CONVERTING A HOME OFFICE TO A WELCOMING GUEST ROOM
A HUGE thank you to Behr Paint for sponsoring this post and this project! My favourable opinions of this amazing paint are all my own!
Another Wednesday, another DIY to share!
As much as I would have loved to have an actual dedicated home office for myself, we really need a guest room in our new home. The floor plan for this house shows three bedrooms, however, the previous owner had used the second main floor bedroom as an office and the third upstairs bedroom as a walk-in closet. My family is mostly all out of province and our recent move has taken us about a half hour away from my husband’s family as well. Overnight guests are a norm for us so until we are true empty nesters, I will continue to work from the couch!
This week on the DIY roster, we worked on this small, drab home office and transformed it into a beautiful, bright guest bedroom thanks to the power of paint.
BEFORE - FULL DISCLOSURE - THIS PHOTO WAS FROM THE REAL ESTATE LISTING
As has been the norm around here, we only had to contend with a few nail holes and some builder beige primer on the walls. The nail holes were filled with a bit of Dap and were given light sand.
PAINTING DAY!
The coverage from the BEHR MARQUEE® line is phenomenal. Even though the walls looked “finished” after only one coat, we did apply a second since one coat coverage is not guaranteed in this lighter colour we chose. Depending on the light in the room and the time of day, I didn’t want to be tricked into thinking we could have gotten away with a single coat. Trust me, never cut corners when it comes to painting!
But before I get ahead of myself, let’s talk colour choice.
I am a lover of the monochrome palette, I love my dark grays with the odd pop of colour, mostly in the jewel tone department and usually in the form of an accent wall. But in this room, I went totally outside of my comfort zone. I wanted to make the room feel larger and brighter than it was and I knew that painting it a light colour would accomplish that. The colour I chose was BEHR MARQUEE® Looking Glass (MQ3-45) in Eggshell finish. This is a beautiful pastel colour from Behr’s LIGHTS Lifestyle Collection and depending on the lighting, it takes on both pale blue and green hues. The first word that came to my mind when this colour hit the walls was “soothing”.
The trim and doors were painted with BEHR MARQUEE® Ultra Pure White and although the walls are such a pale shade, the semi-gloss finish on the trim and doors make them pop.
I wasn’t sure how we would set this this room up initially, I wondered if a bed would even fit with the double closet doors that open out, as well as the French doors that open into the room. But as luck would have it, a queen bed fit perfectly.
I chose white curtains and bedding and mixed some blues and greens for accent pieces, which draw the eye to the wall colour and make it pop.
Each time I walk past those French doors I do a double take, I truly can’t believe it’s the same space. We are definitely ready for our first overnight guests. Who wants to be first?
THIS ROOM CATCHES MY EVERY TIME I WALK PAST THESE DOORS
BEFORE - A REAL ESTATE PHOTO FROM THE MLS LISTING
Are you as surprised as I am by my colour choice for this room? I still can’t believe my monochromatic loving heart is so taken with this beautiful pastel. Like I always say, sometimes you have to step outside of your comfort zone. I’m so glad I did!
Check back in next week, we are moving right along to our next painting project!
Michele
A HUGE thank you to Behr Paint for sponsoring this post and this project! My favourable opinions of this amazing paint are all my own!
