The Power of the Unexpected: How a Whole Bunch of Unique Touches Came Together to Create the Sweetest Little AirBnB
THE PLATES MADE ME DO IT
It all started with the plates. I found myself walking down the dinnerware aisle at one of my favorite thrift stores and before I knew it...this whole plate wall took shape. And the space just spilled out from there.
Welcome to the blog! And definitely welcome to this tour of The Cute + Cozy Bungalow! Of the 20+ spaces I’ve designed and hosted...this one is special. There’s just something about the way the colors and pieces came together to create the sweetest little cozy house in downtown Albuquerque.
Let’s do the grand tour, shall we? This little house has so much character and charm...let’s start right here in the dining area. This is what guests see when they walk into the front door. This little vintage folding table came from my favorite indoor flea market. There it was tucked in behind all kinds of things...but I spotted it from about a mile away! It was perfect! And the chairs came with it and I think it all cost like $50. What in the world?? Yes please!
I found the sweet little round rug on Amazon and yes- the plates were from the thrift store. If you’re looking for a good way to hang plates, I like the supplies they sell at Hobby Lobby. They have round adhesives with a hoop on top. You go through a process to adhere the adhesive to the back of the plate and use the hoop to hang it. Pretty cool! It makes it possible to hand just about ANYTHING on your wall!
THE LIVING ROOM
Alright, let’s turn to our left and step into the living room. A simple futon from Target, and that butterfly chair was a Target find too. The desk was a treasure I stumbled upon at my local flea market. To be honest: My original intention was to put it in the closet of the back bedroom to create a desk area. But it ended up being just PERFECT in the living room. So that’s what we went with! You’ll see pictures of what I did with the closet here in just a bit. I think it all came together nicely.
The rug was an Amazon find as well and the wall decor was a mix of Target, thrift stores, what I had on hand at my house and the At Home store.
THE MASTER BEDROOM
Shall we step into the master bedroom? Welcome! Here you’ll find a metal queen sized bed frame topped with a Lucid memory foam mattress. I found this rug at IKEA and LOVE IT! It’s the absolute perfect yellow. The curtains were also an IKEA find and that floor lamp was on clearance at Costco.
I think one of my favorite parts of this room is the double dressers. This wall was long and I needed enough furniture to get the scale just right. I love to do things that are way outside of the box. And I kinda think two dressers next to each other, that don’t “match”, adds a fun, unexpected and playful element to this room. I got both of these at the flea market, so the cost was minimal.
THE KITCHEN
Alright, let’s take this tour around the corner to the kitchen. This little kitchen. Oh my goodness. I just couldn’t love these open shelves and that butcher block counter any more than I do! It’s so CUTE! Keeping the elements on the shelves very simple and basic is the key here. Definitely didn’t want them to feel cluttered or to be used for food or random storage. They have a very specific purpose and need to stay simple. So that’s just what we went with! The kitchen also has a full stove, refrigerator and the stacking washer/dryer. It’s all there for a seamless and easy stay for our guests, which is always the goal!
BEDROOM
The second bedroom is back behind the kitchen. The door leads to the backyard. There’s just enough room in here for a twin bed, so we kept it very simple. The perfect combo of colors and wall decor make this little room fun and playful. And did you happen to notice that closet?
This is the closet where I had originally intended to put that desk the TV sits on in the living room. But I love the way this little sitting area turned out. There’s still plenty of room for guests to use the closet for actual clothes. But if they want a little extra sitting spot to sip on something and read a book (or whatever), it’s there!
THE BATHROOM
Ok friend. Let’s travel back through the kitchen and take the hallway to our right from the living room. The first thing you’ll come to is the bathroom. It’s small but mighty! This little bathroom is completely updated with new flooring and tile, a new toilet and a vanity...even a new medicine cabinet. The vanity and cabinet came from IKEA, as well as the light fixture. Some simple wall decor and a cute yellow rug on the floor are the icing on this little cake. It’s ready to go!
BEDROOM
Alright. One final bedroom. At the end of the hall is a sweet little bedroom with another twin sized bed and a closet. A pop of orange in the chair, a pop of turquoise in the bedside table (another flea market find!) and some cute things on the wall. Good to go. Did you happen to notice that the wood chevron pieces in the collage on the wall are actually cabinet samples? Yep! They sure are! Free and so cute!
ONE OTHER NOTE:
All the curtains throughout this little home came from IKEA. I love IKEA curtains. They’re simple, low cost and come in floor to ceiling length. I’m a firm believer that curtains should be floor to ceiling whenever possible. They make any room feel bigger and brighter and lighter. I actually don’t live near an Ikea, so I purchase the majority of my Ikea items online and have them shipped to my home. The shipping is low cost and generally comes pretty quickly. Highly recommended!
And that’s a wrap! You’ve officially had the full tour of The Cute and Cozy Bungalow and personally witnessed how collection of cute, unexpected and quirky things and come together to make for the sweetest little AirBnB! I hope you’re feeling inspired, friend. It’s been so fun sharing this one with you. Stick around for the next one: The Way Out West Casita.
I must give credit where credit is due: If you’re in the ABQ area and you’re looking for a photographer, check out Rosetta Ann Photography! She took all the photos of this space…in fact, she takes almost ALL my interior photos! She’s amazing!
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