This post contains affiliate links. See my disclaimer for more info. Like many of you my style has changed quite a bit over the years, with three real shifts in direction. When I first moved out on my own I was all about blues, greens and reds. I've always been into color and my first apartment and first chance to make my own decisions made that very apparent. While the blue walls weren't planned (there's a realllllly long story there, maybe another day), the rest was compiled with a non-existent budget and tons of hand-me-downs. It's hard to believe that was nearly a decade ago. The evidence of that first apartment are a little embarrassing so while I've over here cringing, I'll ask you to remember that I was very young and overly enthusiastic. That overall style and color scheme stayed with me for a few years. Fortunately the blue walls didn't last! We moved from that apartment which was barely 700 square feet to a two bedroom, two bath apartment that was nearly 1,500 square feet and I was officially decorating with another person (and their opinions) in mind. We collected so much stuff over those first few year after doubling the size of our home. Many of the pieces have stayed with us, even as our styles changed and we moved over and over again, and down sized over and over again. When we moved into our house we were definitely short on furniture but not decor. We were fortunate to receive a bed and dresser from a family member who was moving. That combined with some fresh trim paint and spray painted doorknobs took our first guest room from the sad empty space you see below to what it is today. If you look closely you'll recognize A LOT of elements from my first home in this guest room. The throw pillows, rug and curtains are some of the most impactful pieces in this room and they've been with me since the very beginning. I've really struggled with what to do with the bed frame and dresser. The oak is in great shape but the color shows its age and doesn't work with the rest of my house. As you've probably heard me mention before, refinishing furniture is my least favorite DIY project under the sun. While I definitely prefer the look of stained wood over painted, I just have no patience for it. Lately I've been toying with the idea of using chalk or milk paint to update this set. If any of you have words of wisdom for me, I'd love your feedback! This room hosts lots of tiny humans and canine visitors, so I want a solution that is EASY and durable. None of these items are still available but the curtains came from Target, the rug from JcPenney.com, and the throw pillows from Pier 1 Imports. This paint color drives me crazy. Check out how different it looks in the two photos above. Sometimes its a lovely neutral gray and other times it takes on a purple hue and I start crawling out of my skin. I've been dreaming about repainting since the day we moved in. It's definitely on my long, long list of to-do's! If you haven't caught on yet, I'm all about making my house personal. I believe it makes a house feel like home, loved, and makes others feel welcome and like family. Our guests rooms are certainly no exception to this. The art above the bed was made by my super crafty sister-in-law. It contains lyrics from the Minus The Bear song "Pachuca Sunrise", a song that became very special to my husband and I when we very first met over ten years ago. Obviously this piece is close to my heart for multiple reasons, even if it doesn't work with our current color scheme, but I loved it in here. It, along with so many of the other pieces in this room, are from the early days of "us", and coming into this room is kind of like taking a trip down memory lane. My husband bought me these little love birds when we first moved in together years, and they fit perfect in this room. This inexpensive (dollar store!) frame is the perfect way to display our wifi info so no guests have to awkwardly ask how to connect. The antique books belonged to a beloved family member who is no longer with us, and are the perfect touch to this side table serving as a night stand. Lastly is this gorgeous vase from Pier 1, which can be found here. It was gifted to us as a housewarming present when we first bought our home. Unfortunately we received it right around the time we got the cat, and I don't trust her with it on the title floors in the majority of our house. Thankfully it's the perfect addition to this space and is safe on the carpet. It has a prime location so you can't help but see if when you first walk in. One of the best things about this room is that it cost me less than $10 to put it all together, and I'm not sure I event spent that much. If that's not an argument for hanging on to stuff, I don't know what is! We hope that some day this room will need to be converted into a nursery, so it didn't make sense to invest a bunch of money into it. Yet, I absolutely love to host (it's one of the things I was most looking forward to about purchasing a house) so it was important to me to have a cozy and welcoming space for our guests. I'm happy to report that this room have probably been filled more weekends than not! Do you guys have designated guest rooms? How do you make them functional and still affordable? I'd love to hear from you!
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