After being sick for a while, yesterday I FINALLY felt a little bit more like my normal self, so I got my butt in gear and snapped some photos of our updated guest room. It’s not too different, but there are a couple of tweaks that I think really improved the space.
Here’s the same view from spring of 2017, when I updated the room with art from Minted. It was nice, but it only had one bedside table, and that reversible blanket was showing its age. Plus, we needed warmer bedcoverings for the winter.
The changes have mostly been pretty gradual, but the last piece of the puzzle was finding the right duvet cover.
After a ton of hunting, I finally settled on a simple linen duvet cover from H&M. Did you know that they make nice linen duvet covers? I’ve been really happy with the white one I bought for my bedroom, so I snagged this one in light gray. They come in lots of other pretty colors, too.
I had been hearing about how luxurious linen bedding is for years, but it can be so expensive! Since the duvet I bought last year was my first time buying linen bedding, I can’t compare it to pricier brands, but I’m totally happy with it and would recommend it. Steven loves it, too.
The only complaints I have is that there are no ties for securing the duvet inside the cover, and the king size comes with king size pillowcases. Do people actually have those? We only have a queen size bed, but I’ve never used anything other than standard-size pillows. Fortunately, I can fix both issues with a little sewing. Also, yes, one of my life-hacks for a happy marriage is to use a king-size duvet on a queen-size bed. Though I’m letting the cat out of the bag and admitting that our guests only get a queen-size one.
Other tweaks I made to this room are adding a second side table, another lamp, and the cool plant hanger pole in the corner.
Did anybody else’s mom have these pole plant hangers when they were kids? Back in the eighties, my mom had a couple, and I wish she had held onto them, because they’re super handy for hanging plants! With the houseplant renaissance, they need to make comeback. They’d be especially useful for renters, since they stay in place with tension, and don’t require any holes in the walls or ceiling. This one was my grandma’s, and I guess if I want more, I’ll have to try eBay or Craiglist.
The lamp is this one, and it was an impulse buy that Steven actually picked out.
On the other side of the room, I was going to say that not much had changed. But then I looked at the photos in this post, and realized I was wrong. Besides changing the art to a piece Steven painted, I also switched out some of the accessories. Isn’t that “RADIO” radio funny? I love it.
No, I don’t make my cats model for me. They just get interested in what I’m doing, and come over to investigate. In fact some of the time they’re pests who get in the way of my shots!
Other changes are afoot in this room, but I’m quite happy with it for now! At least our guests will hopefully be nice and cozy under the new duvet, and that’s the most important part.
Sources
Duvet cover – These do go on sale sometimes, but popular colors and sizes go in and out of stock a lot.
Gray crate side table – Unfinished crate that I painted.
Mottled blue pillow – DIY bleached denim faux shibori.
Planters – Target dollar spot (And I painted one of them).
Bird wall hanging – Vintage
Console table – Old, from West Elm.
Anything else that I didn’t mention is probably vintage.
