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From hatred to love in one weekend: My spare room transformation

By Jen Bishop •

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I know, I know, the title of this post sounds terribly melodramatic, but it’s a true reflection. I really HATED our spare room until the weekend. It upset me because it’s too small, too narrow, has built-ins I don’t really need but can’t remove (renting), a view of the house next-door and no redeeming features whatsoever. We have lived in our apartment almost a year and the spare room has been the bane of my life, particularly as I’m uber house proud, love socialising and having friends to stay. BUT… look what happened!

When Freedom offered me a $500 voucher to fix a problem in my home and blog about the experience, it was glaringly obvious that I had to give the spare room a go, especially as my dad is due to arrive from the UK in a fortnight. And look what I have managed to create. Can this really be that room that made me want to cry (I think it was hormones) because it was so ugly and useless?

I’ve blogged before about how much I hated the spare room. One of the reasons it’s taken this long is that I was trying to work out the best way to make it work as an office and a guest bedroom. When I finally accepted this just wasn’t possible (after countless discussions about trundle beds, sofabeds, day beds and more), things got a little easier. With multi-use rooms, I think you really need to weigh up your priorities. In my case, I’m from the UK so I often have friends and family visiting and it’s important to me to give them a nice guest room. My boyfriend and I both have laptops, which, more often than not, can be found on the dining room table or the lounge, so we don’t really need a home office. Of course it would be nice, but you can’t have it all…

Of course I didn’t do the entire room for $500. I already had the bed and the prints on the wall are from Keep Calm Gallery in the UK (they ship to Australia). They lived in the lounge room in a previous apartment but they didn’t ‘go’ anywhere here so I’m really happy to have found a new space for them!

Everything else though, came from Freedom. The bedsides are their off-white painted timber Nudle stools. They were 54.95 for the pair in the sale. Space is tight, as you can see, so I couldn’t have anything too wide or heavy looking. These fit perfectly. Massive bargain! The two Alli touch lamps, complete with taupe shades, were just $19.95 each (I had my heart set on these pale blue ones but they were far too big unfortunately). The vase (I cant find it on the website but it was $39.95) is the only thing I let the other half choose and I’m still not 100 percent on it, but I’m loving the faux hydrangeas ($22.95 each).

It’s really all about what’s on the bed though:

  • The linen Mazarine comforter set (quilt and two pillow cases) which (how annoying?) has been reduced from $159 to $99 since I bought it on Sunday! I love linen and palest blue together.
  • The white and beige striped quilt cover (queen size, with two pillow cases) was $79.95. It’s brand new and not on the Freedom website yet, but also comes in navy and white. I preferred the Mazarine white and linen striped quilt cover set but unfortunately it doesn’t come in queen size. Check it out though, it’s lovely.
  • Two pale blue Lineum cushions ($39.95 each).
  • A Fraiser stripe cushion ($29.95).
  • The blue animal print cushion was a gift from Steph & Gaia. I’m so happy to have finally found a home for it. It would set you back $79.
  • There are also two white Euro pillows in plain white covers at the back which I already owned. The two standard pillows (also already owned) are in the linen cases from the comforter set.
  • The candles on the bedsides are from Palm Beach Collection and  Circa Home (both gifted).
  • I bought the two map print cases on the floor from a Temple & Webster sale some months ago.
Here’s a close-up of the cushions. You can never have too many, right?

Finally, I wanted to add a bit of texture with Freedom’s Madras sisal rug ($99) which happened to be the perfect size!

I also changed the boring ugly silver knobs on the built-ins with glass ones from Zakkia ($7.90 each).

Here’s what it looked like on Saturday. All bed, no inspiration. It made me feel ILL.

So how much did it cost? Not including the things I already owned, it came in at $493.20. Not bad eh? I love this new, calm space. I usually pick much bolder colours but I wanted the guest bedroom to be more classic and serene. The only problem is I’m worried it looks better than my bedroom now!

