Guest Room
Small Space Solution: Beautification Station
If you rent and/or call a small space home, it’s possible your life isn’t overflowing with bathroom storage options. Here’s how I tackled that design dilemma in my condo.
As the last two homes I rented had small bathrooms with pedestal sinks, I had to improvise a decorative and utilitarian storage space for all the girly stuff I primp with daily. A beautification station. In each situation, I created a space in the guest room for a small vanity area, usable by both me and my guests.
Thanks to a bookshelf I had on hand, and a mirror that I snagged on a serious budget, I put the space together for almost nothing. At Pier 1, nestled amongst the mirrors, was this gorgeous wooden one – with a bright little clearance sale price tag announcing the price of only $19. Marked down from about $100! Hello, bargain.
It was on clearance because there was a crack running through the glass. It was still awesome. Heck, that crack made it more awesome. The manager wanted to get me a new one. For full price. He reached out for the mirror, and I held tightly to my bargain, as he tried to tell me he couldn’t sell it to me. I argued that it was tagged with a price, displayed on the floor, and he wouldn’t get my money for a full-price one. Then I literally tugged it out of his hand. My stubbornness paid off. I got the mirror!
And you know what? To this day the crack shines proudly, like a battle scar. From the battle of the broken bargain. But I digress. . .
The top of the bookshelf became the landing pad for my makeup, hair product, etc.
I grouped like items in brown wooden storage containers for a more cohesive look. I collected the containers over a month or two. My mom gave me the cute little cat ring holder years ago – it holds my Grandma’s diamond engagement ring when I’m not wearing it.
The bins, which I already owned, fit almost perfectly on the shelves – providing storage for hair accessories, travel toiletry bags, hair dryers, purses, hats, and other girly stuff.
I think I enjoy this cheerful little vanity more than I would have enjoyed a built-in cabinet in my tiny bathroom. And now my guests have a convenient place to primp, without tying up the only bathroom in the joint.
At the end of the day, the key to making your small rented home personal and functional comes down to one thing: creative thinking. If the apartment doesn’t have a functional space that you need, just create it. There’s always a way.
And now I’m curious. Do you have a vanity area in your home, or do you just use the bathroom area?
*New to this blog? Check out another small-space storage solution I whipped up in my guest room.
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Before & After: Tiny Guest Room
I’d like to give you a peek into my guest room. It’s one of my favorite projects to date, even though it’s still a work in progress.
Here’s a shot of the blank slate I had to work with. A tiny, boring white room, with an ugly HVAC unit installed in the wall.
My inspiration came from a bolt of blue and brown fabric that I’d ordered – on a whim – for a past project. One that never came to fruition, and for good reason. I know the peak of the blue-and-brown craze has passed, but I still love the color palette. Frankly, I just don’t give a hoot if my room adheres to the latest trends. It’s cozy and calm and I love it. That’s good enough for me.
The room is small, with the layout of walls and doors and closets eliminating the possiblity of equipping the room with even a full-size bed for guests. To create the guest sleeping area without crowding the room, I found a nice iron daybed on Craigslist.
Small-space living tip: If you have not yet discovered the fabulosity that is a daybed, read on! Underneath the twin-sized daybed hides a pop-up trundle with an additional twin-size mattress. When a couple comes to stay in the room, you pop up the trundle at night to create a king-sized bed! The bed will be a few inches shorter than a true king, but for a small space it’s a great solution.
I didn’t pay full price for anything, of course. The pillows and coverlet on the daybed were all clearance rack finds, and I saved even more money by making my shelves and decorating them with items I already had in the house.
On the wall with the big windows, I have a dresser where I store my linens and some extra clothes. I keep one drawer empty, though, for guests to use. On top of the dresser I have a small silver tray (a $1 score at a thrift store) with a bottle of water, glasses, and a jar of mixed nuts for guests who might need a little snack.
Now for a little before-and-after:
Before: Third wall before, when the guest room doubled as my office:
After: That wall is now quite sad and lonely, with the remaining little office shelf floating randomly above the cedar chest. I’d like to remove the unnecessary shelf and create a photo collage wall, but the project may have to wait until the holidays are over.
Of course there are other projects I’d like to complete, including sewing a skirted cushion that will turn the cedar chest into a bench seat. I’d also like to sew an insulated roman blind for the large windows. The old windows are drafty, and an insulated blind would really cut down the cost of heating the room – assuming I ever turn the heat on – while providing a nice finishing touch on the windows.
I’m just happy to have a true guest room for my friends who come to visit. Though the room may not be complete, it hasn’t stopped those guests from enjoying their stays so far!
Clutter Control: Banishing Bookcases
I loathe bookcases.
Why? Several reasons. For one, I try not to have any more furniture than necessary. A small apartment can only handle so many pieces. Secondly, bookcases rest on the floor, providing a refuge for dust and pet hair on the lower shelves and making it harder to vacuum every inch of the room they are in.
Ick! I just hate that. That’s why I want as little furniture resting on the floor as possible. To keep life easy and vacuum-able. And also pet-friendly.
But how do you store books and other knick-knacks? I like to hang a few tastefully-spaced shelves on the wall. And make them pretty. Which, I’ve discovered, is an art. An art for which I don’t always have the right talent. So I keep trying and tweaking and placing and moving and stacking and sorting and . . . paring down, of course!
Shelves or no shelves, however, small apartments are not conducive to clutter. Therefore, I’ve tried to elminate all but the most treasured of knick-knacks and books. Pretty much anything remaining in my home is pretty darn important. Often a gift from friends or family. Or something I bought that I just LOVE. As my living and dining rooms are working their way towards a strong mid-century modern aesthetic, however, I’ve had to keep a lot of my “clutter” out of them. In order to still incorporate it into my home, when I turned my second bedroom into a guest room and office combo I included in the plan a display area for said clutter.
Not wanting to spend a penny more than necessary on the guest room, I “relieved” my dad of two equally-sized boards from his woodshop. I added some stain and sealant (I’m sure by now my condo neighbors think I’m crazy when they see me outside playing with wood and varnish in all sorts of weather) and attached decorative brackets from the hardware store. Voila!
Since then I’ve tried several times to tweak the aesthetic. I think I’m finally satisfied. . . well, at least 85%.
So here’s a quick before-and-after of my latest attempt at artful arranging. I don’t know – maybe it’s still too cluttered:
