A Southern Living Before & After

I was asked to review this November's issue of Southern Living, and have to say that I loved so many things about it, but my favorite had to be this bedroom before & after. (Photos by Laurey W. Glenn) Here's the before, which is so much like my own (in-need-of-love) guest bedroom:

And here's the After:
I love it!!! It belongs to Mary Ankar & she was assisted by none other than Anne Turner Carroll. (I think it's safe to say we bloggers pretty much love anything she gets her hands on.) What made the biggest impact in the space was the addition of the gray-green grasscloth wallpaper. I think I MUST have this somewhere in my house:
Our guest bedroom has a pair of glass lamps just like this & a very similar bed and I will have to fight with all of my being to not straight-up copy this room!! :) hahah
Also check out the before of the antique chair:

And how perfect is it now?! :
The roman shades are hung just under the crown molding & I love their relaxed elegance...
The antique desk looks far from old with the modern lamp & artwork above it. They put sketches in ready-made frames for budget-friendly accessories:
The pillow (I have to say this!) is just like the body pillow on my bed! (here I thought it was so original!! oh well ;)But I just LOVE IT!!! It's from a rug they purchased for the room that didn't work & they had it turned into a pillow. The pattern is gorgeous & it really oomphs the style level in the room. (And I can tell you how easy haveing one big pillow is!)

And finally, Anne Turner Carroll created this arrangement below out of mounted wallpaper. She felt an entire wall or large canvas of it would have been too much for the space so she broke it up. What a great idea!!! Especially if you have pretty wallpaper remnants- which I do!!! (remember the kitchen nook?!) Love the pops of yellow throught the room...
Anyway, with the loss of some of my favorite magazines (Domino & Cottage Living--- tears!!) I was really happy to see such a fresh, young space in Southern Living. There are a few more in this issue & I'm hoping this is how it will stay. We're all out here begging for some new, budget-friendly, beautiful "real" spaces!!!
xoxo,
lauren
ps- Thank you SO much for all the sweet comments about our bedroom redo!! (previous post) It really make it all worth it!! :)

25 comments:

shi(f)t said...

that room is gorgeous! not to mention the dust ruffle fabric is to die for!

mb said...

What a spectacular room. I love everything about it.

Alicia said...

wow! beautiful! I'm loving the frames wallpaper!

Red Door Home said...

I loved this room also when I saw it in Southern Living. I enjoyed your breakdown of all the details that make this room so special.

Eileen said...

Nice makeover, but I actually like your bedroom makeover better!

And the antique chair I like both ways, as it was would be perfect for shabby chic, but it is perfect for this makeover!

My poor husband, I'm leaning more toward 'feminine decorating', lucky for him finances are not great with this economy, so the masculine touches will have to stay here for awhile!

All the best,
Eileen

Emorie said...

thanks for drawing attention to this makeover--i agree that it's nice to see something like this in Southern Living!!

Love reading your blog as I live in DC and have capitalized on some of your local tips.

Would you have a source suggestion for frames if i were to try and recreate this framed wallpaper look?

great post, THANKS!

Geezees Custom Canvas Art said...

beautiful makeover

white flower farmhouse said...

that is a wonderful transformtion. You are so lucky to already have those great lamps and a similar bed. I bet when you done, it will be even better then this one! All the best, Lori

Jennifer said...

I love this too! Love Anne Turner Carroll's style in general. I so have this in que to post too, but you beat me to it!

Fargerike Dagny said...

Wow, I love it! Southern Living has really taken things up a notch!!

Living It At Home said...

I am a subscriber to this magazine and I saw this makeover. I flipped also. The pillow is just like yours! I too love the grass wall cloth. It is probably expensive? I would love to just copy that room too! It is so hard for me to make a room come together like that. Oh well!

I hope you stop by...I did a post and featured two of your kitchen photo's! Love all your rooms, your home belongs in a magazine also!

~jamilyn

Design Actually said...

Wow, the transformation is amazing! Love the suzanni pillow on the bed.

DesignTies said...

A fantastic room! I haven't seen Southern Living at our stores here (maybe at a speciality newspaper/magazine shop?) so would never have see this room if you hadn't posted about it, Lauren... lots of great ideas to borrow!
Victoria @ DesignTies

Fabulously French said...

Wow, that is some transformation.

Absolutely stunning!

Leeann x

LindsB said...

I totally agree, I was very happy when I saw this in the magazine this month. Its such a fresh bedroom and of course its awesome since Anne Turner Carroll had a part in it :)

nannykim said...

I get Southern Living and saw this--the only thing I was not into is the geometric fabric used on part of the bedding. I know there is a lot of use lately of this type of thing--but for some reason I find it jarring. I like someting that is a bit more natural. The rest of the room I really enjoy.

nannykim at spindlecottage

DecRenew Interiors said...

It just shows Lauren, you have such great style. Love the elegance, warmth and coziness of this room. Love the mix of patterns and styles.

Ruthie

No.35style said...

loooveedd this room!! totally reminded me of cottage living..so glad anne turner is at southern living..just going to wait patiently until fran keenan and heather chadduck join her, ha! i am glad SL is going more toward this look...love that pillow and i think i need a cowhide rug in my room!

nelya said...

Wowee, wow, wow! Now I love me a good before and after, but this is reeeally good. I'm doing cartwheels in my head.

deliciously organized said...

Love this room. That chair is so beautiful. Would love to have it in my house!

Lauren said...

Emorie- I would try Michael's :)

Boxcar Goods said...

beautiful pillow!

Rachel said...

I cannot believe I am just finding your blog... where have I been???

First of all, yes - I agree with you about Southern Living. I'm so happy to see that Anne Turner Carrol's influence is finally shining through. It's nice to see the more modern homes and lifestyles represented there, and I too hope it continues!
And I also loved this room - but then again, I have a girl crush on Anne... ;-) I think she just has that golden touch with interiors!

But - what I'd really love to say is that I love your blog and think what you've managed to do to your house in such a short period of time is amazing!! I'd actually seen the pics of your kitchen someplace else and didn't realize that it was your kitchen! I love your kitchen, and think you've done a fantastic job with your home! It's really interesting for me to see because I also live in a '70's ranch that we are working on "updating", albeit at a slower pace... So thank you so much for the inspiration!

Take care - have a great weekend!

Loretta Fontaine (EcoHappy Blog) said...

Lauren, I am a big Anne Turner Carrol fan, too. Her grey and white kitchen renovation in Cottage Living is one of the best, ever. Real life on a budget and gorgeous!

Now that she's at Southern Living magazine and Eddie Ross has a feature there too, too I think I will have to subscribe!

Loretta

Loretta Fontaine (EcoHappy Blog) said...

Lauren, I am a big Anne Turner Carrol fan, too. Her grey and white kitchen renovation in Cottage Living is one of the best, ever. Real life on a budget and gorgeous!

Now that she's at Southern Living magazine and Eddie Ross has a feature there too, too I think I will have to subscribe!

Loretta