From "Gross" room to Guestroom in Three Steps

We made three important improvements to get big results

Most of the things in this room I already had. The curtains, Rachel Ashwell rug, and square pillows came from HomeGoods.

Our new leased home gave us two additional bedrooms, a relief for times when all three kids decide to come visit. When our oldest daughter, who lives in Brooklyn, wanted to come see the new house for her birthday and bring a few friends just a few weeks after move-in, we hustled.

The last bedroom down the hall (we called it BR #4 on our moving boxes) was dark and drab. It was used as an office/mailroom by the owners and beauty was not on the memo. I had my eye on it for a crafts/sewing room that would double as extra sleeping space but frankly, I could barely look at it during the move-in.

You never want to spend more money than you need to on a leased home but in this case, a little bit of effort went a long way as you’ll see. Also, you should always get approval from the landlord even if you are clearly making the place better than it was.

The back bedroom was so dismal that even the newer wall-to-wall carpeting in the hallway stops short. You’re lucky that I’m not showing it packed to the gills with a fluorescent light overhead.

We diplomatically asked the owners if we could make some changes and they unhesitatingly agreed. Underneath the flimsy carpet was … subfloor. So much for discovering good oak hardwoods! The paint was really bad, too.

Within two weeks, the room was completely transformed.

My favorite quilt from Auntie Oti looks fresh and pretty against the light wood flooring and taupe-y paint.

Our three big things: New floor, new paint, Murphy bed

After living with laminate for the past few years I was eager to get wood back underfoot. True hardwood flooring is difficult and time-consuming to install as a DIY project so Tim started looking at engineered flooring on Facebook Marketplace. He found a local seller willing to sell us a small lot of light-colored wood—HDC Wymill Hickory click-lock engineered hardwood, to be precise.

These slabs lock into place without using adhesive. We got ours for $220, about half the price it would have cost at Home Depot.

Most of the home’s interior has an olive green paint. It’s very nice but I wanted something a little lighter for this back room. After a short search within the taupe colorway, I found this one: Porcelain by Benjamin Moore. I was pleased with the soft lavender-gray hue. It has enough contrast with the floor and goes well with all the blue and white bedding, too.

We originally planned to center the Murphy bed but ended up pushing it slightly to the right so that we could fit in our antique pine chest.

We’ve had this Murphy bed for many years now. It is a very traditional style, with a mahogany finish. It’s been a real benefit to us because it allows even a small room to have multiple uses.

I have a thing for bunting—blame it on my years of building she sheds.

For art, I remembered having some pretty paper bunting from my She Shed Living shop. I pulled it out and hung it behind the pillows. It’s perfect because it’s flat against the wall so the cabinet can close properly.

And there you go. A truly remarkable makeover that does exactly what we need it to, and does it prettily besides.