Well friends, it’s reveal day for the One Room Challenge, and I am beyond excited to share my finished office/ guest bedroom space with you all! I really am so glad that I decided participate in this design challenge as it has literally saved my sanity during this quarantine time at home. And my husband could not be happier with his new space, which is truly the icing on the cake. A happy design client is always the goal, right? 😉
To jog your memory, and for any new people here, when we decided to build I didn’t want to have any wasted space in our new home. Guest bedrooms are great, but I’ve always disliked having an entire bedroom dedicated to being used just a few weeks a year. And even with all of our family living out of state, our guest room in our old home (our sixth house) sat empty for the majority of the year. So for house #7, we decided instead to create a floor plan where every bit of square footage was put to regular use. So we opted to have my husband’s home office double function as a guest bedroom.
Before
This space isn’t very big, so I had floor to ceiling window box molding added to the walls to create the illusion of more space. And I really wish I had taken a picture before the molding went up because it truly changed the entire feel of the room. The addition of molding made the space feel so much more grand. My main goal while building was to give our new home an old soul, and the molding really added so much classic character.
After ~ Styled as an Office
I did something I almost never do, and I picked the paint color first. This is my husband’s home office, and he said he wanted green. And I fell head over heels for Tradd Street Green from the Duron Collection for Sherwin Williams, and I just knew I had to base the entire design of the room around this gorgeous shade of green.
I’d say this space is an ode to the color green, and I’m not sorry about it one bit. It is such a beautiful green!
All of the trim was done in a semigloss, and the walls were done in a flat finish.
I don’t think I’ve ever had to think this hard about space planning when designing a room before. Because this space needs to double function, much of the thought process with regard to the design happened back during the building process.
I knew from the very beginning that we would want this space to look more like an office than a guest bedroom, so a sleeper sofa was the right call for this space. But opting for a sleeper sofa meant having to think about where to house the sofa cushions when out of town guests are visiting. So this room has it’s own full bathroom and small walk-in closet that is large enough to store the cushions when needed.
I spent quite a bit of time researching sleeper sofas and decided on American Leather for their quality, comfort and customization. And because space planning was so important in here, the sofa was the very first piece of furniture I sourced for this space. Once it was in place, I built the rest of the plan around its size, color and style. It’s a queen size sleeper which fits the space perfectly.
Knowing from the beginning how we would use this room was so helpful with regard to space planning. Because we built, I had control over little details like which direction doors would open and close. The doors here open out, not in, making pretty much every inch of wall space near the doors usable.
Having the desk here by the door in this corner of the room makes it so that you don’t have to rearrange any of the furniture when the sleeper sofa is pulled out for guests. Plus, on an everyday basis, when you walk by the room, the desk isn’t as visible. Which, if you know my husband, is a good thing. 😉 (For the record, my desktop is always a mess too, which is why my office is literally in my closet. Ha!)
After – Styled as a Guest Bedroom
When we *someday hopefully soon* get to host our out of town family and friends, all that we will move out of the room is the coffee table.
When creating the design for this multifunctional space, I kept thinking back to some of my favorite NYC hotel rooms where space is limited but style is not sacrificed. I was definitely going for a hotel chic vibe.
There’s plenty of space to move around the bed, and I like that our guests will have a desk space if they need it when they come to stay with us…..just like if they were staying at a swanky downtown hotel. 😉
But they’ll have get a nice Charleston welcome with the porch swing right outside the door where they can enjoy a morning cup of coffee. I can’t wait to show you how the swing I built looks out on the porch! Here’s a little sneak peek!
As much as I love all white bedding, I love it when a guest room speaks to the landscape of the area. So I opted for a palm print duvet which isn’t overly theme-y, but does bring in a little Charleston charm.
And speaking of space planning, the door to the bathroom opens into the room, so I had to be very strategic with regard to a night stand. 😉 I seriously became best friends with my measuring tape while designing this space.
More Details
The back side of the doors are green, so when they’re closed the entire room is all one color. Which also makes this small footprint feel larger.
Painting this vintage chest of drawers the same color as the walls is probably my favorite design detail in the space. I love how it made this piece feel visually lighter in the space yet also makes such an intentional statement. The brass hardware really just sings against this green, and the glossy black mushroom lamp is like the perfect modern cherry on top making it feel so fresh!
Also, I am really, really glad I hung onto this vintage coffee table as it could not be more perfect in here! I love a good modern traditional mix. Sometimes hoarding pays off y’all! Ha! Also, stay tuned for the DIY details on the frame I built for this abstract art piece that will be coming to the blog very soon!
I’m so happy to have finished this space, but the best part is seeing my husband enjoying his new office.
As much as I love how this space came together, this room truly does speak to his style and personality.
The blend of modern and traditional, vintage and new, masculine and feminine makes the space feel equally perfect for him to use on a regular basis and for our guests to feel welcome when they come to stay.
And I will forever love a moody space, and I’m soooo glad my husband said he wanted a green! The room is a whole dang vibe at night. So much so, that I want to pull out the sleeper sofa and sleep in here sometime. 😉 And considering all that is still going on with Covid-19, staying in here might feel like a vacation. Ha!
Thank you all so much for following along on this challenge with me! Now be sure to check out all of the One Room Challenge spaces created by both the featured designers and participants. Reveal day is better than binge watching Netflix, so grab your popcorn and get cozy! Thanks so much to Linda from Calling It Home for dreaming up this design challenge and to Better Homes & Gardens for being the media sponsor. It was such fun to participate!
Sources
This space is a mix of old and new, but I’m linking as many sources as I can here. Let me know if you have any questions about anything!
Landscape Art Prints – Laurel Dawn Corner Studio
Kilim Pillow Cover – Curated Home Decor
Desk – Restoration Hardware
Sleeper Sofa – American Leather
That is alot of green! Bold move!