Hi! I’m Katie. You can usually find me blogging over at Newcomb Home.
I live in Portland, Oregon with my husband and our two furry roommates, Carl and Diego. We bought our house about a year ago and have been ever so slowly updating and decorating each room. We’ve been working on a complete bathroom remodel, and I just finished the guest room (or, I made a lot of progress. Is any room ever really finished?).
Diego thinks he’s the star of my blog.
I wish I had a true ‘Before’ picture for you, but I got in there with a can of paint so fast we forgot to take pictures. The walls used to be bright yellow and the carpet was navy blue. The drywall on the ceiling had been textured but never primed or painted. There was crown molding and trim that had never been caulked. It was not a pretty sight. But it is now!
The first step to transform this room was to paint stripes on the wall. It was by far the most time consuming painting project I’ve completed, but well worth it.
Can you see the stripes? The paint is Valspar’s coconut milk, in a flat and semi-gloss finish.
After our new carpet was installed we started filling the room with second hand furniture. The bed was my grandparents. I slept on it during my childhood and was lucky to inherit it when my parents downsized to a condo. The nightstand was also a hand-me-down, from a friend in Maryland. I’m happy to continue to use both pieces of furniture. They remind me of past homes and both had good bones but just needed a facelift. So, I busted out the spray paint.
The bed went from a reddish stain to white and the nightstand when from a peeling beige paint to bright green. I love the calming blue of the comforter with the wild green of the dresser.
After the major pieces of furniture were finished, I got to the fun part – accessories!
When deciding on the decor, I was thinking of people that have visited from all corners of the country and how we hope to have many more guests in the future (Portland is beautiful in the summer everyone!). So I decided to use travel as my inspiration by including things from trips Matt and I have taken, or Portland-themed decor. But no, I didn’t put a bird on it (Portlandia reference anyone?).
The turtle picture is from the first trip Matt and I took together, to Hawaii. The blue tray on the nightstand is from our recent trip to Japan and the photo on the bookshelf is from our trip to Prague.
Next to the bookshelf is a painting of Mt. Hood, a must-see if you’re visiting Oregon. My mom bought it for me at a great outdoor market downtown, which is also a fun destination for visitors (can’t go wrong with a market that sells elephant ears!).
Yes those are Twilight books and no, I’m not embarrassed :) Everyone has a guilty pleasure, right? The bookshelf was fun to decorate with books, photos, and vases, but I also tried to keep with the travel theme.
On the top shelf I put our Portland-related books. Most importantly, a guidebook for happy hour hotspots :)
I was inspired by another creative idea and made a sunburst mirror using shims and wood stain from Home Depot.
I love the bold color of the dark wood, and think both the wood of the mirror and the soft lamp shade are good contrasting textures compared to the shiny spray paint on the bed and nightstand.
I’d still like to get some curtains for the window and put a small chair next to the bookshelf for a reading nook, but overall I’d be proud to have guests in this room!
I’d love for you to head over to Newcomb Home to check out some of the other projects I’ve been
Thanks again to Joon for having me over to share my room reveal on her wonderful blog!
No, no... thank YOU for guest posting! Go check out her blog! And look at HER version
of MY lemon wreath!
Love the purple door!
