How to make a decorating plan for your guest bedroom

Do you change your mind often and struggle with making decisions? Is creating a decorating plan particularly difficult for you? If you answered yes to any of those questions, this post is dedicated to you!

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After participating in the Spring One Room Challenge earlier this year, I decided to give it a go once again for the Fall edition. I think I’ve lost my mind a little bit after the massive project that was the dining room! This time, I’ll be tackling our guest bedroom. I’m hoping it’ll be more fun this time around because there will be no renovation. The focus will be on the decor!

So what does that have to do with indecisiveness? Ummm…EVERYTHING! I, too, struggle with making decisions. As a result, creating the mood board (or what I sometimes refer to as a #shmoodboard) for the guest room has been a journey. 

I’ll walk you through the process you will need to take to create a decorating plan!

Considerations for the guest bedroom

Before creating plans for your guest room, analyze the needs for the space. 

For example, first and most importantly, our guest bedroom is my dad’s when he visits. At this point, he now uses a walker. On top of that, my dad has always been clumsy! Therefore, he has to have clear walkways and absolutely no fragile items to potentially knock over. There has to be plenty of space for his walker. Accessibility is of the highest importance for the guest bedroom!

Secondly, our guest bedroom is probably the same as yours: it serves as extra storage. All the things that I have no idea how to store ends up in the guest room. Extra linens, craft supplies, coffee table books that don’t fit on my bookcase — these are the items that make you ask, “What do I even do with this right now?” My plan must accommodate those miscellaneous items.

Thirdly, I will be keeping my late mother’s items in my guest bedroom. Specifically, I’m keeping her clothes and purse in the room. When she was alive, the guest room was called “Mama’s room.” I refuse to put her away in the attic.

What’s the inspiration?

After you determine what you need, you have to get inspired. What will drive the look and mood of your guest bedroom? Like our dining room, our guest room is inspired by artwork and patterns. I installed this wallpaper a few months ago to get myself out of a creative funk. It is definitely from where the boho vibes originate. Moreover, there are some gorgeous pieces of art that inspired the vibrancy that I want the guest bedroom to radiate. I found the perfect piece of art to complement the others pieces that I will reveal in future posts.

So, what will inspire you? Will it be art, textiles, or a piece of furniture? Will it be a song, a photo, or a book?

Boho vibes

The boho style, short for bohemian, is a style that celebrates a mix of textures, earthy colors, rattan and caning, and plants. For years, I struggled to pinpoint my taste which made decor shopping difficult. Now that I am aware of my love for all things boho and mid century modern, I know how to choose pieces that will make sense in the guest bedroom.

Setting the moods

Okay…so this is where it gets real. It’s time to curate items on one medium, a mood board, to visualize how everything chosen for the room would look together.

Guest bedroom plan 1

This iteration of the #schmoodboard was me trying to pretend the wallpaper was pink and not coral. I thought navy curtains would look great. However, this mood was very off because of all of the blue muting the excitement of the room. Plus, the curtains were too expensive for my budget.

Guest bedroom plan 2

This is me thinking, “Let’s be conservative color-wise.” Yep, this is my version of conservative! *shakes my head*

I kept it neutral by introducing black into the room. When in doubt, black it out! But this #schmood wasn’t meant to be. It was feeling a little too safe.

Guest bedroom plan 3

“Hey! I found the art that feels so meant to be in the guest bedroom! Whoaaaa… it’s pricey (for me). Anyways, we like these curtains! It’s neutral without being serious!”

The #schmood was still off because the room was still too neutral for my tastes. Afterwards, my inner dialogue then included many curse words in frustrations for not getting the #schood exciting enough.

Guest bedroom plan 4

I then decided to see the wallpaper as coral and not pink. I leaned into the boho vibes and considered earthy colors.

In this board, I feel like we’re getting closer to the right #schmood…

Guest bedroom plan 5

Let’s try to add a little bit of spunk back in the space! After adding stripes, I began to like the reintroduction of the neutral black in the room, but in an unexpected way. I’m enjoying this #schmoooood!

Throughout this process, I learned that we have to tinker with the decor plan to get it right. You have to change one piece at a time to see how all of a room’s components work together.

Conclusion

In review, to create a decor plan for a room, I suggest the following plan:

1. Analyze your needs
2. Seek inspiration
3. Create several mood boards

In the end, is mood board the official decor plan? NOPE! I’ve ordered many options to try out to see how they will look in the actual guest bedroom. My fellow indecisive folks out there, know that’s it’s okay you ordered 3 sets of curtains, 4 pillows, and two blankets to try out. It’s all a part of setting the right mood.

Sincerely,

Felicia.

PS: Check out all of the talented ORC participants here! Also, let me know which #schmood you liked the best!