The Guest Room mini makeover for a small guest room and office space. With budget friendly and space efficient furniture. 

This guest room makeover is a very MINI one. We really did not want to spend too much money on this space right now and mostly just wanted to get it more functional for my hubby, Chris to use as his office space. Seeing that we don't really have many guest, it will be used much more as his office. 
The room is rather small, so the big queen bed frame wasn't working in this space. We already had this bed + bedframe before we bought this house, which if you notice has an extra ledge around it, making it even larger. It was actually our bed, until we upgraded to a king size mattress in the master. 
We honestly looked for months for the right solution to this space. We spent most of the time looking at pull out couches. Trying to find the perfect size, look and price. We were not having much luck. We haven't even bought a new couch for our living room, so I really wasn't interested in dropping $1k+ on a couch for a guest room that won't be seen or used often. Also, not that we are trying for kids now, but when we do, if we’re still in this home, this will be a future baby room. SO, spending a lot of money on a pull out couch wasn’t making sense. 

After months of looking at a bunch of different options (even murphy beds, lol) I came across these stackable twin beds at ikea. We have a day bed that we bought years ago for our patio, that is twin size and we absolutely love it. When I was looking at this ikea bed online, I knew that a twin daybed would be the prefect size ‘couch’ for the space. Then, I was thinking about it, and every place we have ever stayed at in Iceland had two twin beds pushed together, Lucy and Ricky style. With this great price point + the fact you could upgrade the mattresses I knew this was the perfect solution for the space. I showed it to Chris and we were both sold on it!

You can see in the pictures above that the room has a pretty decent size closet (even has a window) and it has it's own private bathroom. I'm not showing you the bathroom now, as we haven't really done anything to it.  

Other than the bed and bed linens, we already owned everything else you see in the space. We’re both super happy with how it turned out and we’ve already had 4 guest since the guest room makeover. The report back has been that the bed is VERY comfy! ​​

Are you enjoying these home projects + room reveals? I sure hope so, because I am having so much fun sharing them with you. AND stay tuned, because soon I'll be sharing our home tour with HGTV Handmade where you will get to see a home video tour of the entire house, I can't wait!

Below I have linked most everything you see in the pictures. If I couldn't find the exact product, I did my best to find something very similar for you!  

“This is NOT a sponsored post from the brands + products mentioned but does include affiliate links to the products on Amazon. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.”

Before and after bathroom updates pictures are finally done! I am so very excited to share this fun little space with you. This bathroom is located in my studio of our house. So since I am the only one that uses it I had extra license to make it however/as girly as I wanted. 

And it is oh so girly! AND quirky AND nostalgic, with a little bit of humor sprinkled in. Which is why I am calling this my 'Party Pooper Bathroom' [I love a good pun]. I wouldn't call myself a party pooper, but I am the gal who will sneek away to the bathroom at a party just to catch a break for a sec. hehe and if the bathroom was this fun, I may never leave! 

This bathroom (like every other surface in our house when we bought it) was an ugly dull yellow, with a tiny shower and a pretty standard vanity. AKA nothing special. 

And don't even get me started on the tile. It was so bad. Not even real. I mean, it is real tiles, but it had like this pixilated texture on it, that most definetly was printed on. 

One day, all of this will be replaced, but for now it was nothing that a little bit of paint couldn't fix. Below you'll see the transformation. 

The bathroom doesn't have a window in it, so the space is naturally pretty dark. Painting it with whites, pinks and peaches brightened it up SO much. Painting this small space wasn't the easiest in the world, only because we painted every surface just about. Luckily, my sweet hubby, Chris helped so we knocked it all out in just a couple of days (that includes dry time & me going to my day job).

While Chris was painting the walls a solid light pink, I tackled painting the shower tiles. I am going to do another blog post explaining how to paint the tile, but if you can't wait, check out my instagram stories under Home DIY. There I show the process of painting my entryway tiles, which is the exact same as for this shower and the tile floor in this room. I used Valspar Duramax paint for the floor and shower. 

After the walls were done and a few coats on the shower tile, I was ready to start painting the bathroom floor. Luckily, the shower floor was already white, so I didn't have to paint that. 

