Sharing the “before” and “after” makeover of our blue and white guest bedroom!
Our new home in NC is our third fixer upper house where we’ll be doing a lot of redecorating and remodeling – Jeff and I aren’t phased by living in homes in the “in between” stage of disaster but I try not to have my guests sleeping on mattresses on the floor like we’ve often done for months at a time :). Jeff’s dad is going to be our first official house guest and at 82 years old, “Papa” has certainly earned a restful room to stay. Ready to see what we’ve done to our guest room where he’ll be staying with us?! (post includes affiliate links – full disclosure statement available {here})
Let’s actually start with what our guest room looked like when we bought the house:
The first thing I did was take down the drapes and cornice boards – our entire house has wood blinds on all of the windows so we’re going to just go with the “naked” look for a while! We also had the carpet cleaned and we lightened up the walls and trim, painting everything Benjamin Moore Simply White – that alone made a HUGE difference in making this small room feel larger. I also think white walls give the coastal feel I was looking for in this blue and white bedroom.
After furnishing the room with a combination of pieces I bought, some that were gifted by Serena & Lily, and some that were swiped from our house in Connecticut and my mom & dad’s house, here’s how things this blue and white bedroom is looking now:
It’s been so fun to see it come together! This house is going to have a more coastal vibe than our Connecticut home so I went with my much-loved blue and whites for this space. I admittedly own a pretty obscene number of decorative pillows so was able to shop my own stash for most of the pillows on the bed including the blue and white quilted shams (they’re no longer available but {these shams} are almost identical) and {this 24″ pair of blue tasseled edge pillows}:
The new addition is {this gorgeously embroidered dark blue lumbar pillow} in front that ties everything in this blue and white bedroom together – love it!:
Serena & Lily truly has best in class bedding – it washes and wears beautifully and makes you feel like you’re staying at a five star resort! For our guest room bedding, I chose {this Soho duvet cover in Navy} which has enough of a pattern to make it interesting but at the same time it’s simple enough that it will go with anything. It will allow me to keep the same duvet for years but still change up the look of my bedding with some pillow swaps. I also love that when it’s folded down from the top of the bed, the border matches up to create a little frame.
Underneath the duvet I have a set of Serena & Lily sheets that has a similar design and {this super soft Augustine quilt in White}. One of my favorite tips for how to make the perfect bed is to put your sheets on the bed upside down and then fold down the top edge over the quilt so you can see the pretty design:
In warmer weather, I’ll store the duvet away and just use the sheets and quilt. For above the bed, I chose {this Topeka mirror} in white – mine is the 32″ size (small) that couldn’t be a more perfect fit for the space. I love round mirrors as above bed decor:
Along with nice bedding two of my must-haves for guest rooms are (1) a spot for guests to put their suitcase and (2) a chair to sit. But… our guest room is pretty small so there’s definitely no room for a chair and a luggage rack would be tough to work around too. My solution was to place {this long backless bench} at the foot of the bed which does double duty as a spot to sit and a place for a guest suitcase. I chose the deep navy and white pattern but it also comes in a natural color that’s equally gorgeous. 
It’s also a great spot to leave towels for your guest or a tray with water and snacks! You can see all of my favorite end of bed benches {here}.
The bed is {this beadboard bed} in weathered white which was my very first purchase for this blue and white bedroom. I also bought {this cute new white nightstand} that has the prettiest shaped legs:
I only bought one because I wanted to make sure I liked it – it’s a win so I’ve now got a second one on order for the other side of the bed. I took {this bedside lamp} on loan from the entryway of my mom and dad’s house – it’s actually the same one that we have in our guest room in Connecticut (it has a USB port built into the base which is nice for guests). A few little bottlebrush trees and a framed wifi code and I think we’re officially ready for Papa’s visit!
I’ll eventually add some fabric shades to the windows, get a new fan or light fixture, and hang some art on the walls so it’s not white overkill but I’m going to switch gears to working on the other two bedrooms first.
Update! Since writing this post there’ve been a few new additions to the room including {this gorgeous acrylic blade ceiling fan}:
Next step is wallpaper – I’ll be sharing my plan for that soon!
XO,
Gina says
Looking great! Cannot wait to see more. Will you be moving to NC permanently?
Kris Jarrett says
That’s the plan but not for another year and a half until our youngest is done with high school!
Joanna says
I love the subtle coastal vibe. The white makes the room light & airy, while the navy adds a touch of color. That navy bench was a super find.
The girl’s beds are adorable. From what I can see of the bedding, you’re going to add some soft pink/purple to the room.
Is this to be your new home or your get away from winter destination?
Kris Jarrett says
Thank you Joanna! It’s our little getaway from the Connecticut winters (and play place in summers) for now but in a year and a half when our youngest is out of high school we plan to make it our permanent home.
Cindy D. says
You guest room is fabulous. Love the makeover.
Kris Jarrett says
Thank you Cindy!
debra @ 5th and state says
where do I make man reservation? fab Kris, and that bench…..anxious to see the future “after’s”
xx
Debra
debra phillips says
MY, not man!
Kris Jarrett says
Ha! You know that you are welcome ANY time you like!!
Michele M. says
Oh my word – that cannot possibly be the same room! What an INCREDIBLE before and after! WOW!
Well done, Kris. Your guests will never want to leave!!!!
Lizzy Leff says
Great job! Thank goodness you got rid of those curtains. They were WAY too short.
Kris Jarrett says
Yes, they were definitely a bit awkward!
Toni says
I hope that wasn’t your real wifi published in this post (the one in the cute picture frame). Probably wouldn’t want to do that? ?
Kris Jarrett says
No worries – that isn’t our real wifi code (I made a faux code at the same time I printed our real one so I could share the idea) 🙂
Mary Ann Pickett says
Great job, Kris!!!
Kris Jarrett says
Thank you!!
Karen B. says
Kris,
After 35 years in one house, we’ve moved twice in 3 years, but I confess it’s been so much fun. Some of the rooms now have items from other rooms and I find it exhilarating. I know it will be enjoyable and inspirational seeing what you do to each room of your new house.
xo,
Karen
Kris Jarrett says
Karen, I’m with you! It’s so fun to work on new spaces and change things up!
Hayley Coxe says
So beautiful. Looking forward to seeing more.
Lou says
Love the navy pillow, but I don’t have the budget for this. Do you have any other favorite places that you get pillows from?
Kris Jarrett says
Some of the other places I buy pillows from are Pottery Barn, Target, Etsy, and even Amazon!
Franki Parde says
I know from “which you come!” We are FINALLY settled…always room for a new pillow… Guest room looks great…need a water carafe. franki
Nippon says
Extremely Amazing work!!
Lisa says
I love the bedroom and am considering the bed for one of my guest rooms. Would you be willing to share the room dimensions of this guest room? I’d like to compare it to mine and consider how the bed might look.
Thanks !
Kris Jarrett says
Hi Lisa – it’s not a very big room – about 14′ wide (wall bed is on) and 12′ deep. Hope that helps!
Robin says
I am thinking of painting my ceiling BM decorators white, walls simply white and trim BM super white. What are your thoughts? Should I just do the ceiling, walls and trim in simply white?
Kris Jarrett says
I would do the walls and trim in the same white color – since you will be using different sheens there will still be some nice contrast. I usually paint the ceiling the same white as the walls or just a generic ceiling white.