Next Step In Decorating The Guest Room

 

When I left you last we had already made a decision on the bedding (this is where I usually start in a bedroom.) The base colors of navy and white were dictated by the bedding…..

Next I needed a jumping off point for a color scheme.

This came from the art piece I found…….

From this the color scheme had developed into……

I knew that the yellow in the room had to be used judiciously. Yellow can make a very loud statement if not used carefully.

I already had it in my artwork so I had to decide where else to sprinkle it around the room.

DECORATING TIP:
A good rule of thumb when using an accent color is to use it in at least three pieces in the room.

With this in mind I decided to use it in another piece of art for the walls. This particular piece is a personal touch from me to my guest……

The room will have a nightstand between the two twin beds so I needed some elements to place on the night stand…..

This is where I am using my third touch of yellow:

So this brings me to my next

design decision!

What color will the walls be?

At first I thought I would leave them the Martha Stewart Lemon grass that they are now….

As you can see they would work very well with the other choices I have made.

But, what design enthusiast would keep the same color on the walls when her hubby offered to paint the walls any color she would like? (This was a first!)

I seriously debated, but once I chose the artwork and realized that the room would have a fun beach vibe I then decided to paint the room a different color.

A very soft turquoise blue is my color choice. I actually might us the same color of blue that is in my master bedroom. 

It is a color that I made up the formula, after a day of working with a great tinter at the paint store. It has very little pigment in it, but the pigments tint up quickly so very little is needed.

I have found this color to be so soothing and restful.

I want my guest to be wrapped in a color that makes them feel peaceful.

We have not tried any colors out on the wall due to a recent health issue, but that does not stop us from planning for the future.

I have enough elements chosen that I can make a design board just to see how the elements will work together.

At first I did some in green, and then I used turquoise as a backdrop.

You will see some elements in the collages that I may or may not be using. I like to add possible elements to see how they work with the elements that I know I am using. By doing this you can see what goes well with the overall design.

In this particular collage you will see the addition of a yellow trimmed pillow sham. 

I actually ordered this from Pottery Barn, and as perfect as I thought it looked with all the elements in the collage, once I received it the yellow was not bright enough, and to be honest it felt like one step too far for my personal design aesthetic.

Sometimes elements will work in a room, but they just won’t feel right to YOU. 

When this happens, eliminate them, and try something else. If it does not feel right to you it will create an obstacle for you to move forward in the room. 

You will spend endless hours trying to make it work. Sometimes we have to just rely on our own personal feelings, and move onto something else that will work.

DECORATING TIP:

Remember when choosing elements for a room not to make every element speak loudly. There has to be supporting pieces in the room. Everything can’t be the newest kid on the block, or the star.

I have found many homeowners who try to put every new decorating element they have found in one room, and it just creates a room that has no flow. Each piece is shouting look at me, look at me!! Not a good way to design any room.

In this collage you can see I put a turquoise lantern instead of the yellow. That is because my room actually has a very large turquoise lantern in it so I needed to see what that would do with all of the other elements.  

You will also notice the wall color has changed from the lemon grass to a turquoise.

Notice one more thing has been added to the night stand!

This brings us to the next decision!!

You all can help me out here. I am going to use a globe that is actually a nightlight.

It not only represents traveling, vacation, but it will give a nice glow in the room.

I have three choices to choose from:

light off

#1 a white bisque finish
7in. diameter

#2 
5in. diameter 7in. tall

A traditional style globe but much smaller in scale.

 #3

5in. in diameter

This actually is a dark navy, and it shows the constellation of stars.

I have a favorite, but I thought it would be fun to get some feedback from my very talented readers.

So what do you say, #1, #2, or #3?

Next on the agenda is to find the right pillow sham to back the striped shams. The yellow did not work, so next is a simple framed navy sham. I have ordered it so when it arrives we shall see how it works…..

More to do, more to see

so stay tuned!!!

Other post about the guestroom can be found:
Here
Here
Here