Guesthouse Progress: Inside a Scandinavian Inspired Bunkie on Lake Superior

You already saw me spruce up the exterior and today I'm sharing a look inside our guesthouse!  Here's a look at the "before" (pop over to this post for more photos):

When we bought the lakehouse we were pretty enamored with this guesthouse, which boasts a three piece bathroom, sauna, and small sleeping area.  At first I waffled on the use of this space: I wanted the Etsy shop out there, but heating in the winter proved cost prohibitive - which is why my second idea, a sewing studio, didn't pan out either.  Instead, we cluttered it up, storing boxes for other people along with some furniture we no longer needed.  We finally got the room cleared out this fall and decided to make it a lovely guest space.  The sauna floor needs to be repaired and we have to build new benches, the bathroom needs some cosmetic upgrades, and the roof shingles need to be replaced (hey, guess who's going to learn some roofing skills next year?) which leaves me with a decor budget of approximately $0.  Not a problem!  I shopped the house to create a cozy space where guests can crash and I'll be slowly tackling some more projects throughout the winter. 



When I shared my to paint or not to paint the pine paneling dilemma, so many of you were Team Pine and I'm so happy I kept it natural because it saved me a lot of time and money.  Thanks for the excellent advice!  Because this is an impossibly small space there's no fooling the eye into thinking it's spacious.  The pine works with the small size and plays up the cozy factor, instead of trying to fake spaciousness.  To break up the pine just a little, I replaced the small mirror that was hanging beside the bed with my large DIY black and white painting:

 
We set up the bed (and all white bedding) from the townhouse guestroom and it just fits.  Making the bed is an aerobic activity (no idea how folks with bunk beds do it) and guests will have to clamber in from the end, but I didn't want to have to subject guests to a double.  This works! 

My Mom gave me the maple dresser I had been borrowing (which I hope weathers the winter okay out there).  Mom and I were going to sew new pillows but then I remembered I have the Marimekko pillows that used to live in the living room; they match perfectly with the freshly painted turquoise door and exterior trim!

(Behind the open turquoise door is the doorway to the three piece bathroom - to the left is the sauna).

I'd love to replace the old curtain rods but for now I just painted them a creamy white because they were super rusty.  Mom sewed really pretty sheers to offer guests a little privacy, without obscuring the lake view.  I didn't want the sheers to touch to electric baseboard heaters and, more importantly, there is literally no room for them to drape between the bed and the wall (it's a tight squeeze) so we decided to keep them short, which is such a change for me because I always prefer floor length curtains but they're just more functional at this length. 

From the outside, the sheers look much, much (much!) better than the forest green towels that used to cover the windows.  Is it me, or does the guesthouse feel more welcoming from the outside with these gauzy window treatments (you can compare against these exterior photos)? 

To add a little visual - and literal! - warmth to the space (and cover up some of that faux wood laminate flooring), I ordered this beautiful braided, 100% wool rug from RugsUSA.  I considered a natural jute rug, like this one, but ultimately I loved the look and feel of this soft wool rug.  It's a creamy neutral, which will complement any bedding or pillows down the road, plus it's really thick and cushy, so I hope it adds a little warmth underfoot because although this building is heated, it's not insulated very well.  I ordered the biggest rug that would fit and it runs under the dresser and bed, hopefully adding a little insulation to the floor.

Look at that gorgeous texture!  I want to incorporate some more soft textures into the room, so I'm currently dreaming about making a huge chunky blanket or maybe even a woven wall hanging for one of the other walls.  

The guesthouse has two overhead lights and one of the light switches is in the bulkhead, toward the wall with the hooks.  You have to stand on the bed to reach it, it's hilarious!  There's quite obviously no room for side tables in here, so maybe some wall mounted sconces are in order.  To facilitate bedtime reading as best I can, I added a lamp to the dresser - it's the old one from my office.  I haven't needed it since we gave the office a makeover, so I'm happy I can make use of it in here.  

I'm torn about decorating the dresser.  I want to add a tray and plants and make it homey, but there's SO little room in here that I think guests would just prefer a place to put their stuff because floor space is at a premium. 

I originally wanted a really spare, Scandinavian-inspired look with a black, white and pale wood color palette, but I deviated a little.  I couldn't help but add just a little turquoise ;)

I think it still has a Scandi cottage kind of vibe.  Although it's technically ready for guests, I want to tackle a few more projects over the winter so it feels even more inviting and cozy for next spring.  In addition to making a cozy throw for the bed and maybe some DIY sconces, my Mom had an idea for those hooks: add some kind of DIY felted wool pouches with long handles that people could use to stash a phone or book, in lieu of night stands.  Isn't that clever? 

