Beach Inspired Guest Room

When we moved into our new place I wanted this room to be fun for the kids yet still attain that serene, relaxing feeling for guests as well. Small space but big ideas? But of course!                         

First and foremost...did I happen to mention to you my obsession with Craigslist? Well one day while looking thru the "Free" section, I came across an old twin headboard with a ship steering wheel affixed to the top. I then remembered that my Husband's Grandfather was a tug boat captain. Usually the Hubby would roll his eyes at me when I would show him something that I wanted for a project. But once I told him my brainy idea he said "We have to get it!"  So off we went...in a 4 door sedan...not an SUV. We tied her to the roof, and drove about 25 miles on the highway. All the way hoping it wouldn't fly off. Yep. Oh the things I do for decor!)

I was so excited to get started I forgot to take a picture of the headboard before dismantling. I really need to stop getting so giddy I apologize for that! (I did use the poles for another project which I will post later) With the exception of the color difference this is basically what it looked like in the beginning. 

I made sure to fill in any holes with wood glue and then painted a base layer of Killz Primer. Once dry, I followed up with 3 layers of white paint. I went back and distressed the entire thing to give it a more aged look.

I also attached rope and wrapped it around the top portion of the wheel. Then while browsing at Michael's I found this adorable ship pendant and glued it to the center.

But wait...something was still missing. I wanted it to have a more personal feel to it. Just then the Hubby called me from work and said "Can we somehow put the name "El Morro" on it"?  Um...YESSSS! This after all was the name of his Grandfather's boat.

So I stenciled it onto the bottom using black acrylic pant and again distressed it. PERFECT! Yay now I can move on to the rest of the rooms accessories!

I bought this piece of art from GoodWill for 5 bucks. Nothing but a few coats of paint to make it prettier...

This room needed more storage and something to place in between the beds. So onto Craigslist I went. Scored this for only $20.00.

Painted it white and distressed to keep that beachy feel. Also gave the drawer hardware an update by spray painted them.

This is my favorite part of the room. A picture of my Husband's Grandfather in a boat frame that sits on the nightstand. The little lantern even illuminates as a night light. 

Now this dresser was my Husband's when he was a little boy, so in order for it to go with the rest of the room I did the same exact thing :)

I changed out the hardware to match as well. Got them at Target on clearance. LOVE Target! :)

Atop the dresser I placed a wooden sailboat, boey, starfish, small candle holder filled with shiny glass pebbles, and a wicker basket that holds extra towels and toiletries. All accessories were found in HomeGoods, Michael's and Goodwill.

This used to be my grandmoms spice rack back in the 80's. Wish I took a before pic but I again forgot! Uy! Just imagine that drab wood color from back then. I simply painted it white and distressed it a little. I found all the cute little accessories at Michael's and secured them to the shelves using a hot glue gun.

I picked up this lamp at Goodwill for 7 bucks. Yes it looked absolutely terrible but the size was perfect and I saw potential in the little guy. Bye bye ugly shade and base...

Hello Ballard's inspired lamp! I simply used the same rope that I used to decorate the boat wheel and glued it all around the lampshade and painted the base white.

In the middle of all these little projects I somehow found the time to paint the room as well. I used Valspar Eggshell Interior Paint in Seabreeze that I bought from Lowe's

Then I hung a grommet topped linen curtain panel and attached it to the "Summerhouse" oar which was transformed into a self-made curtain rod by securing it by rope. Both I found at HomeGoods :)

Netting that I purchased from Lowe's was swooped across the main wall, Shell hooks were purchased from Michael's and placed over the netting where I hung blue frames from rope. Bedding bought online on sale. Last finishing touches will be to put pics of the kids at the beach in the frames which I still need to be chosen and printed out :) 

Mind you, this whole idea began from a random great find of a boat steering wheel headboard. And in the end turned into this beautiful room. I hope that this proves that you can make your house a home, room by room...on any budget. All you need is an imagination :)

~Katie~

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