Welcome back to the thrilling saga of our Dueling DIY Guest Bedroom challenge! My friend Charlotte and I are in a friendly but fierce battle to transform our guest bedrooms, and I’m excited to share the latest progress from my corner. If you’re just joining us, you can catch the entire series here, and trust me, you won’t want to miss a single update!
It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for another Dueling DIY update on the guest bedroom’s transformation! This challenge pushes both our creativity and our DIY skills, and the pressure is certainly on. For those who need a quick recap, you can start from the very beginning of the “Guest Room Gauntlet” here, and then check out our previous update here. As a bonus, for all you visual learners and vlog enthusiasts, I’ve included vlog #2 at the bottom of this post, capturing even more of the behind-the-scenes action!
The Dueling DIY Rivalry Continues: A Friendly Showdown with Charlotte
My esteemed guest co-host for this Dueling DIY series is the wonderfully talented Charlotte from At Charlotte’s House. She’s currently tackling a daybed project along with a few other creative endeavors in her guest room. Now, don’t let her latest post fool you into thinking she’s miles ahead! She might make that daybed look perfectly styled and near completion, but I know better. The upholstery is still missing, and I suspect she’s just trying to create the illusion of being further along than she truly is. (Honestly, a couple of strategically placed pillows won’t intimidate me!) Just you wait – when my custom Murphy bed is fully revealed, I expect to see a reaction similar to this:
I’ve been diligently tracking her progress, mostly through her captivating Instagram stories. We also recently had the fantastic opportunity to meet up in person at WorkbenchCon, a prominent conference for makers and DIY enthusiasts held in Atlanta. It was a refreshing break from our individual projects, allowing us to temporarily set aside our playful rivalry and enjoy some quality time, engaging in a little woodworking fun and, of course, making plenty of silly faces.
To be perfectly honest, seeing her industrious output over the past couple of weeks had me feeling a little behind schedule. However, that sentiment completely changed this past weekend. Suddenly, all the pieces of my guest bedroom puzzle started to fall beautifully into place, and I made significant strides!
Out with the Old: Clearing the Canvas for a Fresh Start
The first crucial step in any major room overhaul is to clear out the existing clutter and furniture, creating a blank canvas for the new design. With the invaluable help of K, we systematically moved out all the old furniture. The antiquated bed was dismantled, and the mattress temporarily found a new home in our living room. While the large TV will eventually return to the bedroom, we carefully took it down from the walls. This essential step ensures unrestricted access for painting and allows us to truly visualize the transformation without any distractions. It’s always amazing how much bigger a room feels once it’s completely empty, setting the stage for fresh ideas and functional design.
A Moody Sage: Embracing a Trending and Tranquil Color Palette
Ready to finally see the new color that will define the mood and aesthetic of this rejuvenated guest bedroom? I am absolutely thrilled with this choice!
Naturally, that image only shows the first coat of paint. A crucial second coat was applied to achieve the rich, even finish I envisioned. You might recall that the wall on the right had already received its first coat during our last update. This beautiful, soothing color will also be consistently applied to all the trim work of the upcoming built-ins, creating a cohesive and sophisticated look throughout the space. The idea is to wrap the room in this calm hue, providing a seamless backdrop for the functional elements and personal touches.
As a seasoned blogger, I’ve learned that paint color inquiries inevitably surface about six months after a post goes live. So, to preemptively answer that burning question for any future searchers (and by the way, hello there! How are you? I hope you stumbled upon this site while escaping boredom at work and decided to stay a while. We love talking about DIY projects, the occasional squirrel dilemma, and generally not taking ourselves too seriously), let’s put this vital information in bold:
The captivating dark sage green paint color gracing our guest bedroom walls is Retreat by Sherwin-Williams.
Got it? Excellent. This color truly brings a sense of calm and sophistication to the room, perfectly aligning with current interior design trends that favor deep, earthy tones. It’s versatile enough to complement various decor styles, ensuring the room remains timeless while feeling utterly contemporary.
The Heart of the Room: Murphy Bed Hardware Arrives, Building Commences!
If you recall from the initial mood board and our last progress update, my ambitious plan involves constructing an entire wall of custom built-in storage, ingeniously integrated with a Murphy bed. While I didn’t initially disclose the driving force behind this particular design, it makes perfect sense now that I’ve shared the exciting news: K and Stella have officially moved in! This room is now designated for double-duty, serving as K’s dedicated home office and a sanctuary for his impressive personal collections, which notably include a fascinating array of vintage cameras. This dual functionality demanded a highly efficient use of every square foot. The Murphy bed and built-in system emerged as the perfect solution, providing ample space for a productive office environment while keeping a comfortable guest bed neatly tucked away until visitors arrive. It’s truly a masterclass in small-space living and smart design.