Making some candles and stocking a drawer in the dresser with some essentials (snacks, some toiletries, flashlights, bear bangers, etc.) is on my to-do list too.  Some more art would enhance the coziness - or maybe some wall pockets with plants during the summer would be a nice touch.  Would I remember to go out there and water them, though?  There's also a boob light I cropped out of photos that needs a replacement.

But this room has come a looooong way from the pile of boxes and furniture - accented by forest green towels for curtains - we started with in the fall. 

I'd love to hear your ideas! 

I have to thank to RugsUSA for generously sending over the rug after I spotted it online and fell in love with the plush texture and Scandinavian vibe.  Right now it's kept securely in place by furniture, but on its own it would require a rug pad so RugsUSA sent along the perfect size comfort grip rug pad in case I decide to use this pretty handmade rug elsewhere:

Kitchen Progress: It's Panel Time! (Installing Modern Paneling)

On instagram you might have caught a peek of us installing the paneling.  Installation was pretty easy.  The trickiest part was maneuvering the 8 foot tall pieces (I have some ceiling spots that now require a little paint touch up).  First we did some job reflection and measured the space to determined how many sheets we'd need (6).  Once they were in our hot little hands, we did some more reflection and confirmed where we wanted the paneling to begin and end, where seams would fall, and where to cut holes for outlets, etc.  Hubby found a neat, but ancient, online tool which helps figure out how to cut a sheet of anything (like plywood or paneling) for a project.  We haven't bought a table saw yet (we really need one), so Hubs used a circular saw and a straight edge,on our old kitchen counter propped up on saw horses in the garage, to cut the pieces and then used a jigsaw to cut out holes for outlets and vents.  We wrestled the sheets indoors and applied PL Premium construction adhesive to the back, careful not to apply it too close to the edges that it squished out, but enough that the edges were glued firmly into place.

We fit them into place and then, holding them so they didn't sag or droop down, used an air nailer to secure the edges.  Using the air nailer was my favorite part - holding them in place was not.

We applied pressure all over the sheets to help to distribute the adhesive evenly.  Once all of the sheets were installed, we went around with a nail set and hammer to counter sink all of the nail holes so none of the nails were poking out.

Once it was installed, I wiped off the many smudges and grime with a magic eraser, followed by a damp rag.  Then I went over every hole with sandpaper to smooth it (some edges were rough) and smooshed in some wood filler.  For shallow holes I just wiped off the excess with a damp rag right away, but for deeper holes I filled them and then applied a second coat and sanded the excess once dry.

The paneling came primed, but it wasn't perfect so I logged some hours with a paint brush this week.  I think that I'm done painting (the third coat was applied late last night, so I should hope), so later today I'll remove the tape and drop cloths and work on trimming it out - especially in the corners.  The paint for the paneled walls was provided by CIL.  The colour is White on White (in eggshell for the walls).  Meanwhile, Hubby is building an open pantry for beside the fridge and then I'm sanding, priming and painting it and our shelves!!  The kitchen process bodes well for the scary pile of unpacked boxes, because much of it (too much of it) is kitchen-bound.

Because I removed all of the upper cabinets, I wanted the paneling to extend from counter to ceiling over the remaining cabinetry, and then floor to ceiling behind and beside the fridge.  I didn't want to visually chop up the space I painstakingly opened up with the deconstructing my Dad and I did.  I've been thinking, though, that it would have been easier not to install it on the wall beside the fridge because it's really difficult to trim nicely.  But it's glued on now!  Here are some more photos of the paneling, pre-paint:





UPDATE: One little thing we had to think about with paneling was to purchase box extenders because our outlets because really sunk in from the extra thickness:

We installed the paneling vertically, even though horizontally has a more modern look, because the fireplace at the opposite end of the open living area has vertically installed pine planks, so this way the two spaces - although they contrast with light and dark paint finishes - have a design detail in common and relate to one another.  This is also why I picked very simple paneling, as opposed to something like beadboard.  No one but you and I need to know that the sauna wood looked totally weird, and that I picked paneling because it was a cheap and easy fix after we trashed the walls.

