A Guest Room Designed to Grow with Love
There is something especially meaningful about designing a room for a client’s new grandchild. You are not simply choosing furniture, wallpaper, and bedding. You are creating the backdrop for moments that haven’t happened yet—welcomed visits, afternoon naps, bedtime stories, holiday mornings, and eventually, the familiar comfort of knowing there is a special place waiting at your grandparent’s house. That was the inspiration behind this guest bedroom, designed and installed by Joan Greene Design Studio.
My client welcomed her first grandchild about a year ago, and we wanted to create a room that would feel lovely—but would not feel like a nursery she would quickly outgrow. At the same time, this is still a guest bedroom, so it needed to be comfortable and inviting for grown children, family members, and friends who come to stay.
The answer was to create a room that feels warm, comfortable, collected and quietly whimsical. And most importantly, my first goal is to design a space that my client loves.
It All Began with the Wallpaper
Every room needs a starting point, and for this one, it was a very special wallpaper I sourced from Sweden. Its oversized botanical design immediately captured my client’s imagination. Beautiful, almost storybook flowers climb across the wall alongside butterflies, delicate typography and wonderfully illustrated stems and leaves. The muted shades of rose, sage, charcoal, cream and earthy greens give the paper an old-world quality without making the room feel old-fashioned.
I loved the idea that this wall could enchant a little girl now and still feel beautiful when she is five, ten—or coming home to visit as a young woman.
Rather than covering every wall, we allowed the wallpaper to become the room's focal point. The architecture of the sloped ceiling makes the floral wall even more dramatic, almost as though we created a secret garden tucked beneath the eaves.
From there, every other selection was made to complement it rather than compete with it.
A Room for One Little Girl—and Everyone Else, Too
Because this bedroom also serves as a true guest room, flexibility was important.
We selected two new beds with softly turned details and a light, gently aged finish. Their traditional silhouettes feel appropriate with the vintage quality of the wallpaper, but they are simple platform beds that keep the room feeling fresh.
Crisp white bedding keeps everything light and welcoming, while soft sage-green accents quietly pull color from the botanical mural. Layered pillows, textured coverlets and throws give the beds that irresistible come in, get comfortable and stay awhile feeling.
The twin beds also make the room wonderfully versatile. Someday they may accommodate more than one grandchild, but today they can just as easily welcome visiting family members or overnight guests.
That is one of my favorite things about designing for the family that lives there: a beautiful room should be able to change as a family changes.
Making Room for Something Old
Not everything in a newly designed room needs to be new.
In fact, I think some of the most interesting rooms are those that combine new selections with pieces that already carry a story.
In the corner of this bedroom sits a sweet family heirloom bench. Its warm wood and velvet upholstery look as though they were always meant to live against the oversized botanical wallpaper.
And because a beautiful room should also invite you to use it, we added a wonderfully lush fauxfur throw.
I imagine a little girl climbing onto that bench with someone she loves, pulling the soft throw around her and settling in for a bedtime story.
Perhaps one book tonight.
And then, inevitably, just one more.
That little corner may ultimately become one of the most important places in the room—not because of what it cost or because it is perfectly styled, but it was placed there with intention and care.
The Beauty Is in the Layers
The finishing details were deliberately restrained.
A classic chest between the beds brings warmth and character while providing practical storage. Soft lighting creates a gentle glow in the evening. Small framed bird and butterfly artwork continues the nature story without competing with the dramatic floral wall.
Even the palette was allowed to remain quiet. Cream, soft white, sage, weathered wood, dusty rose and muted botanical tones move naturally throughout the room. The wall behind the bed was painted Sherwin-Williams Universal Khaki to blend with the wallpaper and give an earthy, neutral background for the beds
Nothing shouts for attention. Instead, the room unfolds slowly.
There is something new to notice in the wallpaper each time you look at it—a butterfly here, a flower there, a beautifully drawn leaf or faded bit of lettering. Those small discoveries give the room a sense of wonder that feels particularly appropriate for a child while remaining sophisticated enough for adults.
Designing Beyond Today
When I design a room for a family, I try not to think only about what it needs to be today. I think about what life might look like in that room several years from now.
This little granddaughter will grow. Her interests will change. The bedtime stories will change. Eventually, she may bring a suitcase instead of a favorite stuffed animal when she comes to visit.
But the room doesn't have to be completely redesigned each time she enters a new stage.
That is why we resisted making it overly juvenile. There are no obvious nursery themes or pieces that will quickly feel too young. Instead, we created a beautiful foundation and added just enough softness and whimsy to make it magical for a child.
For other family members and guests, it simply feels like a lovely bedroom—a comfortable place to unpack, rest and feel genuinely welcomed.
And perhaps that is what a guest room should really do. It should quietly say: We thought about you. We made a place for you. We're happy you're here.
For one very special little granddaughter, I hope this room becomes something even more—a place she associates with visits, stories, laughter, family and being deeply loved.
Because the best rooms aren't really about wallpaper or furniture at all.
They're about the life that happens inside them.
Designed and installed by Joan Greene Design Studio.
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