6. French Style Guest Room - Let the decoration begin.

 

 

A funny moment on the job .... Some one asked me referring to my bed crown

 

Why are you installing a shower curtain in a bedroom?



Bed crown purchased at Madura in France

You might also ask whether I  am removing that ugly electrical conduit & point, the answer is no because I am avoiding construction costs to this room,  the drape behind the crown will hide this. 

I am elated as  the olive paint colour is applied to the walls, It feels warm & cosy already.

 

 

French Style Guest Room - Renovation problems revealed and solved.

Warning!  Demolition in progress!

The old wardrobe is removed revealing cracks in the walls and cornices.

Plaster will fix that.

demolition in progress

Oh dear! the old carpet has been removed and the floor stained, however there are fuzzy remnants of carpet stuck to the skirting due to the method of carpet installation back in the 60's .



Fuzzy Skirting

To avoid reskirting this room and risk damage to the walls and newly stained floor we've covered the furry part of the skirting with a new timber bead.





New skirting makeover in progress.



Now we have a step in the clean skirting 







Skirting problem resolved.

 

 





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



French Style Guest Room - Colour & Fabrics

It is likely that my girlfriends in Sydeny will most likely stay in this room so I definately wanted to create a femine feel so I've gone for a duck egg blue feature colour.  I also wanted to use Olive coloured walls, simply because it is a georgous sophisticated colour.  Who  ever would have thought I would combine olive with duck egg blue, but it really works. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The feature fabric I've chosen  really stood out when I noticed it in the showroom, It  is so beautiful that I was compelled to use it and it forges the colour scheme for the room. 

 

I love to use beautiful fabrics in my designs and for each client's scheme  I hunt down the best selections available by visiting all the fabric houses  rather than relying on an inhouse collection of sampling. It means my clients are getting the latest, most fashionable and most beautiful fabrics for their home. 

French Style Guest Room - building luxury in a tight space & budget

Bearing in mind long term plans to one day turn this bedroom into my dream formal dining room,  I want to keep construction costs to a minimum and do the most of the work with furnishings.  

 To create a new French style guest room my plan is to remove the old wardrobe, polish the floors and paint the walls and ceiling,  I won't restore the current windows or repaint them and I will stick with the original door giving it a fresh coat of paint and new hardware.   

 

To resolve the first mentioned issue of the bedroom's location off the kitchen I do have a space planning solution up my sleeve but I will detail that another post.

Plans for the French Style Guest Room are as follows.




Floor Plan or new Layout.

 

View 1 of new room layout

View  2 of new room layout

 




 

I would NOT recommend that clients squeeze an armoire into such a tight space.  However my guest room is temporary and I am prepared to live with the trade off between extra storage and spaciousness so I am including the armoire in the plan.  I have checked that the armoire door swings will not hit the bed. 

Front Guest Room - Fabric and Wallpaper

Fabric and Wallpaper  are probably most peoples favourite part of renovating, here are my selections for the curtains, upholstery and wall paper.

Clockwise from top left:
Trellis Fabric - Main curtains and bed valances.
Grass cloth wall paper, navy velvet - Bed heads. Commercial grade velvet will insure years of wear and easy cleaning.
Check - Desk chair and perhaps some cushions later.
Tweed - This gorgeous woollen herringbone tweed will make great throws in winter.
Beige and white broad stripe sheer linen fabric for the sheers for a touch of privacy and sun filtering.

This will be the last post on the renovation and decoration of the  Front Guest Bedroom until the big room reveal at Journey Homes Charity Showhouse event in 2013 - stay tuned for details.

Essential "Ingredients" for a Luxurious Guest Room

My French Style Guest Room renvoation series continues, so here is a check list of must have items for a luxurious Guest room that I will endeavour to include in the space planning for my French style guest room.

• Most important - somewhere to put a suitcase.
• Rug or carpet as you step out of bed.
• Quality Queen Size Bed
• Bedside Cabinets
• Bedside Lamps that you can read under.
• A wardrobe to encourage guests not to live out of a suitcase on the floor.
• Chair for some quiet space or putting your shoes on.
• Mirror
• Desk / Dresser for somewhere to put their nick nacks.
• Adequate Lighting
• Accessories such as an alarm clock & I pod dock. Placing a hair dryer in the guest room can help ease congestion in the bathroom when guests visit.
• Quality Linen & towels.
• Books to read

Monica Pedersen designed this guest room for the 2011

Lake Forest Showcase House in Illinois.



Great bedding is a must for styling and there is something about sleeping in freshly washed crisp sheets so I offer clients the choice of embroidered cotton satteen, pure linen or silk sheets for their bedrooms.

Flaxfield Linen is avalable through Journey Home.



