It doesn’t have to be fancy to be beautiful. And it doesn’t have to be expensive to be perfect.

Those are the words I kept reciting while I pulled together our guest bedroom over the last few months.

If you recall, I started planning this room back in April (it is now September) with a blog post rounding up seven modern coastal bedrooms to inspire our guest suite makeover.

I never imagined it would take five months to finish out this room, but here we are. I am all about sharing realistic home project timelines, y’all.

In my opinion, though, good things take time.

The thing I love most about this room is that nearly everything is second-hand or something we already owned. The only items we bought brand new were the mattress, bed frame and the light fixture — everything else lived a life of its own before it wound up in here.

To be fair, I got the light fixture on sale and it was essential to pulling the entire room together.

I was able to upcycle a $50 Facebook Marketplace headboard into a furniture piece that captures your attention as soon as you open the door. You can read all about that project here.

The dresser was a rehab project I started last year. I covered an old wood piece with grasscloth wallpaper to give it new life. 

Also, peep Jack’s cute grandparents in the photos hanging on the wall.

To me, the careful thought that went into this space and passion to create unique furniture pieces with my own hands is what makes our guest room special. 

It’s easy to go out and buy brand new everything for a room makeover. But where is the fun in that? Don’t get me wrong, I love shopping for the new. But I also love creating home using what I already own and buying used, too. I get a lot of satisfaction out of finding unique pieces to curate my home with.

For the bedding, I pulled crisp white linens from our stash. The window shades are an Amazon find (we used the same ones in Jack’s bedroom) and the curtain sheers were sitting in a closet waiting to be used.

To finish out the room I incorporated this lamp that used to be in our master bedroom, some design books, a potted snake plant and a mirror that was a wedding gift. I pulled in the rug from the living room while our new puppy Pearl is still potty training and can’t be trusted.

I called my design inspiration coastal modern but, really, my overall goal was a light and airy space that feels inviting and homey for our family and friends who visit.

To me, this is exactly that environment.

SHOP THE POST