I’m excited to show you how I made my small guest bedroom beautiful. We have two guest bedrooms in our home. One has an adjoining bathroom that I like to use first when we have company.
If there is a family staying we have a second bedroom that has a jack and jill bathroom adjoining it. This small guest bedroom is the second one that gets used. Even though it wasn’t the first space to welcome guests I wanted it to look beautiful.
Where we Started
We started with a simple and unique accent wall that was a little rustic but also elegant. You can check it out Here.
After the accent wall was installed I was anxious to add some unique and fun decor. Because we have four sons I was wanting to keep it a little more rustic. They would be the ones staying there and it suites our family style as well.
Accent Wall Decor
I knew what I wanted on the accent wall for decor. I was loving the windmill blades I have seen around. Wouldn’t you know when I decided what I wanted I was struggling finding it. I had seen them a few times but struggled finding them when I was ready to purchase.
I went to all my usual spot and left disappointed. After being discouraged I stopped in on another smaller decor store that I love. Thankfully they had a small version of what I was looking for. I knew I wanted something bigger because it was going over the queen sized bed.
Luckily RodWorks Gilbert was able to bring in exactly what I was looking for. Step one of the accent wall decor was done. Now that I have them I am finding them everywhere. RodWorks doesn’t have them any more but Here are some similar ones at Hobby Lobby.
What else do I Want
Now I needed to figure out what I wanted on the other walls.
My sons and husband have done a bit of hunting so we had deer antlers laying around. I decided they would be a perfect addition to the space.
To start I hung a couple smaller ones on an old rustic board. Monte drilled a couple holes in the boards then we used wire to attach the antlers to the board.
A quick and easy way to create something pretty.
Now What on the Other Wall
At one point we had a dresser and small night stand in the space but I decided we definitely didn’t need a dresser. On the rare occasion that someone would be staying in this room I decided having the open space was more valuable then a dresser that would be used a couple times a year.
The other more used guest room has a dresser for those that will be staying a longer time.
I finally decided I wanted to add a shelf and some fun pictures and frames to give a great look.
A Great Sign
I am a small business owner. It is tough stuff so I love to support other small businesses. I found a great company and order a unique and rustic barn sign that would sit perfectly on the shelf we installed.
They have so many beautiful signs so I was excited to support them and find something perfect for my space. Kendrick Home signs are all wood and look beautiful. You can check them out HERE. This is the barn sign that I purchased.
Deciding on the Shelf to build
I did a little shopping for a shelf but wasn’t sure what I wanted. There are a lot of pretty shelves available for purchase but I was wanting something unique and was having a hard time finding it. The struggle was not knowing exactly what I was looking for.
This always happens to me, I struggle trying to figure it out then like magic the idea comes and I run with it. I wanted to do a rustic elegant shelf that was hung with leather straps. Figuring out what I want is half the battle the other half comes with either trying to find it to buy or where to find the materials to make it.
Hunting Down the Supplies
How hard will it be to find leather long enough to hang a four foot shelf? A little more difficult then you’d think. I looked at the hardware stores and the craft stores but couldn’t find what I needed. So I resorted to Amazon and found the perfect strips of leather for the project. I don’t love supporting Amazon as much as I love supporting small business but I was happy to find what I was looking for. HERE are the leather strips I used.
My ceilings are 10′ so I wanted to make the straps long and substantial looking. After figuring out the straps it was time to figure out the board length and width. The length was easy after measuring the wall I knew 4′ would be perfect. The width of the board was a little trickier. I went to Home Depot to see what I could find. I knew they had shelving boards that were 4′ but they were all a lot wider then I wanted. After looking at the different options I decided that 8″ would be the perfect width for what I was creating.
I found a pretty board with lots of grain and a few knots that was also straight and brought it home.
How to Finish the Shelf?
There were a couple more pieces to my puzzle. How to hang the straps and how to finish the board. My original idea to finish the board was use my favorite dark wax by Annie Sloan but decided it would match the leather I purchased too closely. I had seen on IG some do it yourselfers using a stain combination. I loved the way it looked. The problem was I’d tried it before and it didn’t work so I decided to buy a conditioner for the wood. The previous issue was blotchiness so I was hoping adding the conditioner would fix that problem.
Staining the Shelf
I bought everything and hoped it would turn out. It all came from Home Depot. The Varathane pre-stain, white wash and special walnut stain.
We had to cut the shelf down to 4′. I kind of like using a miter saw. It is a little empowering.
After cutting the wood I gave it a good sanding. Then wiped off the dust. After it was wiped off I used a wire brush to dig out more sawdust hiding in the grains and grooves. Followed by a final wipe off.
I then got busy staining my shelf starting with the conditioner, painting on then wiping off. After it set for the amount of time instructed on the side of the can I added the white wash stain. Since the board wasn’t too huge I covered it all before wiping it off. I was pretty excited because it was looking good. The white wash dried then I added the special walnut stain. Letting it set for just a minute before I wiped it off.
I was so happy with the finished results.
It Looks so Pretty
Hanging the leather was easy peasy. Monte punched a hole in the top center. We did add hollow wall fasteners because the studs didn’t line up with where I wanted to hang the shelf. I drilled a screw through the leather into the hollow wall fastener and was done.
All that was left was inserting the board and adding decor.
Decor to the Door
Decor can be tricky and time consuming. If you’d like some help with your home decor check out my shop Decor to the Door. There is a variety of unique decor that will add character and charm to your home. There is also a link in the blog header.
