Ready for Guests

The guest bedroom in the new condo is sooooo close to being complete that I've deemed it ready for guests and a reveal. This room has been in the works for more than a year - gosh it takes a long time for a plan to come together!! The faux bamboo bedside tables were found on Kijiji in December 2011, and they were given a makeover as part of a D.I.Y. challenge in June 2012. In the meantime, I put together a floorplan and design scheme, which was largely inspired by the chartreuse lily lamps I purchased in a Peterborough antique shop.

With the idea to spread costs out over the course of the year before the move, I tackled projects one at a time, slowly building my design arsenal. The vintage lamps needed to be rewired and new shades were custom made by Lia at Mod Pieces. I had my old headboard reupholstered in a grey velvet found at Designer Fabrics and upgraded to diamond tufting for a touch of luxury.

While rug hunting last summer at the Elte Outlet, I happened upon the SDH diamond coverlet, and then sewed my own pillow shams from a fabulous printed linen also found at Designer Fabrics. You may remember when I found the kantha quilt at a West Elm event last spring; I like how it adds just a touch of pink to the room.

The showstopper in this guest room is the Sanderson "Lilia" wallpaper in lime & silver. I painted all of the walls in Para Paints Pearl (SR30 from Sarah Richardson's designer palette) to match the ivory background of the paper, and then had the focal wall behind the bed and side tables professionally papered.

Some small finishing touches and the room is ready for guests to arrive. Drapery is happening soon, and then the room will be at 100%. My Mom has already stayed in the unfinished room a few times, but now I'm super for her to see the finished product next weekend!

Source Guide:
 

Wallpaper: Sanderson "Lilia"

Vintage Lamps: Nostalgic Journey

Lamp Rewiring & Custom Shades: Mod Pieces

Coverlet: S.D.H Linens via Elte Outlet

Kantha Quilt: West Elm

Fabrics: Velvet & Printed Linen via Designer Fabrics

Paint: Para Paints Pearl, SR30

What's New

Things have been quiet around here recently. Mostly I've been waiting for the builders to repair all of the deficiencies listed on my Tarion warranty form, and they have finished up the last of the drywall repairs and other touch ups over the past couple of weeks. This means that I can get started on the painting. Yep... Time to get out the paint trays and rollers. Yep... Maybe next weekend?

In the meantime I've been scouting for interesting additions to the nest. During a recent visit to my Mom's, I picked up a vintage pair of framed embroidered linen panels. (If you're ever in the Peterborough area, Nostalgic Journey is a great place to browse.) I hung one on either side of the bed in the guest room, and they add a touch of colour to the bedside vignettes.

Down to the Wire

During the past year I've been "squirreling" away stashes of furniture, lighting, mirrors, lamps, art and wallpaper in preparation for the move to the new condo. The theory was that if I purchased these items over time there wouldn't be so many expenses all at once when it's time to take possession. Three cheers for planning ahead!!!

But now that it's getting down to the wire, I realize that there is still so much more :-( Despite the best laid plans there are still several outstanding essentials: I will require the services of a painter and movers, and then there's also the matter of a rug for the living room and a new bed for the master bedroom...

Dining Room Outstanding Items:

• Ceiling light fixture
• Fabric to recover dining chair seats
  
• Wallpaper? (still under consideration)
  

Guest Room Outstanding Purchases:

• None! Ready to Go
  

The living room won't see too many changes besides the switch to the vintage campaign dresser as entertainment console and hopefully a gorgeous rug. The new home office will be a built in desk and shelving unit near the front hall, which won't require more than a wireless network setup. The master bedroom promises to be the biggest challenge, where I'm planning for a fully upholstered bed, Chinoiserie wallpaper on the focal wall and a sweet PAX wardrobe system.

All in good time, my dear friends, all in good time...

BTW, I have listed the following items for sale on Kijiji. Please tell your friends!!
Ikea Bjursta
West Elm 2x2 White Console Desk

Step by Step...Oh Baby!!

Well, I got another letter last week, informing me that my tentative occupancy date has been pushed back to the original estimate: September 2012. That's just fine by me, since it gives me more time to prepare for the big move. Over the past while, I've been trying to knock at least one thing off the to-do list each month, so that I won't be overwhelmed later (in terms of both time and money $$$). Right now the guest room is right on track!!

The headboard has been reupholstered and tufted:

The wallpaper has arrived:

The lamps are undergoing a nip & tuck at Modnest:

The bedsides are off to the sprayer next week:

Now on to the master suite, where there are still a lot of decisions to be made...

Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'

Now that I've found the bamboo bedside tables I've been searching for, I can finally move forward with the guest room design. Although my move in date is at least 9 months away, I think we can all agree that it's a good idea to start early. I mean, seriously, it took 6 months just to find the right nightstands!

These lily lamps are the room's jumping off point.
Obviously they will need new shades and finials:

Of course, each lamp will sit atop one of these
vintage faux bamboo Thomasville nightstands:

The new bedside tables will get a lick of Herringbone
SR73, Para Paints, Sarah Richardson Designer Palette:

Perhaps I'll add a pair of these pretty knobs
from Haveli Home to the drawer fronts:

I would love to use this Ophelia fabric as drapery
since there are so many colours to play with:

But that would mean this Sanderson Lilia
wallpaper is out of the question:

A tufted headboard covered in a plush velvet
will add a touch of luxury and warmth:

I've decided on this creamy Pearl for the walls

SR30, Para Paints, Sarah Richardson Designer Palette:

The bedding will be restful, like this simple

Lexington Quilt in pearl from West Elm:

It's all starting to come together!

Do you have any interesting design projects you'd like to share? I love getting comments, so leave one below and let me know what you're working on!!

Sarah's House 3 Episode 2

This week on Sarah's House 3, Sarah tackled the guest bedrooms on the second floor, naming them the West bedroom and the North bedroom. For both rooms, the inspiration for colour scheme came from the boldly printed fabrics. What's my favourite item this week? Hands down it's the upholstered headboard in the West bedroom with nailhead detail!

WEST Bedroom

NORTH Bedroom

Photos courtesy of HGTV Canada.

This week's budget: $20,000
Actual spent: $21,187