Bohemian-Style Guest Bedroom: New Life to Old Furniture

 

Post by Julie

When we moved into our house almost two years ago, the previous owners did a complete remodel of each room. Some of the updates are not to my liking, but everything was new and it was move-in ready. 


The first room I am redoing is the guest bedroom. I basically have free range and can do what I want. The walls are a dark gray and it makes the room look too drab. 


I have decided to redo the room with a boho/hippie/70s vibe. I found an antique green hanging lamp with some green and orange décor. But I didn’t stop there.




The first thing I decided to tackle was my roll-top desk. This desk was given to me by my husband as a Christmas gift on our first Christmas together as husband and wife which was 40 years ago. 


This desk came in a box along with the chair and he put it all together for me. I love this desk and it has been in every house we ever lived in. As you can imagine, it has seen its fair share of wear and tear. The drawers where falling apart and it had a couple of holes in the back so I could plug in my computer. This desk was used for everything. The chair was holding up well, but looked a bit tattered. I decided it needed an update.

I wasn’t sure what color I wanted to paint it, but I knew I didn’t want it white. I planned to paint other pieces of furniture white and I wanted it to stand out as a statement piece. I saw several pictures on Pinterest where people have painted their furniture yellow. It wasn’t a bright yellow, but almost a school bus yellow. I loved it and knew this was what I wanted to paint my desk and chair. 


I found the perfect yellow at Home Depot, got all the supplies I needed to paint the desk, and waited for the right time to proceed.


My husband was planning a trip to our land for a couple nights, so I figured that while I was alone, I would paint. I pulled the desk out of the bedroom and put it on a tarp in the living room which had more light and ventilation. I prepped them, primed them, and then painted them. The chair and drawers where easy, but the desk was another story. It took me the whole two days, lots of paint on me and the furniture, but the results were just what I wanted. Every time I go past the guest bedroom and see the desk and chair, I always smile.




The next thing I did was to update the floor lamp. Sharon gave me the idea to wrap it in cord and I loved that thought. I started with a thick natural cord and added thinner white in the top portion. I removed the outdated lampshade and replaced it with a glass shade and I love the final results.




The next thing I updated was a table that was my Mom’s. As long as I can remember, it sat in her living room as an end table. She also had it in her Mother-in-law suite when she lived at our house. She ended up getting sick and is now living in a nice group home.


Cleaning out her place wasn’t easy, but I knew I wanted the table. It is a pretty solid piece, but worn down with time. I put it in my guest bedroom as a nightstand. Since it was in need of updating, I pulled out my white chalk paint and gave it a fresh look. I finished with a little distressing and furniture wax. It looks so much better.


When we tackle the walls, Sharon is going to help me. I have three more pieces of furniture to paint and update; a dresser, mirror and bedframe which were all once Mom’s. I want to get bedding, curtains and a rug to complete the look. We need to add the ceiling light and fan. Since we have a popcorn ceiling, we won’t be doing anything with it. I plan to adorn the room with whimsical décor and plants. I will do a complete room reveal when it is finally done.



Tapestry to hang on wall behind the bed.



Here's some cool ideas if you want to do this style room - 








Swing chair (Amazon)



Chandelier (Amazon)

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