Bare Guest Bedroom

After finding a perfect dresser and nightstand for our 2nd guest bedroom I decided to go ahead and post pictures of the room in its current state.

2nd Guest Bedroom Before We Moved-in:
This bedroom is opposite the master at the end of the hallway. It has a front and side view allowing for plenty of natural light. The first photo was taken while entering the bedroom from the hall. The floor length window here faces the front yard and one of the giant magnolia trees (as well as some slightly out-of-control shrubbery).
Turning clockwise around the room. We have the bed oriented differently than the previous owners for the time being.
The side facing window wall.
Looking back into the hallway.Like most rooms in our home, this one needs lots of work. Currently it looks like an Easter egg with my freshman year twin-size comforter, aloe green sheets and baby blue walls. The floors need to be refinished. The deep redish hue is a result of years of wear and old oil cleaning products. Someday we will add a decorative register cover. One change we did make when we moved in was to repaint the room. This was more complicated than it sounds since the walls had been painted with some sort of sand texture added in.
Curtains, linens, and a headboard will make this room more inviting while interesting accessories, secondary lighting and fresh flowers will complete the room.

Craigslist Find of the Day

A snow day such as today is the perfect time to search Craigslist for new listings. Check out this listing: a set of two dressers and a nightstand that would look fabulous in our currently bare 2nd guest bedroom. I even found the perfect instructions on how to transform them from traditional to timeless.
Don't you just love the fluted legs and vintage hardware! The size and scale of these pieces would be great for our 1960's Georgian style home.
Then while browsing the Traditional Home site I read an inspiring story about a mother-daughter design team. Of course I went to their blog and was impressed by their accessible approach to decorating. They had even posted some detailed instructions for re-finishing older furniture and I am convinced it is the same technique they used on a dresser photographed in the daughter's "first nest" for the TH magazine spread. *note how similar this dresser is to my Craigslist find!
Can't you just see these dressers and nightstand from Craigslist painted a sleek cream color in a light and bright guest bedroom with hardwood floors? I do wonder how difficult it would be to sand the fluted legs...
Link to refinishing instructions on Good Bones, Great Pieces

Dining Room Furniture?

Considering adding more Ethan Allen peices to complete the dining room. Not sure if the new color "gardenia" will match the white base molding or the off-white chairs in "linen" already in the room.

A curio for the corner next to the window.


A buffet for the blank wall where the silverware chest is currently sitting atop a TV tray.
Best matches I have found so far. Perhaps too much furniture in the room?

Video Home Tour: Before

Want to see how the house looked before we moved in? Check out the video home tour: http://www.visualtour.com/shownp.asp?sk=29&t=1967171
*Note* it looks better than it was! As I described the house to a co-worker the day after we made our offer "it's a mixed bag."

The Dining Room

Dining Room Before. Note the awful mini blinds and salmon colored walls. This room does highlight the large front facing windows and the lovely hardwood floors, two of the reasons I fell in love with the house.

Dining Room After Move-in.
Different furniture, however after several attempts to rearrange the room, the same layout as previous owners proved best. This is our Ethan Allen Swedish home dining room set. We were delighted to find it on Craig's List shortly after we were married. The desert plates are from the Anthropologie holiday sale tables in 2008. (Love those Anthropologie shopping trips with Katie during visits to Charlotte!) We painted the walls a pale porcelain blue and added molding to the bottom portion of the wall which had previously been painted white to mimic this look. The plaster walls seem to be in surprisingly good shape.We still need to add curtains. I am thinking white velvet curtains on a silver rod that will match those we have planned for the adjacent living room. Other to-do's in the room include a new light fixture, hanging photos and artwork on the walls and purchasing some interesting butler's trays or servers to compliment the set and add storage for glassware. Our silverware chest is currently sitting on a TV tray on the other side of the room. It works for now! In this photo you can see more of the gorgeous hardwoods and the not-so-attractive ceiling fan. Smaller details that aren't noticeable in the original photo are the electric outlets and the vent covers. Husband replaced the electrical outlets and the light switches, but we are still needing to replace the vent covers. I have my eye on some polished nickel register covers from Signature Hardware online. They are available in sizes large enough for our giant returns.

Master Bathroom

The master bathroom was the first space to find order after the big move, although this photo was taken before we installed the wide wooden blinds or the new ceiling light. Painting the bathroom bright turquoise really brightened up the dingy white 1960s tile which covers the walls, sink, floor, and shower of this surprisingly spacious tiny room. Not seen in this photo is the 4x6 shower. No tub in this bath though.