do… And I am PRAYING for your journey to adopt a child!
~ Maran
i have not been able to stop staring at your mom’s “new room”! your attention to detail is amazing. i’m sharing this on my facebook page so i can keep staring at it. (and i think all my friends should stare at it too.)
http://www.facebook.com/barnowlprimitives
xo ~ kristi
ps ~ i so love the idea of your hiding surprises in that darling tin…i totally need to borrow that idea too.
wow so much impact for such a little room! I loved the last makeover you did on this tiny space and you have already changed it to another great looking and storage usable space! You’re making me feel a bit lazy with my rooms that I haven’t even started on no less the 2nd time around!!
bee blessed
mary
I LOVE that!!!!! how amazing that you built your daybed for $75! I’m inspired. Love the leaning ladder and books too. Thanks for the inspiration!!
OK you guys are simply amazing. I LOVED the room before and I LOVE it after!! We are totally getting some gym floorboards for our entry now 🙂 I have a question… what are the paint colors from your previous room redo? {The stripes}?
wow! I LOVE what you have created…what a gorgeous *sanctuary* for your Mom 🙂 I was excited to see you used the Ikea Euro striped pillow…I have two of those in my living room for a splash of color – and, I share my birthday with your Mom..mine’s also June 13th!!
Simply amazing! I can only wish my hubby and I had half the creativity that y’all have!
Layla and Kevin – you two are amazing! So glad I found you in blogland. Since you posted your reading room redo I have come back to peek and drool over it many times – at least 5 times 🙂 but who’s counting? I absolutely love this idea and you nailed it with such detail and class. Can I just tell you both what an informative, creative, and lovely site you have blessed us all with. Keep on inspiring us with your beautiful rooms and photographs. Can’t wait to see what you are up to next.
It turned out lovely with a little fun mixed in! I would enjoy staying in your new cozy guest nook!
I am from Indiana and I love your blog. My Husband was born in Ala. and his family lives near the Cullman area. I cannot wait for the family reunion in June to check out the southern accents shop. You both are such an inspiration. Thanks for the tip on the shop and your room is awesome!
Layla!!! I don’t know how you do it! Every time you touch a room it gets better…and that didn’t seem possible since it was perfect to begin with. My jaw is on the floor. Bravo girl!
Hi Layla and Kevin,
Haven’t followed along in a while…busy with my wild 6 year old. Am curious…are you going to reuse the oar you had in your original guest room? I’m assuming you are converting it to a nursery, so there is a good chance you will use the oar. But, if not, I want to buy it from you. I need an oar just like that for my 6 year olds room and I haven’t found anything I like yet online. Please let me know.
Thanks!
Oh, Layla!!! I loved the room before & didn’t see how you could possibly come up with better, but oh my goodness, I love that old wood on the walls. Fantastic redo, you and Kevin are truly amazing. You are a stylin’ genius, my friend! xoxo Thank you for your very sweet words on my post this week.
Not only does this inspire me to make a daybed, but I adore the wood panel wall. I loved the reading room but this gorgeous too 🙂
WOW! So impressive! Love how the wall turned out. varied and beautiful.
Love it!! It looked great before, but I can’t believe how different the space looks now! Did you have hardwood floor in there that you painted or did you remove the floor and paint the subfloor? I’m trying to figure out where the gap came from lol…since I just ripped up my own carpet and now have to install trim below my baseboards. Are you going to use shoe or quarter round?
Hey Rachael!
We had laminate flooring in there, but we ripped it out and just painted the plywood. We’re going to use 1×2’s as trim molding so it matches the rest of the room.
🙂
Thanks!! I bet it will look great! I love some B&B 🙂
You kids are brilliant! I so love the warmth the gym floors add to your new guest room. Bravo!!!!!!
This. Is. Amazing. I want to try the stripes in my office because it needs some serious help. Thanks for the wonderful ideas!
Genius! I love everything about this space. The daybed with storage (awesome how it fits so perfectly in that nook!), the floor board walls, all the white and pops of color. You have inspired me!
I never thought you could top the reading room – that was so cute, but the new guest room is even cuter. love the wood wall, the red accents, the painted floor!!! You are the best!
Joni
Wow! What a transformation. Just love this bed idea you did as well as the entire space.
