Photography By Sara Tramp
My mom came down last week to hang out with Satie while I work on this TV project. She was the first guest in my freshly-painted guest room and I was excited to finally have someone use that space. Satie was delighted to snuggle with Gramma on the sofa all day while I was at work. The last two homes I’ve lived in in Los Angeles have been two bedrooms, which I like to have just in case someone needs to stay with me. But I’ve found historically that if you set up your guest room as a guest room, you might not have as many guests as you think.
I tend to go up to visit my family since they all live pretty close to one another. And friends usually stay at hotels. But for that rare case someone does need a place to crash, I still like having a guest room. The makeover in this room was inspired by my year-long collaboration with Clare Paint, something that I really enjoy because it allows me to talk about one of my greatest passions - paint!
I like paint projects because they are accessible. Yes, painting can be a pain, but if you prep correctly and take your time it’s the most efficient, cost effective way of totally transforming your space.
Sources: Wall Color, Trim Color, Ceiling Color, Light Fixture, Drapes, Mirror, Drapery Rod, Bed, Sheets, Duvet, Quilt, Rug, Nightstand, Lamps.
In this room, I decided to try something I haven’t tried before: a color block ceiling. Normally, we’re used to seeing color on the walls and the ceiling white. So I wanted to try flipping that on its side and having the ceiling be the colorful accent. I absolutely love the warmth and coziness of the room. But honestly the ceiling does not contrast with the walls the way I had hoped. I like the vibe of the room but it’s less graphic and contrasty than I expected.
Sometimes when you’re doing projects like this, you experiment in ways you might not if you were painting a room just for yourself. The purpose of this makeover was to provide content and images showing the beauty of Clare’s paint colors in a real space. Obviously I benefit because I get a room with beautiful, freshly-painted walls. But I’m also usually kind of scrambling to get these rooms put together in time for our shoots.
All of this is to say I didn’t have time to swatch the colors on the wall and see that their contrast was a little lower than I wanted. When I’d imagined this space, I’d pictured the ceiling a little darker. The result was just not what I expected. I’ve been painting rooms since I was seven. But I still make mistakes.
The upside to how the room actually turned out is that it’s a lot softer, quieter, and more serene than it would have been if there was more contrast between the wall and ceiling colors. So ultimately while the ceiling color didn’t do what I thought it would, it potentially did something better, something dreamier.
If you’re wondering what my bed is doing in front of the windows, the bedrooms in my house are very tiny. There’s really no other logical places for a bed so I went with this gorgeous spindle bed from AllModern. A good rule of thumb when putting a bed in front of a window is that it should either be low enough to clear the window or it should have some kind of open headboard that lets light through.
The drapery wall is one of my favorite accents in the room. I’m typically very opposed to pocket rod drapery (the kind that has a sleeve the rod goes into). But these really work for some reason. I think it’s the weight of the linen and how it drapes so perfectly. These are really chunky and heavy drapes and the quality makes them look elegant whereas a thinner version might have looked flimsy and haphazard.
Sources: Side Table, Mirror, Prints.
To be honest, I’m not really sure what to do with this side of the room. All of this stuff, aside from the mirror, was just propped there for this shot. Now that may seem weird to you and maybe even a bit deceptive, but remember the point of these photographs, which were paid for by Clare, is to get as many images as possible that show the beauty of this paint. So sometimes you shove things in a corner so the corner looks less boring.
Originally, I got a really cute Blu Dot dresser for that corner. But there was something awkward about having it there, like it was facing the wrong way or something. I think ultimately I might find a decorative chair for that corner or maybe some art. There’s room at the end of the bed so I may try to design some kind of low dresser/bench thing so there’s storage for clothing. As with my last two bedroom house, this guest room’s closet is filled with my clothes. Both bedrooms need massive closet makeovers (adding rods, shelves, etc) before they can function very well so right now my clothes have spread all over the house.
One of my proudest moments in the room is the bedding. Tuft & Needle gifted me beautiful, neutral bedding a few years ago. But a friend spilled wine all over the quilt (it was in the living room at the time) and so I decided to dye it with Rit Dye. The color I used was Rose Quartz and I just did it in the washing machine. I’d always thought that would ruin the machine but honestly there’s not a spot anywhere. I just ran the cycle on hot with one bottle of the dye, then dried it to adhere the dye to the textile. It turned out great and really masked the wine stain! This could be a good DIY if you’re sick of the color of your bedding or if it’s permanently stained. You can even dye it its original color if the color has faded over the years.
My LA place is kind of a dreamland right now. It’s not hot enough to put my window unit ACs in yet so I’m enjoying that it’s warm enough to keep the windows open all day long and don’t have to listen to the buzzing of AC all day long in order to avoid broiling to death. The layout of this house is really nice. Basically there’s a very private, fenced off backyard outside the bedrooms. I’ve spent the past two years improving the yard and growing pretty green plants all over so now there’s a lush garden outside my windows.
I’ve been trying to grow jasmine on the chain-link fence on the side of the house and it’s finally taking off this year after a slow start. As I’m writing this, subtle breezes are bringing the scent of jasmine into the house. It’s truly lovely and it feels like all the hard work I've been doing in the yard is starting to pay off.
I’m hoping to spend most of the summer here in LA after I get the Londo Lodge Kitchen done and finish prepping the house/yard/deck for Airbnb guests. I’m ready to venture back out into the city, start “doing things” again, and get the most out of this LA house (while hopefully making a bunch of money at Londo Lodge to help me get back on my feet). I may even start sleeping in this room - the bright springy color palette feels a little more appropriate for summer while the moody green of my bedroom is the perfect place for winter snuggles.
P.S. I’m working with Trova Trip to organize a trip to Mexico City October 19 - 24, 2023! It’s going to be a really great trip and I’m really excited about it. We’re going to see the Frida Kahlo Museum (literally her house/studio), tour historic buildings, take a cooking class, check out the handcraft markets (this is right before Dia de Muertos), and much more! If you’re interested, sign up! The pricing is really reasonable and the first eight people who sign up get $200 off! There might even be a celebrity guest (orlanDAD) on the trip…
I Tried Something New in My LA Guest Room.
I can hardly take my eyes off this ceiling! The color is perfect! Palest pink is soothing as well as flattering to a great many skin tones, so I think it's an excellent choice for a bedroom. But I may be biased--it also happens to be my favorite color. :-)
Such a lovely bedroom. It's very inviting for your guests. When I stay somewhere I like to have a surface to put my jewelry on at night and maybe a few other items I want to leave out of the suitcase. Not sure if the room layout works to have a small piece of furniture to provide that kind of a spot. I'm thinking a slim console table or small scale cabinet or small desk.