For 3 years, this bedroom served as the summer room for our boys when they came home from college. I had originally decorated it with plaid peel-and-stick wallpaper and added a high wall molding, knowing I eventually wanted to add more architectural detail.

But with our last two boys getting married this year, it felt like the perfect time to refresh the room and prepare it for our new daughters.

After decorating boys’ rooms for more than thirty years, I was excited to finally create a softer, more feminine guest bedroom.

The first step was removing the plaid wallpaper and refreshing the paint. I brightened the ceiling and painted the lower two-thirds of the walls, including the molding, in Cotton by Sherwin-Williams.

Next, I added box moldings around the room to give the walls more architectural character and installed a botanical peel-and-stick wallpaper in soft neutrals on the top 1/3rd of the wall. The pattern adds movement and personality while still keeping the room calm and elegant.

To bring warmth and visual interest to the ceiling, I built two large faux foam beams and stained them in a chestnut tone to coordinate with the furniture. The beams look like real wood and add a strong architectural statement to the room.

I layered the space with taupe drapes, white bedding, mauve toile accents, and soft velvet textures to create a cozy, welcoming feel.