For those of you just tuning in, I’ve been writing for the last few weeks about my niece and nephew’s guest bedroom that my hubby and I redid for my parents.  After several months of part-time decorating and DIY muscle, it’s finally time for the big reveal!

I’m hitting myself on the head for not having before pics of the room, but close your eyes and imagine a room with beige walls, a crib, a little bed, and a persian rug.  Got it?  Now, open your eyes and feast on this:

What do you think??

There are a few approaches that I took while decorating this room.

First: Color.  Lots of it.

I opted for a very calm wall color (Celery Salt by Benjamin Moore), but then added lots of punch with the fabric, wall decor, and accessories.  I really wanted to bring in hints of black for added oomph (and, to prove that it’s not taboo for a kid’s room!).  Not too much of it, but enough to give the room a cohesive look.

Second: Patterns

I used a heck of a lot of fabrics in the room – 6 different prints for the bed + chair, and then a custom bunting via Knotted Nest on Etsy.  When deciding on fabrics, I made sure to pick designs that 1) matched the color theme, 2) were youthful, and 3) had varying print sizes (e.g. large swirl for the headboard, medium sized flower pattern for the big pillow, and then polka dots and thin waves for the small pillows)

Notice how the triangle pattern was repeated in the roller blind, chair and bunting.  Again, this helps create a cohesive look in the room.

Last but not least: If you can’t find something ready-made for your budget – Do. It. Yourself.

Adam and I did a total of 6 DIYs for this room.

1. We bought a dirt cheap bed from IKEA, cut off its headboard, added a chair rail, and painted it white:

We also made:

2. Our own headboard for the bed and affixed it to the wall

3. all 4 colored pillows – might I add that it was my FIRST time EVER using a sewing machine.  Believe it or not, Adam (yes, Adam) taught me how to use one, and then I followed a step-by-step youtube video on how to sew pillows with a zipper.  He’s totally going to kill me for publicly admitting that he can sew.  Oops.

4. A 3-piece collection of  owl and floral pins (instructions here)

5. new upholstery for a vintage chair

6. Last but not least, a custom roller blind with a chevron print.  Can you believe how cool it turned out??  I’ll be posted the instructions for this one later this week.

So this was my first full-on A to Z project.  Thoughts?  Criticism?  Still learning lots, and I welcome all feedback!