Guest Room Plans & Headboard Inspiration

I am thisclose to having our guestroom back in my greedy little hands.  Little brother is moving out Friday!  My guestroom and I are about to be reunited after 6 loooong months and I can only hope it will be as happy to see me as I will surely be to see it. Since the occupation began, our interactions have been limited to longing glances through a cracked door as I pass by on my way to the laundry room. 

"Paint me!", it cries out.

"I see you've rewired some lamps recently.  Can't wait to see how they look in me!"

"Did you see that tufted headboard that Jenny made?  I'm just saying..".

For years Brendon has called the guest room my "little play room" because this is where I test out DIY projects along with styles and colors that I'm not quite ready to commit to. I can't wait to get back to playing!

After painting the headboard wall, the first project will be to makeover a wood headboard my sister is giving me.  No pictures yet because I won't be picking it up until next week.  It's all wood and I'm thinking this will be the perfect opportunity to try out a new upholstery project. 

Here are a few hints on what I'm thinking:

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This picture is the best representation of what the shape of my frame looks like:

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That's where the similarities begin and end however. I'd rather be strapped down and forced to watch a "Donna Decorates Dallas" marathon with my eyes held open by toothpicks than try tufting anything....ever.

Jenny at Little Green Notebook makes some DIY tufting look tempting with her awesome tutorial but I'm a girl who recognizes and embraces my own limitations.....and I know just how little patience for something so painstaking I really have.

My plan will be to DIY the wood headboard into a simple (untufted) padded headboard with a wood frame.  Some sort of wash or paint treatment will  be applied to the frame but I still want it to read as wood.  No super glossy, bubble-gum paint here.

I'll be bringing in "new" nightstands, once I find and rescue them from thrift store purgatory, and topping them with the lamps I just rewired. 

I'm also going to rely on some sewing projects to create custom pillows and drapery panels.  I've also got a really old and fabulous quilt from Brendon's family that I hope to incorporate into the bedding scheme.  More on it next week!

I'm giving myself 30 days and a "pennies from the sofa cushions" kind of budget for this makeover.  There will be pictures, tutorials and updates throughout the process.  My goal is not just for my own guestroom to be beautiful and affordable but to show you (or anyone really) how to create a well-designed look on a budget. 

I've done a good job of talking about this "champagne look on a beer budget", now I'm going to put the pressure on myself to prove it with this guest room project. My emphasis here will certainly be on high-quality DIY that will stand the test of time. I want this room to feel luxurious, high-end and retreat-like, not "Oh, so this is the room she skimped on".

So early next week I should have the new headboard in my hot little hands and soon after the madness will begin.  I'm so excited! Stay tuned!