And speaking of this monumental project, I’m thrilled to announce that the crucial Murphy bed hardware has arrived in the mail! Along with it came various jigs and additional cabinet hardware. I’m incredibly grateful that Rockler has very generously stepped in to sponsor this project, providing all the essential hardware needed for a professional installation. To kick off the extensive build, my first task was to construct the bottom frame and side rails, a process that surprisingly takes us all the way to page 18 of the comprehensive instructions. This particular stage requires absolute precision – it’s one of those critical steps where getting it right is paramount for safety and functionality. I’m meticulously following every detail of the installation guide and plan to dedicate a full, in-depth post to this build once it’s complete, sharing all the tips and tricks I learn along the way.
Curtains: A First for the Ugly Duckling House
You might be looking at that TV placement, directly in front of the room’s only window and primary light source, and thinking, “That’s a bit awkward.” And you’d be right! However, it’s the best temporary option while the rest of the room’s transformation unfolds. Most of the old items will either be sold or donated, but the TV is a keeper and will eventually find its permanent, more aesthetically pleasing home within the new layout.
Now for a bit of Ugly Duckling House trivia: those curtains you see are, believe it or not, the first official curtains I’ve ever hung in this house! It took a staggering eight years to get to this point. Apart from the charming faux Roman shade over the kitchen window, every other window in the house has been adorned with blinds. I’ve hung these temporarily to determine the precise amount of hemming required, as I’m still perfecting the curtain rod installation. I’m also not entirely sold on the top tabs, so I’m contemplating snipping them off and utilizing the top hem for a cleaner, more streamlined look. It’s these small details that truly make a space feel custom and complete.
Crafting Custom Picture Ledges for Personalized Display
Just last night, I embarked on yet another exciting DIY project for this room: the construction of custom picture ledges. These will be installed on the wall adjacent to the door, designed to add both visual interest and practical display space. My plan is to vary the spacing between the shelves, allowing for a dynamic arrangement of different frame sizes and art combinations. These ledges will feature a slightly different design than the ones I crafted for my craft stamps in the office. Specifically, the front lip will be created using a piece of trim molding instead of a 1×2, which offers a more refined and decorative aesthetic. I’ll provide a more comprehensive, detailed post once these are fully installed and beautifully styled with photos, perhaps some decorative items, or “some crap,” as I affectionately call it! 😉 Picture ledges are fantastic for easily changing out decor and personalizing a space without committing to permanent wall hangings.
A Candid Review: My Thoughts on the New Paint Line
Typically, when I find a paint color I adore, I’ll take a sample and have it color-matched to a brand I’m intimately familiar with and trust. Brands like BEHR and Olympic have consistently delivered impressive results for their price point, making them my go-to choices. However, for this particular project, I decided on a whim to venture out and try a new-to-me paint line: Ovation, part of the HGTV Home collection by Sherwin-Williams. A core part of what I do on this site involves experimenting with new DIY products and sharing my honest findings. Understanding how different paint lines perform – in terms of coverage, flashing, streaking, and overall cost comparison – is invaluable for myself and for you, my readers.
To be completely transparent, while I am absolutely enamored with the color itself, the paint’s performance was merely adequate. It wasn’t exceptional, but it did get the job done. The paint possessed a decent thickness, yet the first coat regrettably left quite a few bare spots and noticeable streaks. Fortunately, the second coat provided the full, even coverage that I was aiming for. Given that Ovation sits at a slightly higher price point than my usual preferred brands, I confess I expected a touch better performance. However, I can confidently say it didn’t peel off the walls or present any major disasters – something that unfortunately did occur many years ago when I was asked to review another paint line (needless to say, I politely declined to publish about that brand!). For two walls in this room, I used a little over half a gallon. I’m not entirely confident that a single gallon would have been sufficient to paint the entire room, whereas with my other trusted brands, one gallon typically covers a room of this size quite well. It’s a useful insight for anyone considering this particular paint line for their own DIY projects.
Vlog #2: A Video Update & Some “White Girl” Moves!
When I initially introduced the new Dueling DIY setup, I also promised to deliver regular vlog updates. These videos offer a more personal and dynamic way to share my thoughts and progress in the room, capturing moments that a written post simply can’t. So, without further ado, here is the second installment of my video journey! You might even catch a glimpse of me joyfully dancing as I paint the room – as K would playfully describe it, I’m diligently practicing my “white girl” moves. It’s all part of the fun of DIY!
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That wraps up this week’s exciting update! As you can see, there are plenty more DIY ideas and progress well underway for this guest bedroom transformation. The journey is certainly challenging, but incredibly rewarding.
Don’t forget to hop over to Charlotte’s blog to see more of her incredible progress. Feel free to playfully tease her a little on my behalf, or perhaps (and just secretly think this, don’t actually say it!) suggest that the daybed she’s poured so much effort into all week bears a striking resemblance to a pile of dog vomit. (Just kidding, please don’t actually say that!)
I hope you’re all having a fantastic week so far, and I can’t wait to share more next time!
Eager to explore past Dueling DIY challenges and see more creative battles unfold? You can check out all the previous showdowns here!