In the pictures, the floor looks like it is white with gold stars, but it is actually a super pale pink with gold stars. I used a stencil from Stencil Revolution, the Twinkle Star Stencil to paint the pattern on to the tiles. It was a tedious task, but not really hard. I used a roller sponge to roll the paint over the star stencil. I would roll it in the paint, the make a few swipes on a piece of cardboard and then over the stencil. You have to be strategic and give yourself a lot of time (and patience) on this part. But the outcome is so worth it in the end. If you're working on a budget and can't replace tile, I highly recommend painting it. Our entryway has held up for almost 2 months now, and it is the only way in and out of our house. 

I actually had a different kind of mural, a more colorful one planned for this wall. But I was running out of time (and energy), trying to complete this bathroom in time for another project. I also was super nervous that I was going to be over doing it in such a small space. And keeping in mind that this bathroom is attached to my studio,  I wanted the design of it to compliment my studio.  

I decided a monochromatic mural of some sort would be best. I painted expressive squiggle lines inspired by artist Keith Haring and moon shapes (because of the stars on the floors). 

The decor in this bathroom are my nostalgic nick-nacks and collectibles. Like the giant pencil my brother gave me, my mom's childhoom piggy bank, my childhood bedroom phone, troll dolls, a vintage clock, a hand stitched sign and my 'Party Pooper Guest Book'. 

I was very nervous about painting the cabinet, but I am very happy I did. The color is much better than faux wood before. I do plan on changing the knobs on the doors but I haven't found the 'right' ones yet.

For now the shower is filled with a bunch of balloons. We have four bathrooms in this house and it is just my husband and I so we don't use this shower, EVER. I wish I could fill it with disco balls, but those coast too much money, so the balloons are a fun alternative and such an unexpected surprise! 

What is your favorite part of this bathroom makeover? 

Playing with Paints Acrylics (or Love Acrylics, if you're in the UK) will be out in just a few weeks and I am still just BURSTING with excitement. This is hands down the biggest and longest project I've ever worked on. Truly, a dream come true. I started working on this book last summer and wrapped it up in the fall. It is kind of surreal to see it all come together. I talked more about the process here, when I surprisingly found out that it was already available for preorder. 

Speaking of, have you pre-ordered your copy of Playing With Paints yet? Let me know if you have. Once they are all mailed out and in stores I plan on doing a freebie and/or a giveaway of some sorts for those who have supported this dream of mine! It truly means so much and I wish I could personally think everyone who does!

Playing with paints is 160 pages long. Broken down into 5 chapters with a mix of plays - prompts and projects. 

The first chapter covers the basics and helps you get into the swing of painting, and familar with the materials.

In chapter 2 we're ARTYing hard for 15 minutes at a time. This chapter is full of ideas for you to do when you want to create and paint but don't have alot of time to do so.  

Let's be honest, the whole book to packed with color (you won't catch me doing too many greyscale paintings). Chapter 3 focuses on colors and inspires you with different and bolds ways to use it painting. 

In chapter for we're talkin' bout, learnin' bout and using texture in various ways. Incorporating texture into your painting technique will add more dimension to your final piece. Texture can be intimidating, but it's super fun wants you get comfortable using it. 

One of my favorite things about acrylic paint is that it sticks to soo many surfaces. In chapter 5 I am taking you off the canvas and showing you different things and surfaces you can paint on with acrylic paint. 

I am so excited for this book to be released, so thankful for the opportunity and even more thankful for everyone who has already supported me, ordering pre-sale and sending me sweet congrats messages. It truly means a lot to me. T H A N K  Y O U!!!!

My Art Studio and office makeover is finally done and I am so excited to share it with y'all! As you may or may not know, Chris and I purchased our first home last September. We didn't move in until mid-end October and at that point in life I was still very much so in the process of finishing up my book. I was just overall exhausted. Buying a home (once it is over) is very rewarding, but the process can be complete hell, especially if you're two artists trying to prove yourself on paper. [Thats another story, for a different day- just dot your i's, cross your t's and set yourself up as a real business that pays yourself. That's the best advice I've got on that topic.] 

