INSPIRATION BOARD: melrose's guest bedroom

I know, I know ... you are thinking "Wow, KB just finished her master bedroom and she is all ready moving onto the guest bedroom!?" Well, I am. But I have been thinking about these rooms simultaneously and they are such a process to "complete" that it is fun to bounce back and forth between rooms. So, I have been gathering inspiration and items since I started the master and I am ready to move forward. 


For this guest bedroom, I wanted to do something different since the other guest bedroom is your typical set up with my great grandmother's bedroom suit (pictures to come!). Of course I resorted to pinterest to get my creative juices following and eventually found myself gravitating towards twin beds. This guest room is the smaller of the two so I thought twin beds would be nice for guests, we'd have the option to use one in a nursery, and for kids as they get older. Are you a fan of twin beds? Here are my favorite inspiration images of twin beds.

all image sources via my pinterest board

Way back when, these two pictures below were my inspiration for this room. I love the cream walls and the black iron bed in the first photo - this room influenced me to paint the walls elephant tusk by Benjamin Moore. And I really love the plaid and natural color tones in the second photo (a classic favorite by many I do believe). My final concept has not shifted too far from the photos, except for adding in the twin beds.

 via urban grace

via elle decor

This following photo is what really sold me on my color palette. I love the boldness of the black and white stripes against the natural mossy green and rustic brown tones. I think of it as a mix between the two original inspiration photos. So, my color palette is black, white, cream, olive green, caramel, and gold. I love using whites and creams in a room because of the contrast and variety they add.

Here is my "mock up" of the guest bedroom - top view and front view. Do you like my fake windows!? Ha. Unfortunately, that Wisteria dresser is no longer available so I am on the search for something similar and affordable! Any ideas?

I want to layer the cow hide on top of the jute rug for texture and the metallic gold speckles help add a little "glam" to the room! On the wall directly across from the small dresser with the two lamps will be a long dresser, but that is to be determined at the moment.

 Here are the items I hope to include in the room ... but I still need some accent pieces to decorate! Any suggestions!? 

ONE: twin quatrefoil iron beds

TWO: black and white striped duvet and pillow cases

THREE: plaid accent pillows

FOUR: ivory matelasse coverlet & sham

FIVE: gold curtain rod and rings

SIX: green velvet curtains

SEVEN: herringbone jute rug

EIGHT: beige and gold cow hide rug

NINE: cream ceramic lamp with black drum shade

So, that is my goal. What do you think? I do owe ya'll pictures of the other guest bedroom since I revealed that sneak ... so be on the lookout! 

CARE FOR A DRINK?

Thank you all so much for the sweet comments regarding Melrose's master bedroom reveal! I love hearing your favorite details about the space and it makes me appreciate my pickiness and stubbornness! Now I know all those small details I wanted so long to complete are noticed!


For a while now Melrose's bar has been quite empty. Not in the decorating sense, but lacking a certain liquid filling my collection of decanters. I had no way of establishing which liquor is which ... yes, I know vodka looks different than bourbon - but what about vodka and gin - so I just left them empty. I don't like thinking about enjoying the best summer cocktail of your life and then it was the wrong liquor and it was ruined. 


Well, the future dilema is now resolved. I came across this article in one of my friends' magazines and I snapped a picture to remember the site and company's name. It's exactly what I have been looking for! I love the classic, vintage style of these  "swanky labels" and they are all ready engraved so I was sold. 

They came in last week and are perfect - everything I imagined them to be and more! I washed the decanters, filled them up, hung the tags, and here they are ready to be put to use.

What do you think!? If you have some empty decanters sitting around your house - order these swanky labels and fill em' up!

B&A: master bedroom

Well, the time has finally come - I have pictures of the finished master bedroom! I am so excited to finally share with you my, what seemed to be never ending, recent house project. I am super happy with the way it turned out and I think Brandon even likes it, haha. So, without further ado here are some before pictures of when we first moved into Melrose!

tan walls, cream carpet, outdated fan ... I would love to replace the carpet (it is the only room in Melrose with carpet) with hardwoods but that is a discussion for another day

Deciding on paint colors ... the top color is the ceiling and bathroom paint, Benjamin Moore Horizon(it looks a lot blue-r in this picture than it really is), and I don't remember what I was choosing between but I picked the darker color, Benjamin Moore Storm in the Affinity Collection, since there is a large window + the double doors that provide a lot of natural light.

in the process ...

how beautiful is that globe fan!?!

Complete!

If you remember, I shared that we were using Brandon's childhood furniture that had traveled to Auburn with him, to the frat house, to Montgomery, and then to Birmingham so you can only imagine what kind of shape it was in by the time I was using it. It definitely got the job done, but after months of saving, lots of freelance projects, and hours of convincing Brandon - I was ready to upgrade! Here is my inspiration picture I photoshopped together and posted a while back. 

And before I show you the final, final pictures - I wanted to share a few images of what we were working with before. Yes, the dresser is missing 2 drawers and Brandon still insisted on using them by just shoving his jeans in them - I mean, I guess that was easy access!? Guys.

 We at least have the new nightstands in this picture, but we are still using the old bed and lacking some wall hangings.

Here is the final reveal! I think Brandon's skull mount really helped to balance the area between the oversized framed prints. The two prints, Ochi and White Print, belong to the wonderfully talented Michelle Armas. I can't afford one of her large paintings, but I can afford a print! I matted and framed them myself. 

please excuse my leg reflection in the lamp - I was so conscious of avoiding myself in all other mirrored surfaces, except for this shot (and I did it on both takes!)

I love my Coralie Bickford-Smith metallic F. Scott Fitzgerald books - just waiting on the others!

This is what I consider "my" dresser - as you can tell with all the jewelry, perfume, and gold gilded mirror. I searched high and low for the perfect mirror for this dresser and settled on this laurel mirror from Pottery Barn. The size is perfect for the space and the price was pretty reasonable too. I wish it didn't have the "distressed" marks, but oh well! I drape most of my necklaces over the silhouette painting I painted and use the bowls to store my bracelets. 

On this dresser we have one of our wedding pictures and a shot of Brandon's excitement at the National Championship game - I thought it was perfect for the orange chevron frame (War Eagle!). I found the tray at At Home in Homewood and used it to display Brandon's "collect all" bowl, a candle, his my favorite cologne, and some other doo-dads. 

I know you saw the fan that we started with so you can't blame me for wanting something pretty, right!? Well, I was dead set on a beautiful chandelier, but the male involved said NO - he wanted a fan. I decided to compromise on this issue hoping to persuade him on the other items in the room, and it worked. So, we met in the middle and I found this place in Birmingham that allows you to mix and match everything. I paired white, high gloss blades with a gold body and found this crystal chandelier attachment for the light. I think it is a happy medium and actually matches the curtain rod finials and some of the knobs I replaced.

So, what do you think? Was it all worth the wait? I think so! Now it is onto the guest bedrooms - one down and one to go. Here is a sneak peek of the completed guest bedroom that I will be sharing soon! I love the rustic sconces I mounted ... how about you!?