UPDATE: Now that the kitchen is finished, I'm adding some info and pictures concerning how we finished off the paneling.  Between the sheets, the seams needed nothing more than paint to disguise them because they were so close together and the only thing that made them stand out were the unfinished edges.  In total, I brushed on three coats of an eggshell latex paint.

Our counters were installed to have a gap at the back to allow for the expansion of wood so to hide that we simple nailed in lengths of 3 x 1 (Aspen) which were sanded smooth and then primed and painted the same colour as the paneling, but using a semi-gloss finish.  Any other kind of trim could work here and if the counter butts up right to the walls, and the paneling is installed with a neat edge over it, I've seen kitchens were no trim has been added.  There is also the option of a small quarter round, or decorative trim. 

In the picture above you can see we used narrow cove trim to hide the corner seam which was too large to be covered by paint or caulk.  It was painted to match the paneling.

The top of the paneling really didn't need any trim, although something like crown molding would add a nice touch.  Because our house is far from square, there were a few tiny gaps along the ceiling which we hid behind very thin strips of maple, also painted and primed to match, and installed with an air nailer.

At the edge of the paneling, where the kitchen opens into the dining room, we simply caulked the edge for a cleaner look.  In the doorway, white plastic trim (the kind used in wallpaper applications) was applied with construction adhesive.

Around the window, a small piece of trim was added to build up the area where there wasn't paneling to prevent the window casing from tipping.  This was nailed in place and the casing was installed as usual and everything was primed and painted the same colour as the paneling.  Easy!

Truthfully, finding a nice way to finish off the paneling was difficult because the space is open concept.  In a more closed off room - with four proper walls - this would be much, much easier.  In the end, though, it looks okay and was a very thrifty option for covering the walls, which were in rough shape.

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Kitchen Questing

As you saw, the kitchen is coming along.  Yay!!  From the day we began planning, I've had an idea for a (hopefully) quick and inexpensive backsplash, and yesterday I sourced the materials.  Moving back to the Thunder Bay region, we've had to become re-accustomed to waiting for things.  Want a grey, water-based stain?  Gotta wait five days for a shipment to come in from Winnipeg.  Need a dishwasher?  You can have one middle of April, if you order today.  Want a sleek, mid-century inspired curtain rod?  Hahahaha, nope.  You'll have to wait until 2016 for that trend to circle back.  Patience is a virtue.  So what was I so worried I'd have to special order?

I'm not sure I want to say . . .

. . .

Paneling.  I know, it doesn't seem my style.

I feel so sheepish.  As I caught the eye of other lumber yard patrons, I wanted to reassure them, "seriously, I swear, this will look awesome".  Never in a million years did I think I would ever opt for paneling, but after seeing modern kitchens like the one below, I have a new appreciation for it.

Style at Home

Here's my reasoning for wanting paneling for our kitchen spit and polish: it's relatively inexpensive ($17.99/ 4x8 sheet) and it will hide the drywall repair we're doing, plus a multitude of other sins I'd like to off-load on Future-Me to deal with and fix.  As a bonus, it should be easy to remove when we do phase II.  With the cabinets and pantry axed, we have so much bare, torn-up wall on display and tiling all of that would be expensive and time consuming.  We're going to panel the entire window wall, and the entire wall behind the fridge and stove.  The paneling will be a nice, neutral, flaw-covering backdrop to the awesome opening shelving, with just enough texture to keep things interesting.  I've toyed with the idea of horizontal paneling (and herringbone paneling!), but I think keeping it vertical will look better with the shelves, and also complement the vertical paneling on either side of the fireplace.   

Here's the extensive selection I found locally.  I'm not sure if I should find some of it frightening or not.

The winner!!

I picked something very simple - no detail, no wood grain.  I'm really excited about it, and the next step is to research how to finish it off professionally around the edges.  Because I have paneling on the brain, I've rounded up some different styles and applications of paneled walls, including the real-deal and faux sheets like I'm using.  I also found this handy article on types of paneling.   

Better Homes & Gardens

Apartment Therapy

Lonny

Lonny

Farmhouse 38 - Beadboard installed in a clever herringbone pattern!

Atlanta Homes Magazine

via Euro Style Lighting

via Remodelista

Awww, see?  So pretty!  Now that I've stared at a few dozen samples (and ogled dozens of rooms with paneling), I think the key to keeping the look out of the 1970s is to pick paneling with evenly sized panels.  The skinnier/wider combo seems to date it, as does that certain shade of fake wood.  But that's nothing a little paint can't fix.

Monica Wants it - Retro paneling!

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