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September 20, 2012

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Jen Bishop

About Jen Bishop

Jen Bishop is our owner and publisher and an experienced journalist and editor. She founded Interiors Addict in 2011. Jen also works as a copywriter and comms consultant to small business owners and brands, helping them with their own content as well as working out what will make them appealing to the media.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Barb Fisher says

    September 20, 2012 at 3:42 pm

    Gorgeous! I’m absolutely positive you can sleep better at night now. My spare room? Diabolical disaster zone. You have inspired me Jen.

    • interiorsaddictinteriorsaddict says

      September 20, 2012 at 3:43 pm

      Thank you Barb!

  2. Allison Sharp says

    September 20, 2012 at 3:44 pm

    It looks fabulous Jen! Well done, those side tables were a BARGAIN! I love the jute rug too… they are my favorite! Love the colors, they are what we have in our bedroom. Nice and soothing 🙂

    xx

    • interiorsaddictinteriorsaddict says

      September 20, 2012 at 3:46 pm

      Thanks! It makes me want to tone down all the other colours in my apartment now!

  3. Michelle says

    September 20, 2012 at 3:44 pm

    Wow Jen, this is looking fantastic! Totally understand your wanting to move into it now. Well done!

    • interiorsaddictinteriorsaddict says

      September 20, 2012 at 3:46 pm

      Thanks Michelle 🙂

  4. Rachel says

    September 20, 2012 at 3:50 pm

    Looking forward to parking my backside in that bed in November! But very worried that I’ll make the place look untidy! 😉

    • interiorsaddictinteriorsaddict says

      September 20, 2012 at 3:52 pm

      Don’t worry, there’s not enough space to get untidy! LOL x

  5. tessa white says

    September 20, 2012 at 4:18 pm

    It looks fabulous, I love duck egg blue and grey hues for combos..

  6. Sally Byrne says

    September 20, 2012 at 5:05 pm

    Jen it’s beautiful. You’ve been so clever with your budget. I’m just off to look at the Freedom website now, armed with a few of your good ideas….

  7. K-L says

    September 20, 2012 at 8:21 pm

    Beautiful! Love the colours; very calming. Your Dad will be very comphy!
    x KL

  8. Emma says

    September 20, 2012 at 8:41 pm

    Nicely done Jen! Very calm and tranquil – perfect spot for those UK visitors to get over the jet lag too.

  9. Lauren says

    September 20, 2012 at 9:31 pm

    Thanks for sharing a room from your own home Jen! Your guest room looks lovely and tranquil!

  10. Nicky says

    September 22, 2012 at 6:23 pm

    Was your bed a double Jen (with a Queen quilt cover) or is it actually a Queen bed? Trying to get perspective for a similiar room in our place! (Lurverly job btw)

    • interiorsaddictinteriorsaddict says

      September 22, 2012 at 6:25 pm

      Very good question! It is a double bed with a queen quilt!

      • Nicky says

        September 24, 2012 at 3:14 pm

        Thanks Jen perfect!

  11. Sara says

    September 23, 2012 at 9:39 pm

    Love it! Love the colour scheme and the prints on the wall ♥

  12. Victoria says

    September 24, 2012 at 4:40 pm

    Looks quietly luxurious. Love the touch of Temple & Webster, of course!

  13. Kristi says

    September 26, 2012 at 12:05 pm

    Looks so inviting! I’m a blue girl at heart, so love a room with soft blues and linens. What is the name of the wall paint?

    • interiorsaddictinteriorsaddict says

      September 26, 2012 at 12:14 pm

      It’s actually just plain old white Kristi (renting)!

  14. Angel says

    September 29, 2012 at 9:01 am

    What a transformation great job 🙂

  15. Julie-Ann says

    October 9, 2012 at 3:55 pm

    The room looks gorgeous:). This is one of my favourite colour combinations – so reastful. Well done:)

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