A complete makeover pulled it all together.

The Bedroom

The Challenge:
To transform a guest suite from a makeshift collection of castoffs into a comfortable and inviting bedroom and bath. These two rooms had never been decorated beyond painting blue and white stripes on the wall. The bedroom is furnished with leftovers from the rest of the house, and the daybed is rigged from two headboards. A skirted table, squeezed into the corner, blocks access to the window and makes the room feel cramped. The bathroom has an ordinary vanity and countertop and a wall-mounted plate glass mirror.

The Solution:
Build a new frame for the daybed, using 2 x 6 boards and dowels. Replace bedding and pillows to clarify the color scheme and supply comfort. In the bathroom, paint the walls, install a louvered enclosure for the shower, and craft a frame for the mirror to give the space a fun, breezy spirit.

The Specifics:

• Build a new bed frame. Give a daybed a whole new look with arms inspired by Chippendale-style garden benches. Homeowner and stylist Deborah Hastings designed and built the roll-arm frame herself, using standard lumber and a table saw. The daybed frame is mounted high enough on the arms to allow a trundle bed to be tucked underneath.

• Downplay a distracting pattern. For a cleaner, more sophisticated look, Deborah replaced the gathered dust ruffle and wedding-ring quilt with a tailored skirt and solid white matelassý coverlet. To bring the colors of the painting into the room, she selected a medley of pillows keyed to the artwork. Her trick for choosing the right colors? She collected paint chips that matched the colors in the painting and the stripes on the wall and glued them to an index card that she carried with her when she went shopping.
• Relieve crowding by removing furniture that's too big. With the skirted table gone, Deborah can reach the window to open it. A small tray table provides a place for necessities, and it's easy to move when the trundle bed needs to be pulled out. Floor lamps, to be added later, will provide reading light.