Needless to say, I was just happy to finally be homeowners, thankful that we were able to find a cute place that we could afford in a neighborhood IN the city that we had lived in for the last decade and wanted to stay in [the Atlanta market is very competitive]. As much as I wanted to get to decorating EVERYTHING, I needed to catch up and rest and let our bank accounts do the same. 

Also, even though we were going from a small loft apartment to a 3 story townhome, in my studio space- I was having a really hard time figuring it out. I kind of did (and still do... a little bit) feel like I don't have enough room. I went from a corner in our loft, to a full room. AND still ran out of space as soon as everything was moved in. The only thing I added was the desk. It had been in storage since we moved into the loft. Previous to the loft, we were in a two bedroom apartment and that's when I got the desk [from Chris' parent's basement, it was his grandparent's]. The reason we 'downsized' to the loft was just because we loved the space and location so much better, and we didn't really need an extra room at the time. You can see old pictures of our first apartment together here. 

Anyways, after living and working in the house for a while and knowing how I am truly using the space and needed it set up, it was easier for me to have a 'vision' for the space. I finally made some purchases, got to painting (with the help of my sweet hubby) and brung it all together. I really  didn't want to rush the process and I am so HAPPY I didn't. I truly love the space and feel like it is cute & functional and that is all I could want.  

It always gets worse before it gets better. 

Here you can see my sketch of what I had in mind for the space. I did this before I purchased anything, In my mission to find a leopard rug, I found a round one I liked better. I honestly have plans for different furniture/desk and work space. Kind of like built-ins all on one wall, but that will be in the future. I really didn't want to spend too much money, other than paint and a few accessories, right now. 

The befores and afters aren't that much different, but enough to (I think) show a transformation. I think it shows how much just a little bit of time & paint can truly transform a space. 

Much didn't change here, either. I just rearranged a bit and added the pillows . I got the 'black out' curtains off amazon to try and help with the temperature. In the winter, it was getting to be like 50 something degrees down here, so these curtains helped a little bit. Same in the summer, it kind-of gets hotter down here so they help when the sun is hitting the hardest through the windows.  

The steps might be my favorite in the space. I mean, if you're going to have this many steps in your home, you might as well make the most of it, right?! Rainbow steps for the win! 

My cute little Olive girl running around the new space. 

The secret to success/luck :: working hard !!!

I hand painted the black spots. It is a half wall, so it honestly didn't take me that long at all and I just used a regular ole brush that I paint with normally. No stencil or anything, just free hand. If you're not down for that sorta DIY, below I linked some peel and stick wallpaper that is very similar.  

I absolutely LOVE this industrial DIY ladder that Chris made for me. I wanted a better and 'cuter' way of getting up to the top of my closet for extra storage. The industrial pipping is simple + functional and exactly what I wanted! We just got the supplies from lowes. It wasn't a kit or anything like that. Chris figured out where the studs were in the wall and that is how we decided how wide to make the ladder. It was the easiest way to go about it. 

The pink + peach + yellow + orange vibe is pretty strong throughout. From the stairs, to the pillows, to the walls, that is how I pulled it all together. Not trying to be match-matchy, but mixing in those colors consistently with black and white gives it all a cohesive look. 

This is the less ''pretty' but super functional side. Here is where most of the work happens. Where I make my leather handbags and paint my paintings. I have a 'vision' for this side of the room too, but for now I want to use what I have and save that investment for later. I put my work table [which is a kitchen table my mom's dad made] on risers to be standing height for me. To the left of that table is the closet, that stores all of my products and to the right is my easel.

This is the view looking down into the space. Behind me, there is even more steps to the entryway. Then another set on the main floor. This is the home of many steps, I get my workout in daily. 

Cheers to finally being done with this space! I can't wait to see how it inspires me & what I create in it! Let me know what your favorite part is. 

P.s.: My Book Playing with Paints will be in stores next month, have you pre-orderd yours on Amazon or Barnes and Noble yet?! 

“This is NOT a sponsored post from the brands + products mentioned but does include affiliate links to the products on Amazon. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.”