Be My Guest – Bedroom Design Plans

Transforming a depressing guest bedroom into a happy yellow Grandmillennial retreat for guests to relax and enjoy!

We are guilty! Guilty as charged! Convicted of making our dear guests sleep in a sad, SAD bedroom when staying over for a visit.

In our house on the top floor resides a depressing disaster of a guest bedroom. Seriously, it’s a disaster! It has peeling brown and white floral wallpaper, no curtains, hand-me-down mismatched furniture, and absolutely no style or warmth! None!

I am sincerely sorry to all of the friends and family that have endured that bedroom so graciously! Bless you!

But no more! S. and I have a plan to transform that space from neglected corner to inviting haven.

I’m turning to one of my favorite colors YELLOW to create a cheery, welcoming spot where guests will long to linger and take a relaxing break. French country vibes, vintage chintz, and a gorgeous four poster bed will enhance the look…just right for my Grandmillennial tastes.

This week we embarked on the tear down phase: cleaning out the room, removing said peeling paper, and prepping the space for its overhaul. Today, I am sharing my design board and the inspirations for the guest bedroom. I hope it inspires you to tackle a neglected room in your house, especially if it is a guest bedroom. The holidays are coming and our friends and family deserve a sweet spot to stay!

Guest Bedroom Inspirations

I knew early on that I wanted to use yellow in this space. I love yellow. It can be both relaxing and happy, which seems like a lovely combination for a guest room. Yellow is a challenge to decorate with, but I feel up to it! Read my tips for decorating with yellow in this post.

Once I decided on this cheery hue I started scouring my design books and Pinterest for inspirations. Very quickly the cover on The American Home caught my eye, and I could not get the lovely combination of blue and yellow out of my Grandmillennial design dreams.

Then I watched You’ve Got Mail and the shabby chic French Country vibes of Kathleen’s apartment spoke to me. And they said painted furniture, romantic florals, wainscoting, and comfy textures. Yes, literally jumped out of the screen and shouted that at me. Remember design inspiration for a room can come from anywhere just be ready to catch it!

See all the bedrooms that inspired my design for this room in this Pinterest board!

On the Hunt

Making a few key decisions about a room design like color scheme and style can cause the dominos to cascade. With my eyes wide open while out thrifting and estate sailing, I quickly found fabrics, furniture, and decor perfect for the room.

Gorgeous vintage chintz in a charming yellow grabbed my attention while combing through a thrift store. Luckily enough there were two curtain panels, pillow shams, and a duvet cover all in perfect condition. The pattern is romantic and colorful, but not dated. I have some unexpected plans for the curtains. More to come…

Next on the hunt, a lovely painted four poster bed in the softest blue presented itself. It said, “I’m perfect for your guests! Take me home!” So I did!

Quickly buying it before anyone else could see its perfection and snap it up. Immediately, after handing over the cash I realized transporting it home might be tricky! Haha…but bungee cords and twine to the rescue with a very careful drive down the mountain.

With these finds secured it was time to decided on the yellow hue for the walls.

Choosing Paint

I’ve used yellow in a number of design projects over the past several years, but for some reason none of those familiar yellows felt right for this room…either too bright or too lemony. I pulled out my Benjamin Moore paint deck fans and started shifting, trying to find the hue that most closely matched the soft warm yellow in the chintz fabric.

After narrowing it down to four possibilities I ordered samples of Little Angel 318, Hawthorne HC4 , Squish-Squash 311, and Crowne Hill 312. When you test paint samples order a tint lighter and a shade darker along with the color you like best then order one that has a different undertone than the one you like best. Observe how these colors change throughout the day in the room you are painting. You will quickly start to see if one of the colors is too bright, too dark, too gray, or too warm or cool.

Before painting these samples I was leaning towards Hawthorne or Crowne Hill, but I quickly saw that Hawthorne had too much gray in the undertones and Crowne Hill was too orange.

The winner is Squish-Squash! It is a warm mellow yellow with enough vibrancy to pop, but not so much it feels like a school bus. Added bonus…the name gives me a giggle!

The test samples are painted on bead board because S. and I decided that would be a fast way to hide the wallpaper in the room and add that country vibe I wanted for the design.

Guest Bedroom Design Board

After that rambling story, which I hope gives you some helpful pointers on decorating, here is the design scheme:

I am so excited about this guest bedroom design scheme! I think it will be cheery and inviting with a dash of whimsy and romance.

Follow me on Instagram for regular design updates and sneak peeks. I hope we will have this room finished by the end of October, but we have much to do, including installation of the beadboard. I also have a few key pieces to source for this room like nightstands, lamps, and a comfy reading chair.

Wish me luck!