Front Guest Room - Accessories

It is time to choose accessories for the front guest room, so far these are definately being included:

Port Hole Mirror

 - available from Journey Home contact 02 6156 2379 or email nadine@journeyhomeonline.com.au

Brass Jars
 - available from Journey Home contact 02 6156 2379 or email nadine@journeyhomeonline.com.au

I am also on the hunt for Bahamas Inspired art such as this water colour by Frances Schultz.

I might use this print I found at the Rocks Markets in Sydney.

Would love to find a home for these colourful postcards from my last trip to Spain. (Mr Journey Home shall we call him,  is Spanish)

I found this great little feaux bamboo picture frame at Down Memory Lane Antiques, Fyshwick ACT.

I will change the cushions around regularily but here are two I hope to use at some point.

Linen in gold and brown. It's subtle and works against the navy bed head.

Seagulls

I use either ready made cushions or  custom made cushions in client projects, depending on budget and necessities.

French Style Guest Room - Inspirations

Bedroom of the Stark Carpet Family residence.  

Hotel room overlooking the White house

 by  famed Interior Designer  Thomas Pheasant. 

  10 years on these rooms are  about to be refurbished.

White and Gold theme by Ralph Lauren - Plaza Collection

 

Front Guest Room - Flooring and Furniture

Starting at the bottom.

I will be working with the dark timber stain I've used throughout the house. I am custom making this trellis patterned carpet rug in an off white which is made from recycled plastic water bottles. It is extremely stain resistant and surprisingly affordable.

Time Tip - Custom made rugs take around 12 weeks no matter which supplier we use so if you are decorating for a special occassion it's another reason why it's advisable to book us in allowing time for bespoke options.

I've selected the following furniture items from the Hamptons, Carribean and even French styles to add to the British colonial feel of the room.

Fully upholstered twin bed heads in navy blue velvet with brass studs.

Extra wide bed side table with feaux bamboo details and brass trims.

Black stained timber mirror.

Versatile French style bureau provides both desk space and drawer storage.

Simple desk chair that is quite modern for a little balance.

Even if you are not a client of Journey Home Interior Design you can still access this great furniture through Journey Home contact us on 02 6156 2379

French Style Guest Bed Room - Getting Started

Before

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brief:

The renovation and decoration of this room starts with a few issues that need resolving.

1: it's location is off the kitchen which is not ideal.
2: it feels cold and dark.

3: it has a crumbling old built in wardrobe and carpet.

Bedroom is to the right off the kitchen

 

 

 

In the long term I would like to convert this room into a formal dining room which would better suit it's proximity off the kitchen and lounge room, and when this dream extension happens I will replace the windows with French doors and create the following dining room layout.

Formal Dining Room Layout

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Until such a time, the room will continue as  bedroom and my design will meet the needs of our overnight  guests. 

I would like to bring out of storage a lovely bed crown I had purchased in France and a chandelier I bought to style an apartment, plus  I've always wanted a French sleigh bed hence  a Classic French Style guest bedroom will be the mission for this renovation.

 

 

 

Lighting is like jewellry for your room.

Here is what I intend on using in the British Colonial style guest room.

The fan light like those at the Raffles Hotel in Sinapore adds to the British Colonial theme and helps our climate control for the hottest room of the house.

Quirky desk light

Reading lamps for each bed.

Georgous glazed lamp with linen shade.

All the lamps can be purchased through Journey Home to make enquiries telephone 02 6156 2379 or email nadine@journeyhomeonline.com.au

Front Guest Room - Navy Wins

My choice of Navy was cemented by a Navy velvet sofa with brass studs I saw in New York.

I am drawn to Blues mixed with natural wood tones. Fortunately Navy is huge right now so fabric suppliers are offering plenty of choice, here are a couple of swatches from one of my suppliers.

Spoiler Alert - Navy will also be used in other rooms throughout the house so it makes sense.

Our Reno - Front Porch Makeover & More

The front porch makeover is not quite complete however I couldn't wait to reveal how these cane chairs have been brought back into fashion with a fresh coat of bold red paint and new upholstery. For a colourful seasonal element I've added the brightly coloured chain stitch cushions and French, ready made, outdoor curtains.

Lantern $219, Feature Cushions $120, Curtain $200 each
All available through Journey Home 02 6156 2379

The black and white stripes continue through to the new eye drop awning I mentioned would be arriving soon, and here it is now recently installed.

There's just a few more things to finish before we can reveal the complete facade and garden. Stay tuned for before and after photos.

Front Guest Room - Consider Navy

My second colour scheme option for the Front Guest Room is Navy. Show me someone who doesn't love Navy!

Front Guest Room - How about Tan?

My first first option for the room's colour scheme is Black and Tan with Toile Brown and here is a little inspiraton for this scheme.

From Nancy Corzine's Glamour at Home

What do you think do you love the tan?






















or a Navy Blue scheme.

I