"Be My Guest"

I hope every one had a fabulous Father's Day weekend and had a chance to spend some time with dear ol' dad if possible. 

 

I was fortunate to spend the entire weekend with a friend of mine who was in need of a weekend respite.  I was happy to oblige.  I love playing hostess.  I think I always have.  Yes, it's a lot of work, but it's so rewarding to have people compliment your home and the feelings of warmth that they have when they visit.  I'm a firm believer that there is NO place like home and I want guest to feel completely at "home" in mine.

I realized recently that I haven't ever blogged about my guest room.  I think early on I mentioned the wallpaper and chandelier, but I don't recall every blogging about the room itself.  It has pretty much remained the same since I moved in.

I knew I wanted a spare bedroom for guest, and a place where I could nap and/or relax.  It all began with the wallpaper.

I'm a sucker for a damask floral.  I also LOVE wallpaper.  There is no better way to make an instant statement.  And, I've said it before but I'll say it again, wallpaper ain't your Grandma's wallpaper anymore.

I also think that a guest room needs to be functional for guests, so I added a luggage rack and a valet.



Baity's Custom Upholstery hooked me up with a recovered parson chair that makes the perfect small scale seat for visitors to use while getting dressed. 



I found this end table at Goodwill and repainted it in a cool gray.  I loved that it could serve as a coffee table and also provide storage for extra blankets.

 

Finally the piece de resistance is the thrifted gold chandelier that got a quick makeover with hammered bronze spray paint. 

The room provides a quite retreat for guest to relax at the end of a usually fun-filled day which makes them very happy.  And when my guest are happy, I'm happy. 

Tip:  Spend a night in your guest room to see what might be missing that will make your next overnight guest's stay special. 

 

Make it a great week!!

"Anything I Can Do...."



I was going through my photo archives and I came across a project that I thought I'd share with you. 

When I first moved into my current home, I was dying to install a fancy crystal chandelier in my guest bedroom.  I had installed this wallpaper....

Photo Source

And I needed a chandelier to achieve the look I was going for.  Something like the look here.

Photo Source

Needless to say, at $700, the large crystal chandeliers available online were out of the question.  



Lamps Plus



And the local big box stores just didn't offer the price or selections I was hoping for.

Lowes

So, I decided to hit the pavement and try to find a DIY option.  It took me a little time, but eventually I ran into the perfect item with the perfect price at Hobo's Consignment in Greer, SC. 

I must admit that I first had to look past it's gaudy gold finish and see it for what it could become.  With a $22 price tag, that was pretty easy to do.  

Honestly, the whole project was really simple. (Sorry, no pictures.  This was a while back ago)

•  I started by removing ALL of the crystals and giving them a good cleaning in the dishwasher. 
• Then I simply spray painted the metal framing with the desired finish color.  I selected hammered spray paint by Rust Oleum in Dark Bronze

Rust Oleum

• The chandelier candle sleeves were damaged so I purchased an inexpensive set at Lowe's and sprayed them with the bronze paint. 

Photo Source

• Then I simply reattached all of the crystals.  Some found new homes, since I couldn't actually recall how they were attached exactly.  There were alot of them. 

THE RESULT:

So for about $40 and very little labor, I got a beautiful chandelier that is always a hit when people come over.   And frankly, anything I can do, you can do (maybe even better). 

If you try it out, or already have, share a picture with me at dwellbycheryl@yahoo.com