Oooo….I’ve been wanting to go to that place in Cullman for a while. Love the bed idea!
You guys rock! What an amazing little nook. I have those Ikea pillows. Why do they look so much better here?;) Have a great weekend.
Gorgeous space! Well done. 🙂
Absolutely amazing! Love it! You’re both so talented to be able to envision the potential in a space that so many wouldn’t have a clue what to do with!! Your mom’s very lucky! 🙂
Just found your website…LOVE IT! Thanks for all the inspiration. Love your style and the creativity rocks! I’m in Tuscaloosa and I must say southern girls know how to get it done:)
Oh my goodness Lora! How are you doin’ up there? I’ve been glued to the Weather Channel all day!!! :-O
Made it through intact. Several friends had severe damage but no injuries! God is gracious. Thanks for asking.
Keep the inspiration coming…I’ve been looking around my house all day to determine where I could fit in a nook like yours.
That’s the cutest thing I’ve seen in a long time. You two sure have the knack!
Y’all did an INCREDIBLE job!!! So well done! 🙂
Lovely! I love the wall and bed! I love cozy small spaces. You both do a wonderful job.
Layla, you & Kev are truly talented! I’m always amazed at your transformations. I love this guest room – such a clever idea with the gymnasium flooring and the whole space is oozing with charm. As I was looking at your pics & reading your entry, I wondered if you couldn’t add one of those sliding barn doors along that wall instead of curtains to close it off? Not sure if it would be feasible, but I just thought it might look cool with the rest of your decor (your entire house is so fabulous btw!).
Keep up the awesome work and thanks for all the daily inspiration (and motivation!).
I love this room:) My son just left for basic training and I would love to redo his 8×10 room while he is gone. I am wondering if you could let me know where you found pics for inspiration (since our room is 8×10 we have a few inches at one end of the bed, thinking built in cabinet?) so I can gather all ideas before making some decisions and getting started.
ALSO, want to rip out the carpet and lay wooden plank flooring…sites w/ instructions??
THANKS for all of your ideas and encouragement.
BLESSSINGS
[email protected]
GORGEOUS, GORGEOUS, GORGEOUS, GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I absolutely love what you guys did! I really love the cozy, reclaimed- feeling of the wall. Nice job!!!
Layla and Kevin, it looks great. Y’all got that nail-gun thing down to a science now. You really gave the room so much depth and character. Love it!
You and Kevin are my new inspiration. My husband is hating me now since all I do is drag him to Home Depot. I love both rooms, but I love the paint in your reading room. Asking your opinion: can I do those horizontal stripes in a small bathroom? We have a beachy type house. If so, how large were your stripes and do you mind me asking the paint type and colors you used?
What colors did you use on the stripes that were shown in the before picture? I think the striped wall is great.
Thanks,
Camille
GORGEOUS room! And hey, I live in Cullman! I’m sad to say I have never been in the store though I drive by it a LOT. I will def be dragging the husband in there sometime soon!
Hello Layla and Kevin – I linked your nook to my guest rooms post today (for those who haven’t seen it!!!), you did a fantastic job with this space!
I love the room – beautiful, comfortable and fresh! I’m wondering about the spacing between your batten boards – I plan on adding it to our family room and I really like the amount of spacing you have – enough for pics etc – thanks!
How do you paint over laminate flooring? The paint won’t stick will it? Can you scuff up laminate so the paint will stick?
Hmmm…I don’t think I’d tackle that project…sounds like it would be destined to scuff! :-O
Hi Layla, I sat for days trying to decide which question to ask you first…because I have about a million. We have a child with animal allergies in a house with a cat and dog we can’t part with. It has been recommended that we remove all carpet but we can’t afford putting in another type of flooring. I thought of maybe removing at least the carpet in their rooms and painting the base flooring, is that what you did here? It looks possible and the products are easy to get, but what about low VOC? Could I use a milk base paint for the job? I have 3 boys and I home school so the wear would be high traffic. I found this idea http://www.earthpigments.com/casein/milk-lime-paint.cfm and wanted your feedback. And with that I’ll save the other 999,999 other questions for another time. Great site – I pour over it!
I love this room! I so want to make that day bed (I am teaching myself how to make furniture) and I love the reclaimed wood on the walls. I never would have thought of that but it looks amazing!