After showing you our master bedroom (here), I thought you might want to see some of the other rooms in our house. If not, today’s post may not be for you ;) This spring we finally created a space for guests to stay over as well as an organized space to house my craftiness. Which was quite the feat! I knew I wanted bright, cheery (some might say girly…) colors in the space but was having a difficult time finding the right furniture to accommodate guests but still leave space for crafting. Things really came together when I found the Hemnes daybed from Ikea. For everyday, it is a cute daybed with large drawers for storage, but when needed, it extends into a king sized bed. How amazing is that? We did switch out the hardware on the drawers for a bit more feminine touch – an easy change for a big impact.
Storage was very important in this room, so I tried to sneak it in whenever possible. Bonus points if the storage looked like decor ;) Target happened to be having an aqua explosion (love it when that happens) when I was decorating, so the cushions for the window seat as well as the storage ottomans under the window seat were found there.
The small throw pillows were also apart of the Target aqua-plosion. But they started their lives as placemats! The color and pattern were EXACTLY what I wanted, so I simply ripped the seam up one side and stuffed the heck out of them with pillow stuffing and sewed them back up. I think they were $3 apiece. Score! The larger pillows I had custom sewn because I could not find any raspberry/green/aqua European shams that didn’t scream “teenage girl.” These are much more grandma-chic to me ;) (Did anyone notice the mini-wedding shrine above the bed? hehehe).
Mr. Lemon and I bought this armoire for our second apartment, which had VERY minimal closet space. It is now home to craft heaven! We changed the hardware on this, too (it was a not so nice brass) and I still have a desire to paint the whole thing aqua, but Mr. Lemon said that he would have no part in that project, so we’ll see!
The photo of the pink peony is one of Mr. Lemons’s grandfather’s that we have around our house. He is an excellent photographer and I love the fact that we have art with such personal meaning to display!
We bought this mirror when we got our new bedroom dresser a few weeks back (both from East Fulton Antiques in Uptown Grand Rapids – love that store!). The color and style are perfect, but I can’t figure out where to hang it in the room, so for now it is just hanging out in a corner. Soon enough, mirror, it will be your time to shine!
Overall, I love how the room is turning out. I am considering painting an accent wall, but want to wait until I find a rug and need to decide if I’ll paint the armoire. Also…no window treatments in this room yet either! Apparently, rugs and window treatments are my biggest room design hang-ups!
This Nest is Best 
I love love LOVE that daybed. Hemnes is easily one of my favorite lines at Ikea.
We’re quite impressed with it. Everyone thinks it’s from Pottery Barn!
What a fun room! Wow, your desk is tidy. I wish I had that kind of discipline.
Don’t be too impressed! You should have seen the pile of projects I had to move to take these photos! LOL
Wonderful room! I, too, am planning a combo guest room / craft room.
How comfortable is the daybed to actually sit in? Didn’t you need to purchase your own mattress(es)? I have heard that daybeds are not that comfortable for sitting and sleeping. Your input would be terrific. I do have a full-size futon I can use but don’t care for the style.
IKEA came out with new doors for the BESTA system which I love – not as “modern” as what they have had in the past. I am lucky enough to have my father’s “Mission” (real thing) desk and these doors will fit in nicely!
Thanks for posting this – great ideas and it gives me a lot to think about! Ellen
We purchased two of the roll-up foam mattresses from Ikea. I think they were about $75 apiece – there were in the mid-range of their foam mattresses. Ikea recommends the foam for this bed because you double up the mattresses when the bed is a twin, then just use one mattress on each side when it’s pulled out (hope that makes sense). My brother and sister-in-law have stayed on the bed and she said it was quite comfortable to sleep in and from my personal experience, it’s very nice for sitting/reading (hence all of the pillows!). As a guest bed, we are very happy with the style, function (SO much storage in those three drawers!), and comfort. Plus, we figure if the foam mattresses ever really get a workout, they will be relatively inexpensive to replace.
Would love to see photos of your guest/craft room when it’s done!
Well, I am still working on my room. Last August 2011, shortly after I posted, he had emergency retina surgery for a detached retina and then January 2012 cataract surgery for surgically induced cataract in the same eye. The he was working 3pm to 1am and a part-time job that he loves from Friday night until Sunday afternoon. No much “us” time to get things together.
And then my computer went down. I just spent most of today looking thru my flash drive that had been backed up just for your site!
How is your daybed holding up? I’m still considering it.
I hope all has been well with you and your family.
Ellen
Sounds like you’ve been busy! Glad to hear your husband is doing better.
We still love our daybed and it’s holding up great (although, to be fair, since it is our guest room, it doesn’t get much usage).