Fresh color and a new window seat pump up the style.

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:
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.

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.

The Bath

Lighten with paint. In the bathroom, Deborah covered the dark green-gold walls with a lighter yellow-gold. After the paint dried, she applied a white top coat and dragged a comb through the wet paint. "It was impossible to be neat and perfect with the wave, so I deliberately kept it freehand and unstructured," she says.

Restyle cabinetry. To add interest to the plain vanity doors, Deborah cut and painted screening lath to fit inside the molding in an X shape (see Projects for instructions). She also replaced the brass knobs with new glass ones.

Frame the mirror. Using glass tiles and seashells, Deborah turned this boring mirror into a focal point with personality. (For instructions, see Projects.)