I was so excited when I heard from Serena and Lily about making over a guest room in preparation for the holiday season! Our current home doesn’t have a spare bedroom but I knew somewhere that did that really needed some TLC: the guest room we stay in when we spend the night at my mom’s house! Which we’ll be doing over Christmas! S&L is a favorite bedding resource of mine so I was excited to elevate the look of this already functional space.

Oh how I wish I had a before photo of this room… it was by no means poorly decorated. Just very bare. The bed was dressed in simple white bedding and sat atop a metal bed frame. Two nightstands and bedside sconces. Truly just enough to rest your head at night (and we’ve caught plenty of zzz’s there over the last few years), but I wouldn’t exactly call it cozy. So sorry, Mom. :/

Yes, my mom likes things to be simple and is a minimalist to her core. She’s regularly purging clutter even after I’ve thought there was nothing left to purge. There isn’t a single item in her home she doesn’t need or use regularly – including in the basement and garage, both of which are meticulously organized. But the other big reason my mom keeps things simple in her home is due to dust allergies. She tries to eliminate a lot of fabric as a means of preventing dust and making cleaning easier. This translates to: very few window treatments, no fabric headboards, and no rugs under the bed because they’re too difficult to vacuum. Unfortunately those are the details that help make a space feel finished.

That being said – I asked if she’d let me zhush up this space as we’ll be more likely to crash there with our two bebes and their early bedtimes, and she excitedly said of course.

First, the biggest change was adding a headboard – we went with the Balboa style. The rattan really warmed up the otherwise all white space and in my opinion it’s what the room really needed.

For the bedding, I went with my favorite – linen bedding and linen shams. But instead of sticking with a single color or going with my usual white, I mixed a warm flax color with a cool grey.

I also chose the Sea Ranch duvet cover which has a really fun beige tassels along the sides. I was worried this would be a bit too much for my mom but she said she loves it! Everything is so soft and cozy, I honestly can’t wait to stay over next.

Opposite the bed is the dresser. My mom already had this small chest of drawers but we added the Ojai mirror above it creating a spot for guests to get ready. This area is perfect for laying out toiletries and jewelry and doing my hair and makeup in privacy without cluttering up the hall bathroom.

One of my favorite tips to anyone hosting overnight guests is to have fresh flowers in their room. It’s a really special touch that goes a long way.

The finishing touches on the bed include the luxe grey alpaca throw and pom throw pillow. Both are made from ultra soft Peruvian alpaca wool – Henry looooves cuddling up with both (as do I). Adding layers like these make the room cozier for guests and a throw is really great if your guest space allows room for a chair or seating area separate from the bed. This room in particular doesn’t have that but even still, sometimes I just want to sit and read in bed at night with a throw versus getting under all the covers. So it’s a nice detail to include – plus makes the bed look that much more inviting. I honestly can’t wait for our next overnight stay in the zhushed up space!