guest room

on the road

| circadee

So I’ve got this little nook in our navy blue guest room that used to be quite bare except for plain white shelves and other riff raff that would collect there.

Awhile back I hung vintage scarves to serve as a valance in the space.  I like that look but it still needed more!

Back to the hideous white shelves.  They are made of particle board and were left by the previous owners.  They are definitely functional but not pretty.  Either is the hole left by their cable cord.

I decided to jump on the old book page bandwagon and recover the shelves with them.  Since the antique furniture in the room is already the color of old book pages, I thought the shelves needed a little umph.  Enter this big old atlas that I got for about 3 bucks at a thrift store.  I tore a few pages of blue, green and yellow maps out to mingle with the book pages. 

I haphazardly applied the pages to the shelves using spray adhesive (while dinner was cooking).  This is a quick task.

After that dried, I applied a layer of mod podge using a sponge applicator.

Then I moved in some pretty shabby items

Yes, I applied pages to the under side of the shelves too.

I like the yellowing book pages and blueish atlas pages much better than the stark white particle board, don’t you?  Would you believe that Ryan never noticed the shelves before they received this little “wallpaper” treatment?  He asked if I hung the shelves too.  Ha!  They’ve been there all along.

Loving the tarnished silver compote filled with old wooden spools.  Someone’s trash is my treasure.

Across from the shelves, I moved in the vanity that matches the rest of the French Provincial bedroom set that belonged to my grandmother.

My favorite part is the antique vanity stool.  I was going to have it recovered but I am starting to find the worn in upholstery endearing.  It doesn’t look half bad in its new home.  Should it be re-upholstered?  What’s your vote?

I found an antique vanity mirror that reflects the new-to-us shelves.

Loving…

Linking to:

The Shabby NestPhotobucketMod Vintage LifeHOGFunky Junk's Sat Nite Special

coco chenille

| circadee

Can we talk about the fact that everyone had a chenille bedspread in the mid-century?  And how no one I know seemed to hang onto theirs?  And if by chance they did save it, it was eaten by moths, stained or smells like a basement?  Yup.  That’s what I’ve learned in my journey to find the perfect chenille bedspread in tact. 

Full size.  Or Double as they used to say.

But I don’t give up easily. Not when it comes to the perfect vintage accessory.  And I found the Channel of the chenille blankets.  You heard right.

Oh yeah and it is in the guest room.  Which seems to be the only room I have been working on lately and yet the only room we don’t use on the reg. 

I paired the blanket with a variety of vintage linens to complement the navy walls & yellow toned furniture.  

From the ground up…

Remember my chenille rug?  Matches just right.

The peach bedskirt was my Grandmother’s.  It’s fluffy and ruffley eyelet.

Then the charming chenille blanket.

Plus a variety of comfy pillows…

Starting with inviting, simple white shams with an eyelet border.

And vintage green plaid ones from the 70s which match my scarf window treatments.

These cute little throw pillows were handmade for me by a family friend.  I can’t resist the green butterflies!

What do we have over here?  Oh just some antique butter pats that my imaginary guests can use to hold their gems and jewels.

And yes that is an early copy of Wuthering Heights.  And yes it was less than a $1 to boot.

So when are you coming to stay?

Linking to:

House of Hepworth

Freckled Laundry

My Repurposed Life

House of Grace

untouchables

| circadee

The guest room has been getting lotsa decor love lately. 

First, the sheet music wreath.

Then the spoon wreath last week.

And now a window treatment!

The funny thing is that we don’t spend any time in there.  It reminds me of a living room that no one lives in.  You know the type.  You may have had one growing up or maybe you have your own now.  It’s that room in the house that is the most pristine.  So pristine that no one goes in there.  No one is allowed in there.  I’m afraid that my beloved guest room is turning into the untouchable room.  We need to have some overnight guests stat so we can change that.  Until then I continue to deck the walls in vintage (and spoons). 

Moving right along.  Vintage scarves are my accent du jour.  These aren’t just any old scarves.  They were my grandmother’s.  When I acquired the furniture from her, the silky fabrics were left in a drawer.  I never saw her wear these scarves in my lifetime.  I wonder if they were all even hers or possibly her mother’s.  At any rate, they are most definitely 50 years old or more.  They are quite fragile so I am afraid to wear them.  What if I were to lose one?  Stain one?  Tear one?  Some even have holes already so when working with them, I chose not to wash or steam them.  I didn’t want to wear them out even more. 

After seeing various versions of scarf curtains and valances, I decided that was how I wanted to display some of my silky heirlooms.  I chose complementary colors to the navy walls and contrasting yellowy furniture.  The greens are pretty. 

When it came to hanging the scarves, I simply draped them over the already existing valance hardware. 

(Yes, we still have a 1950’s shade on the window.  Me likey.)

I used 3 large scarves, folded them in half diagonally making a triangle.  When draping them, I made sure the point was down in order to keep the look consistent. 

I’m pretty happy with the results.  So simple and so much better than keeping these textiles hidden away in a drawer.  And I’m hoping those wrinkles will just fall out.  Soon.  Very Soon.

What are some other ways to display vintage scarves?

Linking to:
Funky Junk Interiors
House of Hepworths
Freckled Laundry
House of Grace