Expecting overnight guests and just realized your spare bedroom is not as sweet and charming as you thought but in fact, dark, gloomy and unpleasant? Don’t fret! Creating an inviting space doesn’t have to be a struggle, especially on a next-to-nothing budget. Simply using pre-existing furniture and the magic of paint can surprisingly transform a blah space into a guest bedroom oasis.

Today I wanted to share one of our recent makeovers that took place in our home located in Toronto, Canada, our guest bedroom. Like most people, I had the typical dated space—dull beige walls, 90’s dated wall border and lifeless looking furniture. But all that changed with a little creativity and some added color!

Before you begin painting, remove wallpaper, plaster any holes, sand and clean all the walls. Remove any small furniture from the room. For larger pieces like the bed, it makes no sense to dismantle so I find it easiest just to move it to the center of the room.

Choosing the right colors can make all the difference in your project. The key is to work with what you have. Picking colors that complement existing furniture will not only create that cohesive look everyone is after but will make it look like it was there all along.

To add visual interest, I created a fun accent wall using a variety of pastel shades. There is something so relaxing about the lighter shades of the color palette. The names say it all, Whipped Mint, Sweet Pastel, Alice White! Since I’m working with a low platform bed, I wanted to make this wall the main focal point versus the minimal furniture in the room.

CREATING THE GRAY ARROWS

You can either hand paint it all in or re-tape to get straight lines. If you use tape, you need to start off by creating the center point. Once that is painted and dried, then you can go back and tape your arrows.

To create the tribal arrow graphic, I went into great detail. However, you can adjust according to your own preference or skill level. To start, I created four 20” wide stripes on the wall. Next, you need to find the center point of each stripe. Place another diagonal stripe at 10”.

This is where you can have fun with your design by laying out the areas for your arrows. In order to get an even look on both sides, I used a measuring tape to mark out where each point will meet.

Once everything is painted and dried, remove all the tape.

THE BIG REVEAL

Once you complete your new accent wall, place your furniture back. To help soften the look of the room, an area rug and drapes always do the trick. I also had some bamboo stools lying around in the house, placing them at the end of the bed serves as a place for your guest to put their overnight bags on and also doubles as a place where you can leave fresh towels and toiletries. There are a ton of little touches to help create the ultimate guest bedroom in your home!