I am so excited to share what Brent and I have been up to that past two weeks, a guest room makeover! First, because this is the first room we have completely finished in our house. Secondly, because we have been trying to keep it a secret so we could surprise our first guests who would be staying in the new room (Brent’s parents) when they came to Houston last week. Finally, because that means we get to share our first room tour!

The timing for this room makeover came about because this room was quickly starting to look like a storage unit that might be auctioned off on Storage Wars. All the random stuff we moved out of the room next door to work on our home gym was scattered all over the room and if there was ever an object that didn’t have a place in the house, it most likely wound up on the floor of the “guest room”.

Above is a photo of what the room looked like before we moved in, really plain, outdated light fixture, old beige paint on the wall, etc. I just realized I never actually took of a photo of what the room looked like once we moved in but it wasn’t much to look at.

The guest room already had a mismatch of furniture from my apartment before we got married that didn’t have a place anywhere else in our home which didn’t make the space feel put together at all but slowly over time it got a bit out of control with what we were storing in there. We were really taking a risk that a guest wouldn’t just pop in at the last minute needing a place to stay because otherwise they might have been out of luck.

Time and time again I have learned in our home that if a space or room doesn’t have a purpose than it will create it’s own by holding a bunch of junk. And even though the guest room was supposed to have a purpose, the lack of organization in that room made it difficult to comprehend that purpose and thus, keep it neat and tidy.

Brent’s parents will be visiting us more often these next few months, so I got it in my head that I didn’t just want to clean the space up but I wanted to really take the time to transform it into a guest room that was charming, cohesive, cozy, and comfortable for our guests. So Brent and I got to work.

Tour Our Guest Room Makeover

In this video we will take you on a tour of our newly made over guest bedroom! For our guest room makeover we were going for a subtle tropical theme. We used neutral colors on the walls and for the furniture and brought in bright pops of green in the accent pieces and decor.

Our 5 Ways to Create a Comfortable Guest Room

1. Welcome Box/Basket for Guests

When guests first walk into the room we want them to feel welcomed! Brent created a custom welcome sign for us to hang above our crate display that turned our great. If these crates look familiar that is because they are the same ones I used for our fall crate display. They matched perfectly with the room and we didn’t have to spend money on a storage piece or shelving for this corner.

Because I wanted to have the guest room and guest bathroom flow together with the same style, I was super pumped when I was able to find a larger version of the same wood vase at Target that I already had in the guest bathroom. I also used the same faux plants so it would tie in together nicely.

I found this vintage style suitcase at HomeGoods and immediately bought it before I knew what I was going to do with it because you know, I am obsessed with vintage suitcases. That is a rare occurrence for me because I usually never buy anything on a whim but as it turned out it works perfectly as a unique box to fill welcome items for our guests.

In the box we store water bottles, snacks, chocolates, a guest book, the remote for the TV so it is easy to find and the WI-FI password. I made the little WI-FI sign and then displayed it on the metal photo holder that we got at Magnolia Market a few weeks back.

I also found this basket at HomeGoods and thought it made a great basket to store magazine and books for guests to read. I made and attached the little tag to the basket to draw guests attention to where they can find reading material.

2. Extra Seating

We didn’t really have any seating in the guest room before so I wanted to created a seating area where guests could sit down to put on their shoes or relax and read a magazine. So we created this cute little corner. We kept our yarn and branch hanging in this room, just moved it over to this corner. It works perfectly because the branch brings in the natural element and the colors pop against the neutral chair.

I also bought this really soft blanket (my weakness) at Target. I love the color and by draping it over the chair, it is easily accessible for guests to grab and cozy up in case they get cold.

3. Open Shelving Nightstands

We really like the idea of showing guests everything they have available to them out in the open when it comes to our guest room and bathroom. That is why we chose to go with open shelving for the nightstands. Plus, they allow us to display more items. We got these stands second hand from my mom (thanks mom!) but they originally came from Kohls. I like them because guests don’t have to feel awkward about opening any drawers.

On one side we have tissues and these old library books my grandmother gave my mom and then my mom gave me that were overdue in 1978 (but in the perfect color palette I might add) that are now decor pieces and on the other side we have a USB port for guests to plug in all their electronic devices in one central spot so they don’t have to hunt and fight over plugs. We also have our DIY tiered stand for guests to store jewelry or smaller items so they won’t forget them when they leave.

We really splurged in this room. We got two matching lamps! Ha. We have never had matching lamps in a room before so this really felt like this room was legit. I love these white and wood lamps I got from Target. Target is really stepping up their lamp game.

4. A Cozy Bed

My inspiration for this guest room makeover was this duvet cover I purchased from West Elm two years ago before we even moved into this house. I love the green-blue colors since the majority of our house is neutral and I like that it has a subtle tropical vibe. You see, Brent is not big on themed rooms but I, I grew up in a jungle room. We are talking oversized stuffed animal tigers, leopard print comforter and fake vines and twinkle lights hanging from the ceiling. I was all about the themed room growing up.

Obviously, we had to give and take a little and I think this room turned out to be a good compromise of a tasteful room with tropical elements (see what I did there Brent, I didn’t say it had a theme).

I really wanted a headboard in this room. A cozy bed just doesn’t feel complete without a nice looking headboard and Brent knocked it out of the park with this one he built based on one we liked from West Elm for a fraction of the cost. I would like to add I did contribute by staining the entire thing, which was a job for sure but this one was all Brent’s brilliant mind making it come together. Check out our full tutorial on how we built this headboard.

While out shopping I stumbled upon this fun furry pillow that was a great addition to the bed because the texture added a nice contrast against the headboard. It was the right color and I was so excited to show Brent but all he could say was it looked like it was made from the fur of Sully from Monster Inc. Oh… Brent. At least he didn’t say he hated it. So I am counting that as a win.

5. Mirrors

One thing I found I appreciated about other guest rooms I have stayed in is when there is a mirror in the room. That way if another guest is in the bathroom, you can still brush your hair, put on your make-up, etc.

A last minute addition to the room were these geometric mirrors that Brent custom made. They are like a two for one because the room now has a mirror, well many mirrors, but with the shape and pattern they also act as wall art for what was an empty wall.

We also painted the walls, put a bench at the foot of the bed, hung new drapes, added a new TV on a wall mount we built, and replaced the old light fixture with a new ceiling fan.

We love how this room turned out and hope our guests find their stay here comfortable and cozy. My anxiety about this room being a disaster is gone and now I really wish this was my room. The guest room makeover was a really fun project to work on with Brent and forced us to fill up a car of unwanted stuff to take to donate because there is no where else we have left to move the junk to.

Brent’s parents arrived late Tuesday night last week and we just about missed their reaction to the surprise because we were in our bedroom when they arrived. I knew I should have had a large picture of what the room looked like before printed on canvas so I could hang it in front of the door to do a Fixer Upper style reveal. Dang. But they loved it and we are so glad we took the time to focus on this project and make it a nice space for our guests to enjoy.